By: Furniture World Magazine 

From a past issue of FURNITURE WORLD Magazine by contributing editor Joe Capillo

Let’s look at salespeople this time. Rather, let’s look at what we expect from our salespeople. How do we hire them and train them to do what we expect of them? Then how much do we pay them to do it? Well, there I go again – not exactly how do we pay them, but how do we allow them to pay themselves? In the June/July issue, I wrote about how disconnected many salespeople are from what it takes in performance to earn the money they say they want to earn (For those of you who missed this article, it can be found in the “sales management article archives” on the www.furninfo.com website.) These people seem to be part of generation-S, where S stands for somnambulistic (sleep-walking). This really bugs me, but I’ve concluded that it’s not their fault. It’s our fault – us, the older generation – the one I’m part of. The one that doesn’t have a letter.


Our business requires a lot of highly consultative selling. This means that good salespeople need to exhibit high-level communications, engagement, evaluation and analytic skills. They also must have the ability to listen to customers, and use that information to help them use the products you sell to solve their home decorating problems, and enhance their quality of life.

That’s some pretty high-minded stuff, don’t you agree? I’ll bet that’s the kind of help your customers would like to receive. But Wait! Your salespeople also have to expertly describe the features and benefits of all the products in your store. Not just one or two categories (like your buyers), but all of them. You expect them to be experts in upholstery (and all of the fabrics and leathers), bedroom furniture, dining room furniture, home office, occasional, bedding, motion, juvenile, accessories, lamps, rugs, different species of woods, different construction methods, and on and on.

We expect them to not just know these products, but also how to put them together to make a beautiful room – which is what customers are trying to achieve. This is the real reason why customers come to your store in the first place.

Wow! Look at all they have to know. But, Wait! They also have to know how to use your computer system, which is probably as user-friendly, and intuitive to most of them as an abacus. They have to understand your finance plans and be able to explain them to your customers, not to mention (though I will) warranties, fabric and leather treatment plans, delivery systems, factory order processing systems and… international relations (so they can explain where the hell the container is).

But wait! On top of this we want salespeople to be “relationship builders”, developing and maintaining long-term, professional and personal relationships with customers so they keep coming back. To make sure they can do this, we give them one phone for every 10 salespeople, and at least a couple of computers, that are also used for inventory lookup and sales order entry. This really bugs me!

Now, think about your salespeople. If they’re like all of the thousands I’ve encountered over the decades, they earn between…

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