By Matt Bewley
\nFor more than four decades, Jim Johnson has been selling furniture to the people of Fergus Falls and the surrounding community at the Olson Furniture store on Lincoln Avenue.
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\nHe started there in 1965, after hearing rumors of a change in ownership of the Elton Peter Hardware store where he had worked since 1963.<\/p>\n
\u00e2\u20ac\u0153Wally Salmonson and Bob Olson came across the street,\u00e2\u20ac\u009d he said, \u00e2\u20ac\u0153and asked me if I\u00e2\u20ac\u2122d be interested in working here. To me, the decision was, in part at least, a matter of job security.\u00e2\u20ac\u009d<\/p>\n
When Johnson first started there, the furniture store occupied two buildings.<\/p>\n
\u00e2\u20ac\u0153They\u00e2\u20ac\u2122d bought the Johnson Drug store building and knocked a hole in the wall. That\u00e2\u20ac\u2122s where we stored a lot of carpet,\u00e2\u20ac\u009d he said.<\/p>\n
\u00e2\u20ac\u0153Back then the big thing was Ethan Allen furniture,\u00e2\u20ac\u009d he said. \u00e2\u20ac\u0153They made a lot of the provincial-style furniture and upholstered goods, too. They used maple, cherry and pine woods. We sold a lot of it.\u00e2\u20ac\u009d<\/p>\n
Being a salesman in 1960s Fergus Falls had it advantages.<\/p>\n
\u00e2\u20ac\u0153In those days, there was more customer loyalty,\u00e2\u20ac\u009d he said. \u00e2\u20ac\u0153People didn\u00e2\u20ac\u2122t drive as much to different towns, so as long as there was good, quality furniture in this town, they tended to buy here.\u00e2\u20ac\u009d<\/p>\n
Customer loyalty and quality products allowed Johnson to be a personable kind of furniture salesman.<\/p>\n
\u00e2\u20ac\u0153I\u00e2\u20ac\u2122m kind of a low-key, low-pressure salesman,\u00e2\u20ac\u009d he said. \u00e2\u20ac\u0153I prefer to just explain the different qualities of furniture and carpet. I\u00e2\u20ac\u2122m not there just to get their money.\u00e2\u20ac\u009d<\/p>\n
There is also value in knowing what the customer is really looking for, he said.<\/p>\n
\u00e2\u20ac\u0153When they come in, of course, I ask if I can help them , and they might say, \u00e2\u20ac\u02dcI\u00e2\u20ac\u2122m looking for a bed.\u00e2\u20ac\u2122,\u00e2\u20ac\u009d he said. \u00e2\u20ac\u0153The first thing I\u00e2\u20ac\u2122ll ask him is, \u00e2\u20ac\u02dcWill you be sleeping on this bed every night?\u00e2\u20ac\u2122\u00e2\u20ac\u009d<\/p>\n
It makes a difference, he said, because many customers will be looking for a guest room bed, or a bed for their lake house.<\/p>\n
\u00e2\u20ac\u0153In that case, they probably don\u00e2\u20ac\u2122t want to buy the $600 bed,\u00e2\u20ac\u2122 he said.<\/p>\n
With this approach to sales, he has had some of his customers return again and again over a long stretch of time.<\/p>\n
\u00e2\u20ac\u0153I just had (a customer) come in yesterday, who I\u00e2\u20ac\u2122d sold two Lazy Boys to 33 years ago,\u00e2\u20ac\u009d he said. \u00e2\u20ac\u0153And another customer came in just today. I\u00e2\u20ac\u2122d probably done her house 25 years ago.<\/p>\n
\u00e2\u20ac\u0153I enjoy the people most\u00e2\u20ac\u009d he said. \u00e2\u20ac\u0153Once you work with them as long as I have, they keep coming back, coming back, coming back.\u00e2\u20ac\u009d<\/p>\n
And as for advice to other salespersons: \u00e2\u20ac\u0153Pressure is the mistake, I think. When they say they\u00e2\u20ac\u2122re just looking, you need to respect that and let them look.\u00e2\u20ac\u009d<\/p>\n
After 41 years in the business, Jim Johnson still expects to be selling furniture for some time to come.<\/p>\n
\u00e2\u20ac\u0153I\u00e2\u20ac\u2122ll be 67 in October, and if my health stays good, and they don\u00e2\u20ac\u2122t fire me, I guess I\u00e2\u20ac\u2122ll stick around.\u00e2\u20ac\u009d<\/p>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"
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