As mentioned in many of my columns, every prospect has an unspoken question on her mind: Why should I choose you instead of every competitive option available to me, including doing nothing? In this installment we’re going to focus on solving the “including doing nothing” part of the question. Most flooring dealers assume their [...]
You’ve probably had this experience: a customer visits your showroom, shows interest, and then leaves without making a buying decision. Days turn into weeks, and despite your great first impression, they never return. Frustrating? Absolutely. Preventable? Completely. Statistics across multiple industries consistently show that follow-up is key to closing sales. While follow-up data specific [...]
Many dealers are experiencing record-breaking sales due, ironically, to the COVID crisis. We’re continuing our discussion of how to turn a temporary surge in revenue into a permanent new level of success for your flooring business. Unsold quotes A percentage of people who visit your store will check out samples or get a quote [...]
“I’m having a record year,” the dealer from Virginia told me during a recent dealership diagnostic I was conducting over the phone. “What do you attribute that to?” I asked. “I think the COVID crisis has caused people to do a lot of home fix-up projects, including replacing their flooring.” I’ve been hearing this from [...]
In part one I covered the idea that we all have an internal thermostat which regulates how successful we’ll be. If your thermostat is set at $1.5 million a year in revenue, and you drop down to $1.2 million, your thermostat will kick on and “warm” you back up to $1.5 million. If you increase [...]
“The most we can charge is 35% margins because people in our area won’t pay more.” I was conducting a coaching session with a floor dealer who wanted to grow his business, and he was trying to convince me that there was no way he could raise his prices. I, of course, was having none [...]
In part 1 I made the point that mediocre service is rampant across most industries, retail flooring included. The flooring world is getting more difficult and competitive, not less so, and if you expect to prosper long-term you must rise above the legions of the mediocre. This is especially true if you want to have [...]
I walked into an office supply store recently, and an employee asked if they could help me find something. I told her what I was looking for and she replied, “Those are on aisle twenty-three.” She then went back to talking with her co-worker. I should mention that the store was nearly empty, and she [...]
The last several installments have been dedicated to equipping you with proven strategies to recession-proof your dealership and come back strong after the lockdown. This installment features a case study of a dealer who grew his revenue during the lockdown by implementing the strategies I’ve taught here. Matt’s Story Matt Capell owns Capell Flooring & [...]
The Million-Dollar Chiropractor I launched Flooring Success Systems in October of 2007—right before the U.S. economy tanked. I had the task of somehow helping my floor dealer clients survive what was to become the worst economy since the Great Depression. A key marketing approach I taught (and still teach) follows the example of a chiropractor [...]
