For years, Bob Ytell was one of Mattress & More’s top sales associates, averaging $2.2 million in annual sales. So when he and his business partner, another successful sales associate for the company, decided to open their own mattress store, there wasn’t much worry.
“Not to sound too confident, but there were zero reasons to entertain the idea that we would fail,” said Ytell, one of the Home Furnishings Association’s newest members. “We knew what we were doing. We know what we can do because we have a history of success.”
Sure enough, the first day Ytell’s new store, The Mattress Store, opened in July in Elizabethtown, Ken., he sold a $6,000 Temperpedic mattress.
There’s been no looking back for Ytell and his business. Sales in September, when the company began to advertise, were higher than July and August combined. Ytell wants to open three stores over each of the next two years and four stores the third year to cover the market in Elizabethtown, about 35 miles south of Louisville. “We’re very excited to grow,” he said.
Taking advantage of Synchrony
Ytell knows the importance of having a dependable financing program in place for his customers. During his time at Mattress & More, he racked up more than $3 million in Synchrony sales. “When you have the right financing in place, the average ticket sale is going to naturally be higher,” he said.
That’s why he joined the HFA – to take advantage of its industry-low financing rates through Synchrony.
“HFA got us set up with Synchrony in just a few days,” he said. “I was very surprised at how fast everything moved. Getting that service as a new member means a lot when you’re just starting out.”
