Distinguishing Touches

Have you ever been excited to finally get to make an anticipated purchase only to be met by a sales clerk who didn’t exactly share your enthusiasm? You know the type. They are the ones who mark off the days on the wall calendar behind their desk. We all have experienced this joyous soul! You…

I had my batteries recharged in Kansas City last week. No, not the electrical kind, but rather the internal batteries that keep you moving and motivated. This phenomenon occurred while attending the annual CFI Convention. Most of what is written and said about the installation trade these days is neither encouraging nor kind. I have…

When presenting unique design ideas to your customer, always remember the saying “the whole is worth more than the sum of its parts”. Too often I hear a shortsighted salesperson say something to the effect of, “I don’t make enough commission on a few feet of ceramic listellos to merit the time spent”. Or, “I…

In sports, we hear the term “home field advantage”. When we are visiting a customer’s home or office to measure and estimate, think of the customer as having the home field advantage. You will often find a very different person than the one you met initially in your store. They now have their comfortable shoes…

From an early age, many of us can remember a parent, teacher or coach reminding us that, “if you don’t practice, you’ll never be very good!” Sound familiar? My question is, at exactly what age did we begin to believe that this is no longer true? Much of my professional effort is focused on presenting…

Certain executive and administrative employees are exempt from being paid for overtime under the federal Fair Labor Standards Act (“FLSA”). One of the requirements is that the executive and administrative employee must be paid a minimum fixed salary. Effective December 1, 2016, the minimum salary requirement will be increased from $23,600 to $47,476. As an…