One of the common mistakes that managers make is assuming that their staff members know more than they actually do. Never presume since “we covered that during orientation” or “it’s in the employee handbook” that any given message was fully understood and absorbed by your personnel. The tendency is to barrage new staff with information…
I read a great quote in Entrepreneur Magazine recently that I’d like to share with you. Jim Koch, the founder of the Boston Beer Company, stated that “you have a viable business only if your product is either better or cheaper than the alternatives.” Wow! That pretty well sums up the flooring business just as…
Nobody likes to lose a sale. You’ve often invested a great deal of time, effort and resources with a potential customer. You feel good about both your offering and its chances for acceptance. Then you get the bad news – she’s bought elsewhere. You feel somewhat defeated and possibly just a little hurt. You’d prefer…
When you have brought a newly hired employee on board, it is important to remember that training and induction are not the same thing. A good induction helps individuals understand the company and its culture. It defines the expectations for the person and the role that they will be filling. Most businesses do an acceptable…
I recently observed an experienced sales person make a presentation to a couple looking to buy several rooms of carpeting. I’ll call him Joe. He did many things correctly. He rose to greet the customers. He offered his name and asked theirs. He was both dressed and groomed professionally. So far, so good. Then Joe…
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…
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…
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…
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…
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…
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…
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…