Selling Home Furnishings: A Training Program

by Roscoe R. Rau; Walter F. Shaw

Appendix C.—A SUGGESTED TEACHING OUTLINE FOR A GROUP LEADER

Unit IV contains much more material than can be discussed at one meeting. The group leader must be selective and decide which points are to be developed at the group meeting. Two programs are suggested.

FOR THE FIRST GROUP MEETING

1. Opening remarks by the group leader (5 minutes):

a. No matter what kind of furniture we stock and sell, we first must have a working knowledge of the historic styles.

b. This unit contains condensed information on period decoration. You will not need to learn all these details thoroughly—at least not at once. Take the unit home and read it carefully.

c. After this reading, think over your own stock and decide just what parts of the description of period furniture will be most useful to pick out and study in detail.

2. "High-lighting" a furniture sales talk (35 minutes):

a. A series of talks made by various salesmen and limited to 5 minutes each. Have five or six articles, furniture and rugs, grouped in front of the class and assign one piece to each man after he gets on his feet. Stress the style appeal of the piece under discussion.

b. Permit a minute or two for criticism after each talk and criticize them solely as to their probable effect in influencing a buyer.

3. A Colonial bedroom (15 minutes):

Demonstration by Mr. Williams will cover all the elements of a good selling talk—fitness, room arrangement, color appeal, beauty of design, style (with emphasis upon sentimental appeal and present vogue) and price. The demonstration should be criticized on the basis of its smoothness and cumulative effect, or "build-up."

Intermission

4. Is our merchandise properly styled for our own trade? (25 minutes):

Designed to put the buyer on the defensive, and to develop through frank discussion any need for changes in the character of the merchandise from the point of view of design and price only. You are trying to build up a business-getting machine, with no friction, dissatisfaction, or mental alibis. The idea that a salesman can sell anything to anybody will have to be discarded.

5. Promotion plans for this season's business (15 minutes):

By some owner or by the chairman; a brief, candid statement of plans for buying display, advertising, and all forms of promotion and sales effort. Good to insure enthusiastic teamwork and to build up loyalty.

6. Personal experiences (10 minutes):

The chairman will draw upon the selling experiences of individual members of the group.

FOR A SECOND GROUP MEETING (IF DESIRED)

1. Opening remarks by the group leader (5 minutes):

a. We can make the best start, with least likelihood of resistance, by helping the customer to find articles that suit her needs, tastes, and means, and add to the comfort, harmony, and beauty of her home.

b. Style in furniture doesn't stop with the historic styles, but it does start there, and if we are going to make profitable use of style as a selling factor we must first know how our own merchandise is styled.

2. Styling our own stock (50 minutes):

a. Early European styles. Mr. Stark (15 minutes).

b. Eighteenth century European styles. Mr. Pearson (20 minutes).

c. American styles. Mr. Hahn (15 minutes).

Go in a body directly to the nearest piece to be shown, and move on the minute that this piece has been adequately discussed. See to it that the men give a brief, orderly statement on three points: (1) The style with which they identify the piece; (2) reasons for the classification; and (3) types of non-period pieces, rugs, etc., in your own stock that could be used harmoniously with it. Time should be allowed for criticism and comment, even if very few pieces can be examined. If the group fails to arrive at general agreement on any piece, request the men who are arguing most keenly about it to consult other authorities and report at the next meeting.

Intermission

3. Selling furniture on style basis (30 minutes):

Demonstration by Messrs. Black and Herrick. In this demonstration, let the men have 15 minutes free from interruption, with the time limit announced in advance; stop them promptly when their time has expired; and call for comment and criticism. These sales rehearsals are of the utmost value if properly conducted. They should never be permitted to lag or become involved in windy discussion.

4. How can we make use of unit III in closing any sales now pending? Open discussion (20 minutes):

A sale of importance often has to be as carefully prepared and staged as a stage play. If the style appeal can be used to advantage in sales hanging fire or in sight, use the brains of the entire organization to find out how to do it.

As an alternative procedure to that suggested in 4 above, the following may be preferred by some group leaders:

Appoint three style leaders, or divide the entire force into three style committees, to deal respectively with (a) the early European styles, from the Renaissance to William and Mary; (b) the eighteenth century European styles; and (c) the American styles. These leaders or committees should be instructed to go through the stock, assign as many pieces as possible to the various historic periods, and be prepared to give the reasons for these assignments to the whole group. In a large stock, limit the assignment to living room furniture only.

5. Assignment of practice work (5 minutes):

Typed forms prepared about as follows should be distributed at this time:

Historic style_____________ Name of salesman________________________

Approximate dates of beginning and end______________________________

Reigning monarch____________________________________________________

Principal characteristics of the style______________________________
____________________________________________________________________

Details of construction, ornament, and decorative practice__________
____________________________________________________________________
____________________________________________________________________

Other styles more or less closely related to this one_______________
____________________________________________________________________

Pieces in our own stock which can be assigned to this style. Give number,
article, and finish_________________________________________________
____________________________________________________________________

Criticism and comment by Mr. (Name of second salesman to be filled
in later)___________________________________________________________
____________________________________________________________________

Fill in one of these sheets with a different style for each salesman. Choose only the styles important for your own business. Hand these forms out with the request that they be filled in after careful study.