Gorris to Develop Glideaway Sales Network

September 21, 2010  by in UnCategorized   

By Home Furnishings Business in Bedding on September 22, 2010

Stephanie Gorris has joined Glideaway Sleep Products as national director of independent sales and marketing.

Gorris, formerly with Ashley Furniture Homestores of St. Louis and American TV, Furniture and Appliances, will lead a new department within St. Louis-based Glideaway's sales organization to focus on expanding the recruitment, training, and development of its independent sales network in the United States.

"The goal of this position is to grow our team of independent sales representatives," said Glideaway Executive Vice President Sales Ron Fredman. "Stephanie will recruit new reps and offer the support, training and development necessary to make a good living selling our products. Guided by her expertise, this expanded sales network will have the skills needed to reach new clients."
 
Since joining the company, Gorris has been developing an online training program to provide outside sales reps and retail sales associates the tools necessary to better communicate the benefits of Glideaway's growing product offerings. 

"Through Stephanie€™s efforts, Glideaway will be targeting the independent family-owned retail outlets," Fredman said. "Even with the emergence of the larger furniture and bedding chains, we believe mom and pop shops remain a major force in retailing in this country, and have been overlooked for many years by our industry. There is a huge opportunity for Glideaway to service this segment of the business."

Gorris has served on panels of senior management responsible for establishing new marketing strategies, creating sales training tools and development plans, and restructuring operations at the store and distribution level. As a retail store and sales leader, she oversaw the training of entire sales and management teams and helped businesses increase profits and customer satisfaction.

"I believe ongoing training, the communication of challenging achievable goals, and a well defined plan of action are essential to create sales growth," she said. "Sales professionals that are confident in their product knowledge are more likely to sell. When a sales person believes in the product and what the product can do for the customer, there is no end to what he or she can accomplish."

Founded in the 1920s as a furniture retailer in Illinois, Glideaway is a full-service bedding supplier to full-line furniture retailers, specialty sleep shops, and web-based e-tailers. Products include a complete line-up of visco and latex mattresses, adjustable bed bases, bed frames, pillows, mattress protection products, headboards and juvenile beds.