During our time exhibiting at Furniture shows one of the most frequently asked question we get is ” What type of leather should I look for when purchasing a leather lounge or leather sofa for my home?”

Surprisingly most retailers do NOT know how to answer this question for a number of reasons.

1: They have no real idea themselves as many do not own a leather sofa or leather furniture.

2: They are afraid to loose a sale, so therefore they tell the client something along the lines that will reassure them  that the leather is “top grain” that comes with a lifetime warranty.

In our experience this a problem that works counter active to the retailers benefit.

We have noted that the most successful retailers who sell high-end leather lounges or leather sofa have well trained  staff when it comes to explaining what kinds of leathers are more suitable to a particular client.

Often time the client will want to know that if they buy a leather sofa that the leather will last given their particular home environment.

The typical salesperson will simply tell them that the leather is guaranteed to last that the leather sofa or leather lounge is covered in “top grain” leather which will last for years.

However this is NOT what most clients who pay good money really want, sure they want an assurance and a guarantee that the leather will last, but they often will more readily purchase if they are told exactly what product will suit their lifestyle, put it simple they don’t want to go through the hassles of having their leather sofa or lounge removed and repaired or worse go through a process of Warranty claims.

Here is one very simple method that has always worked when  converting a visitor to your store who is looking for a leather sofa or leather lounge into a sale.

For example, a salesperson can ask if they have children or grandchildren? do they have pets? will the leather furniture or leather sofa be in a high traffic area? will they eat and drink whilst watching TV?

If the answer is yes to the above, then the best type of leather for them would be a corrected grain leather. YES the cheaper leathers are the best for busy households, this will surprise many, but the client will see that you are NOT trying to make a quick sale by trying to sell up, this method works over and above the high pressure sales techniques.

Corrected grain leathers are treated with more pigment dyes than full grain leathers and are more resilient to scratching and spillages, they will take a better “pounding” than  the more expensive Full Grain Leathers.

Whilst Full Grain Leathers are softer to the feel they will scratch easier since they do not have as much pigment in them.

Yet many retailers feel the pressure to sell the Full Grain Leather since this will mean more profit from the sale regardless of these facts.

This is why in our 16 years experience we have found over and over again that the retailers who inform their clients on the appropriate leather for their lifestyle often convert the sale over the ones who simply just say something like…. “it’s top grain leather that comes with a 5 year warranty”.

An informed client is better able to make a decision there on the spot, once they leave your store without a decision you may as well say good bye to them and that leather sofa sale.