Best Practices - July 2010

By Sonya Jennings

In the city of Oakville, Canada, not far from Toronto, the cost of traditional advertising is out of reach for many small businesses. Carl French, co-owner of Speers Road Broadloom, has taken advantage of many unique opportunities to find customers while also pursuing his passion for building relationships. According to French, “What sets us apart is that my staff and I truly love what we do. Building a trusting relationship that ends with a happy customer is what gives us a sense of accomplishment.”

Fostering relationships with designers is extremely important to the store. One salesperson and one installation team are assigned to each individual designer who works with Speers Road Broadloom. Making the designer feel comfortable with specific people at the store by working with them again and again helps to forge a relationship in which the store is seen as an extension of the designer’s own business.

During a recent “Designer Focus Night,” ten designers spent two hours critiquing the store. They offered valuable feedback including the suggestion that the store have a specific area designated for all new industry products. Designers want to be able to locate new products immediately so that they can learn about them to better help their clients. The designers also asked for more training from the store and manufacturers on products. Speers Road Broadloom maintains a presence in designer organizations. French has served as a judge in contests hosted by the Canadian Decorating Association, a prominent organization for decorators in Canada.

Another way Speers Road Broadloom gains attention is by offering classes to the industry and community. These educational seminars, which highlight various flooring products, are led by accredited design teachers. Offering these classes positions the store as the place where the experts work. The latest class, “Rugs 101,” focused on the different types of area rugs and included specific information on fiber types. Local designers and other individuals related to home fashion attended. To get the word out about a class, the store and instructor email blast the announcement to roughly 1,000 people.

Some of French’s favorite programs are the educational seminars he hosts for the local design program at Sheridan College. French provides detailed information about finishes, types of flooring, and environmental sustainability to groups of students touring the store. He also gives lectures to the college’s design and business students on marketing and advertising. These students represent the store’s future clients, and these activities position the store as the local expert on flooring.

Speers Road Broadloom has gained a lot of attention with its ongoing relationship with HGTV. For some HGTV shows, including Divine Design, Colour Confidential and Designer Guys, the store supplies product and design advice for the show’s highlighted project. The store is listed in the show credits, and the HGTV celebrities have links on the Speers Road Broadloom website. Some customers respond positively when they become aware that one of their favorite HGTV celebrities has a tie to the store. It gives the store a deeper level of credibility in the area of design choice.

Networking with a laser focus on a consistent message is key to gaining new customers. The message is consistent from all Speers Road Broadloom employees at every networking opportunity: the customer will be missing something in her decision making process unless she speaks with an expert. The store’s employees focus on sorting through the myriad of options and helping the customer to choose the right product for a specific situation. The goal is for the customer to love her floor and want to come back to design another room. Every networking event helps to build the Speers Road Broadloom brand, not necessarily the brand of any individual employee or manufacturer. The staff at Speers Road Broadloom believes its main competitors are other independent retailers who strive to be experts, not the big box stores.

According to French, “We have lots of ways we promote the store that cost very little. When you own a small business you must network and get creative. I think we do a great job in that area.” The store spends only about 1% of sales on traditional advertising.

The local Chamber of Commerce is another place the store gains new customers. Oakville’s Chamber is active with a networking opportunity every week. During the meetings, for a small fee, members are allowed to speak for two minutes about their business. Speers Road Broadloom participates regularly in these meetings.

Salespeople at Speers Road Broadloom have specific areas of specialization. Whether it be the business-to-business customer, the designer or the homeowner that walks through the door, there is always someone on hand who has specific knowledge of the needs of that type of client. One Speers Road Broadloom employee is assigned to handle the entire process for a client including helping the customer decide on a product, measuring the job, supervising installation, making sure the customer is satisfied and collecting payment. With each sale, the company hopes to develop a relationship that will last beyond the current project.

Speers Road Broadloom offers carpet, hardwood, laminate, ceramic tile, LVT, sheet vinyl, cork and bamboo. The store sells 60% carpet, and 40% hard surface, and its clients are 75% retail and 25% commercial. The store is co-owned by French and Antoinette Toscano.

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