Cohersion and Persuasion

Within a marriage, differences of opinion occur frequently. Everyone knows that the woman is always the victor but the men can’t go down without a fight. You argue about the trail of clothes on the floor leading to the bathroom. Is it really that difficult to walk the extra two feet to the hamper? Is he that worried he can’t find his way back to the bed that he has to drop “breadcrumbs?” He argues that propping his feet on the coffee table harms no one. He claims to be improving circulation to his oh so tired feet after long days at work. All you can see is the coaster where you rest your drink lying right next to his oh so stinky feet. And come on, how hard can it be to recap the toothpaste? Yes, little arguments like these happen all too often.

 
Today, you are going to learn the finesse to winning an all too crucial argument. It’s time to buy a new mattress. You’ve been sleeping on the hand-me-down from his parents for too long. Its time for an upgrade and you aren’t sure you’ll agree on which mattress to buy. This is one argument you can’t afford to lose. Let me correct myself because as women we never “lose,” we just pick our battles and allow for certain male victories. Anyways, the steps to victory for this particular quest are very simple.

 
The first technique begins the second you walk in the store. Allow him to take the lead, let him think he’s running the show. While he converses with the mattress specialist, drift away and scope out the bed that you want. Once you have the target in your sights, search for a bed that you know he won’t like (possibly resembling a rock or the floor) and one that he’ll like a little bit more but still isn’t great. These beds should be located in close proximity to your favorite. (If you have the time, visit the store beforehand to do your reconnaissance work.) Now head back to your hubby and casually guide him to the bed you know he won’t like. Let him gripe about how uncomfortable it is. Agree with him then go lay down on the second bed. What you are doing here is training him to follow you without him realizing he’s doing it. He’ll lay down with you and mutter how much better this one feels but that its still not it. Get up and stroll to YOUR bed because lets face it, this is the one you will be going home with whether he’s realized it yet or not. Lie down and let out an inconspicuous sigh of complete relaxation. Now you’ve drawn him to you. As he lies down and rolls to his side, rub his back and say something like, “isn’t this so comfortable.” He’s lying their envisioning the massages you’ll give him on this oh so comfortable bed (don’t worry, lesson two will provide instructions on how to get him to give you a massage on the new bed not the reverse). For your final act of persuasion, head back to the uncomfortable bed, lie down and say something like, “this one isn’t really that bad.” You should probably roll over facing away from him so that he can’t see your smirk when he replies with how much more he likes the bed you targeted in the first place. If executed properly, you’ll be sleeping in the bed you want in no time.

 
Now some of you may feel that this technique is deceitful and conniving. On the contrary, you only guided and lead him to choosing a bed that he liked. Yes, that bed happened to be the exact one you wanted but that’s just a minor detail. If he knew the details, he’d be forced to thank you for saving him the headache of choosing. You did all the hard work so go enjoy a wonderful nap in your new bed. You deserve it.

-MDOMiller

Deceptive Selling

In an earlier post I commented on the culture of MDO and how it pertains to the interactions between myself, a salesmen, and the customer. In this entry, I’m going to hit on some of the unsavory techniques employed by salesmen in the bedding world, as well as outside of it that are designed to confuse consumers on the realistic value concerning what their purchasing as well as create an increase in the perceived value of the company they’re dealing with. Its time to take off the hood, step out of the dark, and enlighten yourself on the ploys and pitfalls of typical mattress buying.

For the sake of this article, I’m going to create and name a fictitious bedding company for the purpose of examples only. I think we’ll call it Mattress Plush, knowing that it bears no resemblance or direct relation to any past or current company. Any and all similarities, in name or in example are purely coincidental. That decided, lets get started.

Purchasing a mattress, bedding material, or any other comfort solutions is an experience that most people will go through 4 or 5 times in their lifetime (They should in all reality cycle through this process more than that, but that is a different issue entirely). Often times people procrastinate, make excuses, and wait until the very last moment when their mattress has reached a supportive/comfort state that rivals that of the canvas hammocks buccaneers used 3 or 4 centuries ago before they’ll even consider looking into a newer model. At that point, and at that point only do people generally get out of their miserable excuse for a bed come looking for answers and ultimately a new sleep solution.

‘Enter Radio Ad’
[Narrated in BOOMING radio voice]

“Buy. Buy! BUY! All Queen Mattress sets on sale NOW! MATTRESS  PLUSH ONLY! Nobody sells mattresses as low as Mattress Plush, NOBODY! Quality sleep, Quality products, all at one LOW price! ALL SIZES, One PRICE! 99$ per piece. Only at MATTRESS PLUSH! BUY NOW, Same Day delivery and removal! 12 Months no interest, same as cash. FINANCING! Lowest priceses in all states. We’ll beat all competitor’s prices by 9%! GUARANTEED! Because we’re MATTRESS PLUSH! Happiness guaranteed ORRRR ELSSSSE!“

This add would be followed by a considerable length of speedy disclaimer text that no one can actually decipher. All in all I would say its a fairly typical radio ad for a mattress store and one that would have made Mattress Plush proud. With that in mind, lets get down with Dr. Sobel and analyze this.

This ad, indiscriminately played all year long with different variations, introduces scam number one right off of the bat. “All Queen Mattress sets on sale NOW!” Mattress Plush more than likely  is always having some sale, discount, and promo fabricated in house for the purpose of grabbing your attention and roping you into the store. That’s pretty much the norm of the industry and you can see that customers are aware of this when the first thing they do after walking in your store is ask you, “what sales are you currently running?” As far as Mattress Plush’s claim that all of their queen mattress sets are on sale, they’re probably doing one of three things to make sure you purchase all the while ensuring that their margins don’t take a hit.

Option A: They’ve increased the price of all the mattress sets in the store by ten percent so that they can in turn sell you on the 10% off list price sale their currently having.

Option B: They’ve reallocated the cost structure. Foundations account for very little of a mattress set’s price in comparison to that of the actual mattress so its very possible if they’re having a $199/piece sale in which they simply displaced cost of the mattress to that of the foundation to make it sound more appealing.

Option C: The sale isn’t actually a sale but is in fact an allotment of add-on promotional items. (i.e. a free pillow that offsets the inflated price of the mattress).

The three above options generally apply to products that do not have national pricing. If you look at three of the top national manufacturers, (Simmons, Serta, Tempurpedic) each of them has some or all of their products that are on a fixed national pricing structure. In simple terms, you cannot sell a Serta iComfort Revolution Queen set for any less than the manufacturer’s noted price. However, that does not mean you cannot sell them for higher. After all, why would the manufacturer care if you sold their product for a higher price? It essentially means their is a higher perceived value right? With that in mind, you will often times see a dealer, or Mattress Plush in this example, mark up a product with national pricing and then mark it down “just for you”. Hey, they’re just being helpful right? Next time you hear that phrase that everyone loves to through around, “Nobody sells them for less, nobody” you’ll know its true but you’ll also know its applicative to every other national dealer.

My favorite technique is the “same day delivery guaranteed!” mumbo jumbo that retailers run in all their advertisements. Generally there are so many exclusions and requirements that it almost never happens. To be completely honest, I only know of two companies that guarantee same day delivery on all instock items, and MDO, Sleep & Comfort Co. is one of them.  I’m sure there are more but my point is, out of all the dealers in the south east that I do regular research on, I only know of two that actually stand behind it.

Word to the wise on the “Financing!” bit. Financing is a tool to sell you more than you necessarily need or can afford, most of you are aware of this but deserves to be pointed out none the less. I’m not bumping financing, because it definitely serves as a valuable utility in all business, but when a company runs your credit app prior to you selecting your mattress, generally the salesman wants to see how much money he can get you approved for and then try to sell you the most expensive thing he can within your budget. If you do not care, I do not care; just be weary of individuals who are handing you a credit app before the door has even completely swung close behind you.

My final point is that of ‘price matching‘. Since the creation of the mattress, manufacturers have been labeling their products under a slew of different names all so that each store can have its own special line. That makes price matching essentially impossible and guarantees the retailer that they can say it outloud without actually having to ever honor it. So if you happen to hear it as part of their add, know that its essentially meaningless.

I’m in no way am I bashing any and all bedding solution retailers out there. I’m sure that I’m going to get a slew of hate comments for my indiscriminate labeling, however my intention was not to blanket the industry with one deceptive Mattress Plush model. There are plenty of honesty companies out their like MDO, Sleep & Comfort Company but there are many more dishonest ones. Simply put, no matter where you buy, be aware of what you’re buying and how they’re pitching it to you.

Good Hunting,

-Rabbit

Selling The Experience, Not the Illusion of One

Okay just so its out there and the first few lines of this post do not confuse you, I am ‘technically’ speaking, a salesman.

I sell mattresses, I sell sheets, I sell pillows, etc but I don’t actually consider myself a salesman, per say.

I am in the people business. Its an innate art of language and personality that allows you to help an individual find the product that satisfies a need in their life in such a way that when they walk away, they’re more complete and satisfied than they would have ever been had the two of you not come into contact. That’s what we do. We show people how to obtain greater quality sleep, life, and health. Sometimes they don’t even buy, but I bet they still walk out of the store in a better mood than when they came in because they know we’re not giving them the run around. Its a safe environment where they can come just to educate themselves.

Customers like that are easy. Not easy in a sense that their chumps, but easy in a sense that they’re open and responsive to the idea that not all salesmen are sleazeballs trying to get in their pants and ultimately into our bed (In all reality we do want them to get into our bed, but don’t take it out of context).

He no longer works here.

Part of my job is to take everything in stride. The good, the bad, and the unspeakable. All of it in stride; it comes with the territory. Not all customers are cake walks. If everything was lickity split easy then the world would be filled with a lot more of the stereotypical salesmen that give the rest of us a bad rap.

All too often a customer comes to the store fully cloaked in negotiate battle armor circa Pawn Stars, dreading the soon to come interactions with a hard hitting negotiator devoid of any conscious or soul whose only intention in business is to put them on the most expensive bed with the highest margins.

Take a moment to breath.

That’s not how we do things here. None of our sales people are even on commission. Regardless, people still come in with some version of the above stated preconceived notion. More than likely these short comings in expectations stem from previous bad experiences at other dealers and a general societal sigma against salesmen in general that labels them all as having spawned from the break room of a small town USA used car lot.

Most of the time we can talk customers out of their corner, off the ledge, and back into the sunlight. You’d be amazed at how many people, once calmed and rational, realize that the entire process with us is not only painless but in fact somewhat enjoyable. Once people let their guard down and reveal to us with sheepish disdain that they in fact are NOT experts on the mattress industry (they really had me going) they understand its okay. We’re not trying to sell you a mattress. We’re trying to show your options and help you pick out a mattress that meets all of your needs (physically, health wise, and financially).

My point is, the process of educating someone about proper sleep posture, cycles, and longevity is far easier than convincing a person I’m not going to smother them with a display pillow, steal their wallet, and send them home with a second hand mattress (all of this metaphorical of course).

Technology is becoming easier and easier to understand with every passing day as well as with every growing generation. People go into Apple stores because the entire process is so simple and painless. The same is true here. Is this true across the industry? Absolutely not. In order for that to happen you would need a paradigm change on both the customer side of the equation as well as on the manufacturing side. Dealers would in turn have to adapt but such change is not yet in motion and I cannot imagine it happening in the forseeable future.

So for the time being, you’ll just have to settle with exceptional customer service and enjoyable experience MDO, www.MattressDirectOnline.com, has to offer.

Put me to the test. I’m a man of my word.

-Rabbit

The Rebirth of the MDO (Web) Domain

Daunting as it may be, sooner or later every business will have to consider the possibility and cost/benefits of entering into the online world of commerce.  The thoughts of unknown and unmeasurable success or failure coupled with the continuous, yet unforeseeable learning curve associated with this foreign market of sales makes for a series of long nights, venti lattes, Papa John’s Pizza and cases upon cases of Miller Light (an MDO favorite).

Fortunately for us, this isn’t our first rodeo. Team MDO maneuvered into the online market with its primitive yet innovative site back in the early  months of 2005 at www.mattressdirectonline.com.  After a series of complete aesthetic and functional overhauls, the site gained continual momentum up until the late months of 2009. As luck would have it, we caught a bug.

Google has recently blamed China for a series of hack’s against its servers containing accounts of prominent human right’s and anti-censorship activists.While our serves contain nothing quite as sensitive, MDO also blames China.

Our server was infiltrated by a hacker and our content was slowly replaced with Chinese pornography. While some might not complain, its much harder to sell a mattress when the focus of the picture is not on the mattress itself but instead on the individual on top of the mattress who is coincidentally selling themselves. It took a matter of 24 hours before enough damage was done that we ultimately had to bring the site down. A few phone calls later with our tech department and the duplicate server was up and running but alas that too was infected.

We were down for the count and our web presence was reduced to a simple HTML filler page with our contact information. With our budgeted capital tied up in other projects, we stepped back and focused on the core of the company, its values and culture.

We trudged through the next 6 months  with virtually no internet presence  (we might have gotten a bit distracted by the success of Clemson’s football season). Regardless,  we showed strong figures from our roots, brick & mortar. Everyone knew that a new website was coming; that the time was nearing when a completely redesigned and re-engineered mattressdirectonline.com would launch again redefine consumer’s expectations for online mattress and comfort shopping.

That time is nearer than ever.

Collectively thousands of man hours have been logged, cases of cans crushed, and whole flocks Chicken-FilA consumed, in an effort to launch our new online comfort experience and the end is in sight (the end of our website work that is, I’m fairly certain none of us have any intention of correcting our personal vices). Our projected launch date is in fact 3 days away, however we are already aware that the process of revision and addition will continue for months to come as we strive to provide the best online customer experience a person can have when searching for superior comfort in life.

P.S. Check out the attached mock of whats to come…that’s all the details you get for now!

-Rabbit