I have made the commitment this year to focus on helping you see your way through the economic slowdown by giving you tips on keeping your profits. This, for the most part, is simple, viable and obvious information you should know but may not be consciously thinking about. Now’s the time to get conscientious, to a fault.
Let’s start with qualifying the customer. Yesterday I spoke with a dealer who sold 88 yards of a cut pile carpet into a home, for the living room and hall, that the customer runs a business out of and heats with a wood burning stove in the living room. The entry to the house is from the front door, directly onto the carpet and workmen employed by the homeowner are regularly in and out with work boots on. This is not a “normal” application for residential carpet but more a light commercial application. The carpet is showing signs of “ugly out” after several months of use and there are some issues of structural integrity with the product. If this carpet is subjected to an independent inspection, the astute inspector would find that, despite the issues of concern with the carpet instigating the claim, the biggest issue is that it is impossible for the product sold to hold up to the use and abuse it is receiving. This would have been an unforeseen situation to qualify unless the dealer actually went to the house to see where the carpet was going and how it was to be used. So how would you qualify for this type of situation without actually seeing what’s going on in the home?
Ask these questions: What do you like about the carpet or flooring material you want to replace? What don’t you like about it? What are your expectations for the new flooring material? Are there any special circumstances we should know about before we help you select the appropriate product? That opens the door to “like what”? Do you run a business out of the house; have large pets, what types of traffic will the material receive? How long do you expect the flooring to last? Where and how are you going to use it? These are all probing questions focused on how to get the best product installed without it creating a complaint or claim that you’ll be responsible for because you sold the wrong product. No manufacturer is going to help with that type of complaint. The only thing the manufacturer is responsible for is providing a defect free product. If the product does not perform because it is incapable of doing so due to the fact that it cannot, you are responsible for that. Not only will you prevent claims and complaints by being more conscientious in your specification and sales of the product but you will actually be the most professional of your competition because they won’t ask these questions. Remember, if you don’t ask, you don’t get, with anything in life, including answers you need to know to sell the correct, trouble free material into any situation. And every sale and environment is different so it’s imperative you sell the right product each time. Qualifying shows the customer you care and if you care for them, they’ll care for you and you’ll get more business. Under these circumstances price is not a primary reason for the purchase. Cheap products don’t perform, that’s why they’re cheap.
What else will help you to get the right product in the right place? Color; if there’s a lot of traffic in a small space and they want a very light color, regardless of what type of soil or stain resist treatment is has on it, the carpet is going to go ugly early. The product color has to match the traffic and soil load.
The last tip. I’ll assume none of you are overwhelmed with customers or business so why don’t you take the extra step of going to the customers’ home and seeing exactly what the conditions are so you can sell the right product. “Would it be OK if I came out to the house/business to see for myself where the flooring material is going so we make sure you get the product you need? Would you have any objections to that? Try doing business like this. You’ll eliminate complaints, increase profits and build a loyal customer base that doesn’t buy on price. It’s called 98% understanding people and 2% product knowledge. If you need help call me.
Author: Lewis G. Migliore
LGM and Associates – The Floorcovering Experts