There’s something I teach our salespeople that I wish more consumers knew: A feature tells you what something has. A benefit tells you why you should care.
Furniture and mattresses are absolutely loaded with features. High-density foam. Performance fabric. Power headrests. Pocketed coils. Solid wood construction. USB ports. The list goes on.
That all sounds impressive—but what does any of it actually do for you?
Take performance fabric. The feature might be that the material is stain-resistant and easier to clean. The benefit? Your five-year-old can launch a glass of chocolate milk across your brand-new sofa, and you have a fighting chance.
Now we’re speaking the same language.
Or consider a power headrest on a reclining sofa. I could explain the motor, range of motion, and mechanism. But the real benefit is much simpler: you can recline while still comfortably watching TV instead of getting a fantastic view of your ceiling fan.
And those USB ports built into your furniture? Sure, I can tell you what type of charging ports they are. But the real benefit is not having to get up when your phone hits 3% right at the best part of the movie.
Priorities.
Mattresses are another great example. You’ll hear terms like individually wrapped coils, cooling covers and pressure-relieving foam. Instead of getting lost in mattress vocabulary, ask what those features mean for your sleep.
Maybe it’s less motion when your spouse rolls over. Maybe it’s sleeping cooler. Maybe it’s reducing pressure on your shoulders when you sleep on your side.
In other words, you’re not really shopping for coils and foam. You’re shopping for a better night’s sleep—and hopefully fewer arguments over who kept waking up whom.
Even a dining table with a self-storing leaf has a benefit. Thanksgiving comes around, the relatives show up, and you don’t have to spend an hour searching the basement for that table leaf you definitely remember putting somewhere safe.
It’s probably behind something. It always is.
So, when you’re shopping for furniture or a mattress, don’t get overwhelmed by industry terminology. Ask a simple question: “Okay, but what does that do for me?”
That’s the question I want our salespeople to answer. Because you’re not buying performance fabric. You’re buying a sofa the kids can actually live on.
You’re not buying pocketed coils. You’re buying a better night’s sleep next to someone who apparently practices gymnastics at 2 a.m.
And you’re not buying a power headrest. You’re buying the ability to recline, watch TV, and never move again.
Now those are benefits worth talking about.
Naturally Wood Furniture & Mattress
1106 East US Highway 20
Michigan City, IN 46360
219-872-6501
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