Let's start with a definition. Simply put, a customer is someone who buys a piece of merchandise from a store. The sales person is nothing more than a facilitator, an intermediary that consummates the sale. If little to no effort is made to establish a relationship with a customer, the next time that customer needs furniture he or she will not be inclined to seek out the assistance of that particular sales person. A client, on the other hand, is someone who buys his or her furniture from a specific sales person who happens to work at a given store.
Clients have sales people who take the time to build and nurture relationships.
These relationships are generally built over time, during visits to the store, phone calls, possibly house call visits, etc. By understanding the client's home needs, likes and dislikes, personality, etc. In return, the client keeps going back to that sales person time after time and even recommends him or her to other people. The client is rewarded, the sales person is rewarded, and the store is rewarded. There are significant advantages to having a strong client base.