Pew sales people are generally commissioned. For committee members not in the sales world that means sales people receive a payment only when they sell something. They are not reimbursed for expenses, travel and incur all costs associated with presenting the products other than literature and samples, which are provided by the company. There are also no benefits. These expenses are out of the reps pocket regardless of whether the committee selects his pew or not. For that reason a high percentage of sales people leave the business within a short time of starting. Unless they have a spouse with a good job and benefits, a generous supply of cash on hand, a great severance package from a former employer or are willing to live small for about a year or longer, the start-up time is simply too great when there are family obligations and needs. Even if the company provides leads from Reed, Dodge or others there is still a high turnover in the sales force. If the sales person is lucky enough to get a premium line, the start-up time will be less, but even then there is still some lag between the calls and commission generation. I have worked with church committees for years, while they tried to decide what to do, how to fund it and called me in to discuss these thoughts along the way.
As a sales person the only time you can be sure that something is going to happen is when there is new construction underway and a deadline for project completion. Since many sales people don't make it companies don't want to spend a lot on training so the newer reps may not have a lot of training. When I started with L.L. Sams I had a three day class at the headquarters in Texas. They turned me loose, wished me well and didn't give me a lead for quite a while. Since L.L. Sams didn't subscribe to a lead service when I was hired and didn't have a list of architects, who were doing a lot of church business, I had to find my way online and through other means. It was very scary. Sams couldn't even give me a list of installations in the Chicago area for a long time because these had all been stored manually and there was no easy way to do it. Committee members do not fret if the rep is newer. New reps may be selling a wonderful pew for your church. It will just take them a little longer to answer questions and get references to you. Another piece of good news for committees is that reps, who have been doing this awhile tend to stay because it is a great way to make a living.
Reps have lots of flexibility in terms of their time and where they live geographically in the territory, so it is a great lifestyle once you start generating income. More seasoned reps have developed standard lines for objections, which can be good and bad. Obviously, they want you to buy their pew, so they want to alert you to potential issues with competitive products while pointing out the superiority of their own. The very best reps simply educate, inform and consult and try to help the committee with the complexities of the purchase and know that they often get the project, but even when they don't, these reps know that committee members will refer other churches to them.
One other piece of good news for committees is that most manufacturers make pews that look good for years, so by the time there are issues the committee members will long be forgotten and there will not be accountability. Whether the committee bought the best pew for the church is always something that can be debated, but the debate will generally not occur until long after the purchase is made. I have been told that this makes an argument for buying the least expensive pew, but I disagree. Pews are part of a church and will be there for decades. They will speak to future generations and future potential new members for decades about the church and much of the impression of any place is formed very quickly and largely based on appearance. Therefore, it is always in the committee's best interest to buy the best possible pew with the most durable construction. It is my job to educate the committee about these differences with the understanding that while my pew isn't always the best choice for them in their particular circumstance, more often than not it is.
Monday, August 18, 2008
Friday, August 15, 2008
Buying pews
Lots of churches are still buying pews and lots of companies are still making them. The purpose of this site is to let you know some ins and out of the process since most building committee members will only do this once in a lifetime and the learning curve is very condensed once the process of pew selection begins.
Pew Companies that I know of as of 2008
In the interest of full disclosure I sell pews and other church products through my company, Church Pews and Seating in Northern Illinois and Wisconsin, so I do have some bias. But the cool thing about blogs is that other people can support, comment and offer counter-points to my thoughts. One thing about the comments. If you're posting about a supplier, make sure that you have the company name correct and that they were in fact the maker of your product. I have visited a lot of churches over the years and even when the pews are relatively new, most people in the church office or on the committee cannot remember which company actually supplied them.
Below is a listing of pew companies that I am aware of as of this posting Note that I have included some that are definitely not in production and some that may have stopped. I have verified the links. You have to contact them if you're interested in learning more. If you find a dead link, let me know so I can try to reconnect. If you're a manufacturer and don't want to be listed, let me know that too. I will try never to make a comment on a given manufacturer either pro or con because that isn't the purpose of the blog, but will comment on various construction techniques that are used and discuss the pros and cons. I have tried to keep non-manufacturers off of the list. Good luck with the contacts.
Company
|
Web Address
|
Phone
|
City State
|
Abraham Mfg
|
800-293-9604
|
Port Arthur, TX
| |
Allencia Furnishings
|
800-814-3598
|
Dundas, Ontario, Canada
| |
Atlantic Institutional Furniture and Pews
|
877-866-5151
|
New Brunswick, Canada
| |
Canada Pew Company
|
877-240-8694
|
Winkler, Manitoba
| |
CCS of Virginia
|
540-626-6140
|
Pembroke, VA
| |
Church Interiors
|
800-289-7397
|
Union City, OH
| |
Church Outlet
|
800-736-3113
|
High Point, NC
| |
Church Plaza
|
800-927-6775
|
Sarasota, FL
| |
Covenant Church Furniture
|
Ozark, MO
| ||
Dakota Church Furniture
|
Dickinson, ND
| ||
Davis Church Furniture
|
715-284-9733
|
Melrose, WI
| |
Dumas Church
|
Grove Hill, AL
| ||
E. Hackner Co.
|
No longer in production
|
LaCrosse, WI
| |
Endicott Company
|
No longer in production
|
IN
| |
Gunder Church Furniture
|
Humboldt, IA
| ||
Hall Manufacturing
|
800-256-5631
| ||
Heavenly Wood Church Furniture
|
Kaysville, UT
| ||
Imperial Woodworks, Inc.
|
Waco, TX
| ||
King Church Furniture
|
334-983-5663
|
Dothan, AL
| |
Kivett's Inc
|
Clinton, NC
| ||
L. L Sams
|
No longer in production
|
Cameron, TX
| |
London Church Furniture
|
London, KY
| ||
Marshall Company
|
Payette, ID
| ||
New Holland Custom Wood Work
|
New Holland, PA
| ||
Northland Church Furniture
|
Luck, WI
| ||
O'Neill Church Furnishings
|
888-561-9771
| ||
Ossett
|
No longer in production
|
WI
| |
Overholtzer Church Furniture
|
800-367-7397
|
Modesto, CA
| |
Rainsville Church Pew Co
|
Rainsville, AL
| ||
Ratigan-Schottler Manufacturing
|
402-223-3220
|
Beatrice, NE
| |
Rugel Church Furnishings
|
865-475-3030
|
Jefferson City, TN
| |
Sauder Manufacturing
|
Archbold, OH
| ||
Scott Manufacturing
|
Ada, OK
| ||
Summitt
|
GA
| ||
Valley City Manufacturing
|
905-628-2253
|
Dundas, Ontario, Canada
| |
Virginia Church Furniture, Inc
|
800-523-3284
|
Pulaski, VA
| |
Walter Jacobi & Sons Inc
|
No longer in production
|
Belmont, CA
| |
Ward Manufacturing
|
Greenville, TX
| ||
Winebarger Church Furniture Company
|
No longer in production
|
Lynchburg, VA
|
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