At the recently held Surfaces show in Las Vegas, neither Shaw nor Mohawk had a significant presence on the showroom floor. No big news there, as they have not participated for several years. While their collective market share is significant, I came away with the impression of both how large and varied our industry is beyond “the big two”.

Hundreds of vendors, employing thousands of staff members, are creating a place for themselves in what by all definitions is a mature industry. They are doing so by providing both goods and services that aren’t offered by massive suppliers. Smaller firms can, and must, be more creative and responsive for their customers. In short, they must be “important” to their clients. Their success is dependent upon them not being “just like the big boys!” To do so, would eventually render them irrelevant.

Is this really any different than the situation that exists today in the retail portion of our industry? Sure, staff members wearing aprons take a significant portion of the business. But remember that just like the mega mills, when their share has been taken, the remaining market to be served still remains large.

Smaller firms will continue to not only survive, but thrive, by using a recipe similar to that used by smaller manufacturers. Be flexible. Be creative. Be unique. Most significantly, be important to your customers. By failing to do so, your firm will become irrelevant in your market as well, and eventually will be gone! Take a good hard look at your market, then find a niche and fill it, just as the successful smaller manufacturers and suppliers are doing. Whether wholesale or retail, rewarding opportunities still exist for those who dare to do things differently than “the big two”.

Tom Jennings

As I return again from Surfaces, I have a renewed optimism that our industry is regaining some lost momentum. While attendance figures are not yet announced, traffic in both the showroom and educational events seemed to me to be significant. One observation stands out in my mind.

I feel that the personal appearances shown by both the vendors, as well as the attendees, suggest that the herd has been thinned and that the survivors have a renewed commitment to their respective businesses. Not long ago, too many of the vendors dressed more like they were heading to the golf course than working possibly their most important three days of the year. This season, there appeared to be far more vendors mandating a professional appearance by their staff members.

The attendees also appeared to me to be generally more businesslike in their manner. The days of the “day tripper” wandering the aisles in search of the next free giveaway to stuff into their free tote bag appear to be dwindling. Let’s hope so! Tire kickers are not productive for any business. Today’s attendees seem more focused on their firms, and less on the party, than in the recent past. If so, something good is coming from the bad economic times we have all experienced.

The manner in which we present ourselves does matter. Proper presentation of yourself screams that this event is important to me. I’ll be casual when I’m off duty. The military many years ago realized that there was an appropriate time for a full dress uniform, as well as for fatigues, because behavior is affected by appearance.

No matter whether you are male or female, customers will respond to you in a manner directly related to the image that you are presenting to them. What impression is your customer receiving? Remember, as the iconic rock band ZZ Top so elegantly stated: “There’s something women like about a sharp dressed man!”

Tom Jennings

When I speak to salespeople, I often ask them how ready they are to make a sale right now. I almost always get an answer to the effect of, “I was born ready!” Then I will ask them for a clean business card (not a wrinkled one that has been in their wallet for too long). Too often I am told that they are: in the car, on my desk, in my purse or that they ran out. I will then ask them to write something down. You will be amazed how many will ask to borrow my pen! I’ll ask, “You weren’t expecting to write today?” They may have been born ready, but they sure haven’t stayed that way!

Our customers want to purchase. Every sales person has a product or service that they want to sell. There is an old line stating that the best way to keep a job is to show up on time ready to work. I would like to add that the best way to make a sale is to be prepared to sell!

When a customer senses that you aren’t prepared, her confidence begins to fade. You may as well say “I wasn’t expecting you”, or “I care… just not that much.”

They say that champions don’t do one thing a 100% better; they do a hundred things 1% better than their competition. Being prepared to sell is a great place to begin gaining an advantage on yours.

Tom Jennings

Take a good, objective look at your firm’s sales staff. Now, take that same objective look at the majority of customers that walk thru your doorway. Do they look very similar? They should.

Remember that an estimated 80% of communication is non-verbal. Our potential customers are sizing your staff up from the moment that they lay eyes on them. Admit it – you do it too when you are the customer. You take everything from gender to grooming to posture to dress into account. You then tend to proceed to make an initial judgment as to whether this is a person that you could potentially trust and enjoy working with.

If the feeling is positive, you will begin to open up and discuss your wishes and intentions. If not, you will likely mutter “I’m just looking” and scramble toward an exit.

I feel that diversity of all types among your staff is more important today than ever. When making hiring decisions, ask yourself if this prospect would likely be a good fit with your customer base. One of the biggest mistakes that a store manager can make is to hire in his or her own image. If you hire only people that you like and can relate to, you are failing your organization many times over. Who does your staff resemble?

Tom Jennings

Many flooring dealers that I visit with state that “advertising just doesn’t seem to work very well for us. We run ads occasionally, but usually don’t see immediate results.” In most cases, the problem that I see is not the message itself, but rather the messenger. They forget that the products that we are offering have a very low percentage (3-5%) of the population actively in the market at any given time.

You can’t predict a customer’s time of need for a long term, postponable purchase. Ask yourself, if milk was on sale at the market 50% off, would you be interested? Likely so, as we need to replace our supply constantly. However, if shingles were on sale 50% off, would you run right down to the lumberyard and buy some? Likely not, as only a small percentage of us are in the marketplace for a new roof at any given time, regardless of the offer. Customers won’t be interested in what you are offering simply because you want them to be. Good merchants recognize that they must advertise shingles regularly so that they are considered when the need arises.

Many advertisers start with a good strategy, but fail when they don’t allow it proper time to work. Communicate why a customer should do business with you when they have a need for your product or service. Then say it again, and again, and again! Always remember the two key words in advertising: reach (how many people heard the message) and frequency (how many times did they hear it?)

A strong advertising plan will take more than a few days, or even weeks, to show dividends. While planning your strategy you must keep in mind the time commitment needed for your campaign to reach your goals. When advertising, you must first be specific – then be patient. Are you giving your message the time to be heard?

Tom Jennings

I admit it. I am a serial list maker. At the beginning of each day, I typically find myself making a “to-do-list” of what I both want and need to get accomplished that day. There is nothing unusual about this. My guess is that many of you do the same.

What I would like to share is a method which I find very helpful. Once your list is compiled, prioritize it. I divide mine into three columns that I call: have to, want to and would like to. First, I pick the top three things on the list that I deem most important to be done without fail today. This is my “have to” list. Then despite distractions, pressure and opportunities that come up, I make sure that each of these three things are done before the day is over. No shutting the lights off until this is accomplished.
Then as time allows, I proceed to the “want to” and “would like to” columns. These lists can be as long as you wish, but make sure to limit the “have to” column to three maximum, or you will become frustrated and lose focus. Not every task can be most important. Pick three and stick with them.

How important is it to perform this exercise? To me, it is critical. I love hearing customers and co-workers say things like “your submittals are always on time” or, “I never have to ask you twice.”

In so many words, they are saying “I can count on you.” This is one way positive reputations are built. Give it a try. What’s in your top three today?

Tom Jennings

I was recently asked by a young sales professional for some advice regarding her handling the move into management at one of her company’s satellite stores. My advice to her was to remember that her first day on the job would be her most important day on the job.

Remember that first impressions count. Whether you intend to or not, you are going to build your brand as a leader early on. Getting off on the right foot is critical. The biggest mistake that you can make initially is to adopt the attitude that “there’s a new sheriff in town and things are going to change!”

Don’t try to assert yourself as the new leader by force, because it likely won’t work. Your staff members will be resentful and push back. Get to know your team’s players – and let them get to know you. This helps to establish a more efficient rapport and opens the door for your employees to give you feedback and collaborate with you.

Before you can be an effective leader, you must first earn your employees respect and trust. This will happen on its own timeline. When you sense that this attitude shift is occurring, then you can begin to ramp up your expectations of the team. It’s only natural for a new manager to want to hit the ground running, but sometime you need to slow down to speed up. Only when the foundation is established can you begin to build upward.

Tom Jennings

We have again reached the time of year when distractions become more commonplace. If one is not disciplined, it’s easy to spend all day at the workplace, yet accomplish very little. Even though December is not traditionally a booming month for flooring sales, important tasks still remain to be accomplished. In my experience, one of the most important year end tasks is taking the opportunity to sincerely connect with your best customers.

My suggestion is that you compile a list of your top 30 clients. Then, over the next two weeks, make it a personal mission to contact three of them per day. Ideally this contact will be in person, but if necessary a phone call will do. Impersonal contacts such as e-mails, text messages, etc. don’t count!

If you feel compelled to buy lunch, take a token gift, etc. – fine. But it is not necessary. Many companies have strict policies against their staff members receiving them anyway. What is important is that you share a firm handshake and an honest attitude of gratitude. By doing so, you will be sending a very important message to your client – that you acknowledge and care about them. This is not the time to discuss business! Leave that for another day.

Presuming that the 80/20 rule applies to your firm, like it does to so many, you will have likely reached out to the source of over 50% of your total volume in only two weeks time. Now that is what I would call slow time well spent! Which three accounts are you going to begin with tomorrow?

Tom Jennings

Close your eyes, relax, breathe deep – and spend some money. Retailers have long known that less-stressed shoppers are likely to browse longer, but there’s also evidence that they’ll also be more receptive to higher prices. A recent study in the “Journal of Marketing Research” found that relaxed shoppers were willing to pay up to 15% more for goods than less relaxed ones.

“If I, as a retailer, can get you to sit for a bit, the chances of me selling you something are infinitely better,” says marketing consultant Paco Underhill, the author of Why We Buy. Odds also improve, Mr. Underhill says, “if there’s some place for a shopper to ‘park her accessories’, like a husband or boyfriend. That takes so much tension off of the floor”.

I believe that this is a great lesson for any flooring dealer that wants to get off of the “greatest sale ever” hamster wheel. Contrary to what some believe, not everyone buys on price alone. Many desire a pleasant shopping experience. If you don’t believe this, just look around. Whether it’s a $5 Starbucks or a $50,000 Cadillac, people are gladly buying not only the product, but the experience as well.  The key factor is that both must be distinctive and memorable.

Take a hard look at your showroom. Does it give the appearance of someplace to relax and be comfortable? How soft are the chairs? How soothing is the music? How fresh is the coffee? How fresh are the flowers in the vase? How pleasant and engaging is the staff?

There is a reason why a designer showroom uses soft ambient lighting while K-Mart has a “blue light special”. Good merchants know who will respond to each approach. If you strive to raise your average sale, how important is it to have an inviting showroom? It’s critical! Huge corporations with large budgets both set the trends and do the marketing research for us. Pay close attention. The amount that customers are willing to spend with you depends upon it.

Tom Jennings

We’ve all heard the axiom that “it’s not always what you say… rather it’s how you say it”. I believe this to be absolutely true. The way that you deliver your message has a direct impact on the perceived content of the message.

Just today I hung up the phone and commented to an acquaintance that “she sure sounded like she knew what she was talking about!”  Why would I have this impression? It was likely because this companies’ receptionist spoke with energy and in a very positive tone. Every syllable she uttered seemed to say “I believe”.

Tone and volume can set the stage for everything from your working relationships with fellow employees to your presentations and individual conversations.
Some first impressions are made so quickly that a mulligan is not possible. Do your best to be mindful of your tone each and every time you greet someone, whether it be in person or on the phone. All involved will be better off for your having done so.

Tom Jennings