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Miskelly’s Secret to Success is PTF.

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Purpose. Training. Fun.

Those are the secret ingredients that make the Miskelly’s culture so successful. In this episode, we recap Quinn’s visit to Miskelly’s Furniture–discussing how they rolled out the red carpet for his arrival and then discussing how our name ended up in lights. We also overview the secret ingredients to their culture and how you can implement them little by little and create a lasting impact for both your employees and your customers.

Full Transcription:

Mark Kinsley:  

if you’re on the list, you got the research. It has officially been sent out and you become a member of the fam. And you get the mattress research from 2000 recent buyers that we partner with nationwide marketing Groupon it’s in your inbox right now. And here are three headlines up on the fam right now at fam dot news 15 standalone stores, and purple expands their partnership with Mattress Firm. Who new fifth purple had 15 standalone stores plus eight sleep raises at $6 million and expand expands internationally plus this one I wrote. It was a weird weird time. poltergeists and the unlucky 13th floor at Las Vegas mattress market. Those are your headlines up right now at fam dot news.

Mark Quinn:  

Love it. Halloween is right around the corner, Kinsley and the good thing about you guys, the stories that Kinsley just referenced. All you got to do go to Apple podcasts or Spotify, and subscribe to the podcast, the fam Audio Stories, the cool thing is, you’ll get the stories before we ever even post them to the website. And everything on the website can be listened to in your car when you’re working out driving in whatever it is. So it’s a pretty cool way to experience the fan. And stay up on the latest and greatest. Kinsley looking very handsome there in that thank you very much.

Mark Kinsley:  

Thank you very much. We handed out about 100 of these no write out 100 of these at Nationwide primetime. So if you were there, the odds are really good that you if you came across us, you’re now sporting a fam dot news hat. And these were all courtesy of our friends at Colonial promotions calm. And you know, we had something else picked out for a day, but I’m like, Look, we actually have the fam hat. So we use colonial promotions for the fams promotional needs because we know we’re gonna get the best stuff we don’t we don’t have to like dig through a stack of 36,000 coffee mugs to get the one that we know is going to represent our brand well, and is going to represent the fan well. And then on top of that, I’ve got my Englander Polo on so we wanted some polo shirts for our team and for our friends who came to visit the Englander space at Las Vegas market. So what did I do? I called up Wes and Tim and the team at Colonial promotions, calm, they hooked us up. And so they are our supplier of choice, you should definitely check them out. They’re our friends. they’ve served this industry for a long time. So for all your promotional needs, whether it’s kidding picking, packing, Employee Benefits events, company picnics with matching t shirts, I mean, name it, name it and they’re going to Make it happen. And you’ve just been making it happen. Dr. V made it happen when you pulled up to miss Kelly’s in central Mississippi to see the legend himself. This sign this giant sign, I always knew your name would be in lights. And there it was.

Mark Quinn:  

Well, for the record, it was our name and lights actually the the dismal podcast begins that we got to rewind. So I just got off my plane and Dr. V is gonna pick me up at the airport. So I walk out, and I’m looking up and down this aisle of cars and I am like, I can’t see Dr. v. I can’t find him. There he is in this dope ass 5.0 Mustang convertible, watching you on his phone, deliver a interview at Las Vegas market. He is always trying to like be appropriate with his audience wearing our shirts to breakfast at market for instance. And he’s always very thoughtful that So anyway, that was awesome. We got the tool around all of Mississippi in that convertible Mustang so that was pretty cool. And we did we rolled out to his offices and get in the parking lot and he parked so far away right by this big Billboard. I’m like, Dr. v. I love your car. I get it. I really do. But there are 1000 spaces between us and your front door. So maybe maybe we get a little closer but I didn’t want to say anything maybe he’s trying to like exercise and stuff. So anyway he like makes he’s like hey look, watch this. Look at the Billboard and it was changing all the graphics is a big video screen shouldn’t have their their their cons. It’s that is Marquez podcast, and my name in lights and him walking me welcoming me to Miskellys, which it did. I felt really great about that. So that was very cool of him and his marketing department. So thanks, guys for love that launching it the right way. But Kinsley, this place is amazing. Man, these guys, as soon as we walk in, you know, we talked about retailers getting it right and doing it differently. And these guys definitely do. And when we first walked into the store is beautiful, by the way, very, very big store. And all of the the sales people were gathered around their computers and you know, talking through business, they just came out of the weekend. And everyone’s working door counts actually on their computer. So I got to go actually look over their shoulder and see door counts actually in action. So that was pretty cool. But they just finished their Summer of Love Summer Love, and getting a Summer of Love. Well, it was love because there was tons of love, everyone is so excited. But they they did it, Kinsley they actually hit their $5 million mark and toppled over the top of that apex. So congratulations to Dr. v. And everyone and

Mark Kinsley:  

I was looking at the list that Dr. V would send, you know, we got to a chance to hang out with Horace and meet him and Caleb. And just to see the people that are behind the culture on the Miskellys was illuminating for me because Dr. V always says culture is what you create, or what you tolerate. And he said down on the show before. So we’re looking forward to having Dr. Be back on the show to talk about the details and how you can apply the principles behind the summer of sleep and how they got the $5 million, something they’d never done in their bedding department. But recently, Dr. V, this past year became the director of bedding for Miskellys. And that’s what he’s focused on. And he’s focused on his people, you know, and that’s, that was the really fun thing about meeting, Horace and Caleb. And I’ve seen, you know, some of the other names on the list of these top sellers that Miskelly’s, and you just mentioned it when you know, I think about retailers out there who are trying to do something they’ve never done. And that’s what Dr. V in his team said at the very beginning of this summer of sleep to do what you’ve never done, you have to do what you’ve never done. And so they put practices in place, and promotions in place, and training in place training that turned into something that you competed to get. So only the top dogs there, got to compete got to participate in some of this training. So I love seeing a good plan laid out. And it’s even more fun when you see a good plan laid out and well executed. And they got to $5 million in their balance of share for the mattress department within that furniture environment is eye popping.

Mark Quinn:  

It is is over 20% and in a furniture store, that’s not easy to do so because I want to I want to talk about because you just mentioned it. And so I want to piggyback off of that the thing I noticed about Miskelly right and you know, we’ve been around the industry long enough and we’ve been traveling enough and we’ve met with enough retailers we have a good frame of reference for you know what different people do to be successful. And I gotta tell you, their focus on the soft side of their business. And I mean here specifically the people part of that is so compelling. I want to take you to three different things. Okay. Number one was purpose, and we’ll stop as we get through each one. But purpose is a big deal, right. And so one of the things he did with his his people selling furniture and mattresses was to help them understand the game they’re in. And the game isn’t about selling betting The game is about helping consumers have a better quality of life. We talked about it all the time. But these guys live it, right. And so he gets them so focused on that part of the presentation, right. And so to your point, he brings them in for the training. And it’s, it’s a, it’s a reward to actually go through some of their training. But the purpose is executed this way, too. When you walk into their break room, for instance, on the wall of the television there, it’s like, Hey, here’s a notice, you know, company picnic coming up, Hey, everybody, don’t forget to fill out your, you know, your timesheets or whatever. But then they’re up pops, the, you know, hey, Jimmy, in delivery got a five star rating from through podium today, because they use podium and that’s a great, you know, way for them to, you know, give consumers a way to celebrate the end of their experience with with Miskelly. But they put those up. And so the people who earned those good reviews are getting recognition. And, and, and making them feel something for the effort that they made. And so I just love that part to Miskelly, like really tries to, you know, their purpose is to serve families in their community with excellent experiences. And so when people inside of nuscale, they get that, right, they shine a bright light on those people, and they help them come to work, knowing that their purpose isn’t just about like delivering furniture is to make people happy and get it right. And they are so good.

Mark Kinsley:  

So quick takeaway. So I’ll do a pause button takeaway. If you do not have a clearly stated purpose for your business, now is the time to detail that out. And Dr. V, even told us he got our book, come back to bed, which you can grab on Amazon, heck, if you go to our website and join the members area. So if you go to fam dot news and sign up as a member, you can go get the audio book for free. That’s how much we want you to know this information. So Dr. V, took our book. And it goes through mission, vision values, culture brand, and how do you actually define your purpose and communicate that within the framework in the context of your business. And so if you aren’t laying out a purpose, let me tell you a couple things are probably gonna happen, you’re not gonna attract people. Because I’m telling you that the generation millennial and back, if you are not telling them the purpose behind what they’re doing, they’re gonna go find somebody that will. And the purpose behind our business is really well stated from companies like Miskelly’s in companies like Jordans and companies like Broad River retail Charlie Maloof, and that attracts the right people to the business. And then they consistently communicate that purpose and remind them of the business that they’re in to help people to transform their lives, to help them get better rest. So they can go out and change the world, whatever combination of that there is, you have to be communicating that. And then the second piece of that takeaway is great. We communicate it consistently to our people. Now, let’s make sure we’re highlighting the reactions and actions that happen after they go out and live that purpose in our business, meaning, I’m going to splash a billboard up in the break room that says, Tommy Weatherford did a great job today, and he got this amazing podium review, you so the purpose being lived out has to then be highlighted and magnified internally. So you then are creating a culture that supports that purpose.

Mark Quinn:  

So what you’re saying is there has to be evidence of you focusing on purpose. It’s not just saying that you’ve because number visits, show me the evidence of it. And those are some things by the way, that this really cool law. So as names, so as Dr. V and right next to Dr. V’s name was a word and I’m like, Well, what does that word and he said, I asked everyone to come up with a word that one word Kinsley, that defines what they want to do with their year, this year. So his was value, right? His word was value. And so there’s purpose in that word for him and say he wants to build value in everything he does. He wants to build value in his training. He wants to build value in the matches programming the contest and the way they represent mattresses to the consumer. So I love So anyway, here’s the cool, tie back to that word. As we’re touring. The facilities we’re down where the guys are, like relaxing all the products to get ready for delivery. And there’s this guy standing there like holding court with three or four delivery guys. Well, that’s Oscar, Miskellys, who’s the the CEO and primary shareholder of the business. And so we ran into him and I got to talk to him. By the way, he has listened to our show. He’s a fan he likes what we do. Of course, he’s a big fan of Dr. v. But when I got done a great conversation with him was incredibly kind man, and smart guy just just I don’t know when you meet him. He just kind of Like you’ve known him for a while. But anyway, when we walked away, I asked Dr. V, I was like, What’s he doing down here? Does he come down here? Often He’s like, it’s really important for him to walk around and catch people doing stuff. Right. So back to one minute manager Ken Blanchard those days, right. So he’s a, he’s all about that. But he wants those people to know that he is grateful for what they do to add value back into the Miskelly family and the experience of people keep coming back. And so Dr. V, looks at me as he explains why, why he was down there, why Oscar was down there. He likes him. And he says, Oscars word, gratitude. And I love it, like in a word. So he’s living that purpose out in that moment with those people. So I thought that was really cool. And that’s a stretch from the top down. As you know,

Mark Kinsley:  

it’s interesting to hear about your experience going inside behind the curtain Atmos Miskellys, because I think, you know, probably what you depending on what you’re focused on, you could probably find a lot of things that people are doing, right. But the central theme of everything that you noticed, revolves around culture, and culture, creation, and being intentional about that. And I don’t care if you’re a small independent retailer, where you’re the only man in the store only woman in the store, if you have any plans to grow, or if you employ anybody that delivers a mattress to somebody’s home, you’re you have a chance to create culture, you have a chance to be intentional with what you do. So it’s really cool that so much of what you saw revolves around this cultural aspect and the creation of that, what what else? What else did you notice? I mean, think about, like, let’s just start at the very beginning and do a quick recap, you pull up the park out in the South 40 in the droptop Mustang, and there’s your face up on screen. And a celebration of you being there. That’s culture, then you go into the store, and you saw the people and them living out their purpose. And you saw the screens that celebrated what they did. And you saw the fact that people had the word they were focused on for the year. What else did you notice?

Mark Quinn:  

Yeah, well, I mean, the so we went through the training process. And so this is number two, and it’s the people, right, so another aspect of the people was the training. And so we talked a lot about like, not just the merchandise on their floor. But the reason different product categories were there, which I think any good merchants doing that stuff. But what was a bit different was the way they’re training. So for instance, Kinsley, when they went into a store, to launch a new program, they especially getting ready for this big promotion, they were in for the summer, trying to be $5 million. To your point earlier. Dr. B says, we got to do things we’ve never done before. So you know what they did, they went in, and they took the top, you know, 20 people, right? They got 85 salespeople, they’re the top 20. But we said, we’re gonna give you a chance to come in on your day off, and do some exclusive training with us about the mattress category, you had to earn your right to be involved in that on your day off, right. So these are people who are pros in value, the training, so when they went in, it wasn’t like they just went in for one week, and on Thursday, and Friday did training sessions and then took off, they went back a second time. And we know that repetition is the mother of learning, right. And so I just love that they put so much focus on the training aspect of what they do, that they felt the need to go back in a second time. So I just think they you know, that’s another thing you’re investing in your people. And II know that if they deliver a great experience, then it’s going to go downhill and everyone’s going to benefit from that. 

Mark Kinsley:  

So you know, one thing that I came across that might be a valuable takeaway for you right now, if you’re thinking about how do I frame up my training? How do I get better at this? How do I, how am I consistent with like you said, you have to be able to train consistently because product changes, people need to be reminded. So here’s one thing I learned imagine, like, just a little journey of four different quadrants. And if you’re going to train somebody, the first thing you do is they watch you. So you’re the expert, have them watch you. So quadrant one is you watch me for a while quadrant two is you help me, so they’re not gonna be in charge of it. But they’ve watched it for a while. Now they can help you in the selling process. For example, the next step is they’ve been helping you for a while. They’re going to be the one in charge, and you’re going to help them. So you kind of flipped roles right there from them, helping you to you helping them you’re there for the assist, you’re not going to cut the cord and say good luck. And then the final step is you as the expert, watch them from afar. So it’s just a nice little journey in a way of thinking about how you can structure things. But if you skip over some of those steps, people are going to feel unprepared. There’s going to be nuanced conversation they’re going to miss there’s going to be a lot there that doesn’t get detailed out. So I love that they’re invested in Training and I know that’s a core part of what they do consistently in the MiMiskellyss.

Mark Quinn:  

Yeah, Jays, they even have a trainer, Kinsley, they have a trainer who does nothing, but the training. So I really like that. And then the other thing is, you know that back to the people, like they’re focused on people, the third part of it was fun. You know, these people like, I don’t know, man, I know, every time you walk into a company, you know, that everyone puts on a good face, you know, if they have a visitor come in, you know, when I, you know, x places, everybody, right? And everyone, you know, and not that they were getting ready for me like that, because, you know, they probably didn’t care enough to do that. But Dr. V did. But anyway, they probably didn’t know that Who the heck I was. But anyway, going in, I could just tell though, the genuine affection these people had for each other, and the fun they were having, like, it was a Monday, right. And they were after a long weekend. It was Labor Day weekend. So you know, they’ve been working. I’ll tell you, they were full of joy smiles everywhere, tons of positive energy there. They just came off, you know, Monica with with the TSI rep for CLE. It was just, you know, Monica Anderson and Dr. V put this big promotion, they had fun with it. They had the top 13 people got all these killer prizes. And they got updates every week, and there was competition and people came in and there’s bragging rights and but that’s just what they do. They make it fun. So that when these people roll into work everyday, it’s not I got I got to work. Like they they value that stuff. And it’s all about the people, right? So it’s the purpose for their people. It is investing in training and making sure that they know their job. And the third part of it was just the fun aspect. And you can tell that Dr. V likes to be creative and is bridge and those people really appreciated that. So I don’t know, hats off to those guys. I’ve been in a lot of retail stores all of you at Miss Kelly, I cannot thank you enough. The experience was incredible. And I can see why you are kicking so much butt out there because you guys are doing some things that not everyone’s doing. So stay the course my friend is your you’re at an impressive group to be around and I thoroughly enjoyed ATF

Mark Kinsley:  

purpose training fun. Trademark Mark when TF. We’ve got an anniversary on our hands. We do.

Mark Quinn:  

Yo Adrienne.

Mark Kinsley:  

It is our one year anniversary with our chief of staff, our legal counsel, our show producer, our social media manager. I think this list could get rather long if I kept going but Adrienne Thank you for everything you do for DOS Marcos the fam. We are so thankful for you can can you talk? Yeah. Are you allowed to speak? Oh, she can? She’s out sorry ago.

Mark Quinn:  

Yes, you can. Wow, of course she can speak. Wow. And she keeps us in line and cracks up as you can see.

Mark Kinsley:  

Well, we that was another full time job you can add to your list, I’m sure. But you rock Thank you for everything you do. And I know that like if people have listened to the fam Audio Stories got you know, subscribe on Apple or Spotify. Adrienne is effectively the voice of the fan. So she’s the ones you’ve been hearing as well. So it’s it’s such a fun thing. These are like miniature podcasts that Adrienne does and takes written content and brings it to life. And helps everybody keep up to speed on what’s happening in the industry. And I’m sure over the past year, you’re like, this is a whole other little mattress world. I didn’t know anything about is that safe to say?

Mark Quinn:  

Adrienne a year ago you agreed to he agreed to jump in with us. Is that? Is that what you expected? I mean, was the mattress industry? Is it is it more excited than you thought it exciting than you thought it might be? That’s true. you’ve sold to businesses since we’ve known you haven’t you, me, you? Well, well we’re

Mark Kinsley:  

and the great thing about that is I can be like go talk to Quinn didn’t want me. And then he’ll be like, wait, that was a nice

Mark Quinn:  

I have no add. I don’t know what either one of them were talking about. So, Adrienne, you’re awesome. You’ve been great for us in the family of you. So thank you so much.

Mark Kinsley:  

All right. Well, this is a this is a good time for us to wrap thank you to Dr. V for hosting Mr. Quinn, and thank you to the inspiration that the MiMiskellyss brings to our industry. They’re such good people. Wonderful culture as we discussed and describe and Hey look, here’s the thing if you ever want to know more about it, Dr. V is always happy to help and share and that’s just a further illustration of their good hearts. Great Great being with you today Mr. Quinn as always and please please please always go to the fam go to fam dot news. Become a member there’s a little members tab up there and get the free research of 2000 recent mattress buyers, huge insights you can apply to your business we’ve never seen a bigger response for anything we’ve done content wise. So don’t miss out on that. Go to fam dot news right now.

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