As mattress RSAs, it is critical that we teach everybody about the fundamentals of sleep. You only get one shot a decade, if you’re lucky! They may buy a bed online or from a different store near you.
But if they came to you…
In my origin story, I shared a tidbit about running a 5k for years with the same results, and how putting on a mattress suit forced me to change my strategy. When a customer buys a bed from you, that new mattress will have a similar effect on their very first nighttime routine. First impressions with a new product that we say takes weeks to break in and may not be comfortable right away. You wonder how anybody can have a great night’s sleep on dusk one.
Sure, their old mattress was worn out and it was time. The squeaking was driving them nuts and the rolling uphill was annoying. But when the new $2,500 bed doesn’t knock their socks off because they had no idea drinking caffeine at 7 p.m. made it so much harder to fall asleep, whose problem is that? They had no idea working in their bedroom creates muscle memory, so your brain associates work stress with going to bed. They had no idea staring at a bright phone screen for hours up until the point they shut their eyes is like drinking coffee up until the point they shut their eyes.
You get one chance a decade, if you’re lucky. They are potentially buying a mattress from you that can make their body comfortable. But what if they sleep on the bed in conditions not conducive to uninterrupted sleep? The mattress was delivered to their bedroom but it may as well have been set up under a fireworks display or in a bouncing car.
As professionals in our field, it is up to us to do some homework. Seek out information from other professionals. Look for books. If you can’t stand reading, try audiobooks or watch videos. Seeking out information about sleep and applying what you learn to your own life will help you grow. And it will give you the best chance to teach your customer and help them become aware. That awareness will help them awaken their superpowers locked inside them!
Congratulations, you sold that mattress! It got delivered right on time. They are super excited to try their new bed. So much so they changed their bedtime routine in honor and preparation for their first night’s sleep. You told them about how cool sheets help them fall asleep faster and they bought those from you and put them on the mattress. You had told them about no screens, so they put their phones down 30 minutes before bed. You told them about caffeine, and they held to a caffeine curfew of 2 p.m. You also told them about how important it is to have a dark room so they fixed their drapes and now they cannot see that annoying streetlight all night long. They crawl into bed and fall asleep right away. They got four sleep cycles when they used to get two. You just doubled the amount of sleep on the first night. They have one of the best night’s sleep they can remember. And you were the person to help them wake up and feel better, more alive!
Congratulations!
Don’t assume your customers know about the nuances of circadian rhythms and best practices from sleep experts. They’re lives are busy and they have other things on their priority list. So it’s our duty to teach and grow awareness. Educate your customers about sleep and you are helping them become superheroes!
