Tips from Top Retailers: Top 100 flooring retailers share their best practices – January 2025

By Jessica Chevalier

What strategies, tools and practices set top retailers apart from the pack? We asked some of the top 100 flooring retailers in the U.S. to offer their insights. Participants are Deb DeGraaf of DeGraaf Interiors, Michael Longwill of Airbase Carpet and Tile Mart, Aaron Pirner of Cap Carpet, Rick Myers of Myers Carpet Company, Terry Walker of Pierce Flooring, and Susan Hadinger of Hadinger Flooring.

How does your retail strategy set you apart from your competitors? What do you consider your greatest strengths as a retailer?
DeGraaf: We strive to provide the client more than just product. We have created an environment in our showrooms that provides the customers with an experience and a connection while shopping for new flooring.

Pirner: Our team is consultative and solution oriented. We do the basics well, and our people are our shining-star difference. They are our greatest strength.

Myers: Myers Carpet Company made a conscious decision several years ago to go high end and focus on selling wool carpeting, sisal and seagrass products. That has been very successful for us and has become the Myers Carpet brand.

Our greatest strength as a floorcovering retailer is our locations-Myers Flooring Atlanta, Myers Flooring Nashville and Myers Flooring Dalton-and the fact that all three locations have workrooms where any sample in our showroom or any roll of carpet in our warehouse can be made into a custom rug.

Walker: We have increased our focus of high-end design products in stock, which offers us more competitive pricing and the largest selection of in-stock designer and woven carpet in Montana.

Our greatest strength is our reputation and commitment to service. This is one of the key factors that has led to our success over the last 100 years.

Hadinger: We are very customer-service driven. We explain to customers that we are a little higher priced than our competitors and let them know that we take no shortcuts. We do everything the correct way.

Longwill: One of our policies is, don’t forget about carpet. Don’t be blinded by the bling of the latest hard surface product. While it’s true that LVT and laminate are very popular right now, what can distinguish us specialty retailers from the big boxes and Floor & Decor is good old-fashioned, warm and cozy, installed wall-to-wall carpet.

What strategies do you employ to close and upsell customers?
Pirner: We have a professional sales team. Our focus is to do the consultative selling job correctly. Done right, a customer is eager to buy and gets the right solution for a happy home or business.

Myers: Myers Carpet gives our customers as large a selection of floorcovering as anyone in the business. We have a 25,000-square-foot showroom in Atlanta and Nashville and a 10,000-square-foot showroom in Dalton. All three locations are filled with product samples from every major carpet manufacturer as well as importers, and our warehouses are packed with rolls of carpet for our customers to choose from. We upsell our customers by stocking rolls of wool carpet, sisals and seagrass products that other retailers do not.

Walker: We offer both short-term and long-term financing options every day of the year. We also focus on our commitment to service and being advocates for our customers if any claims issues arise.

DeGraaf: We are the only flooring store in our area to offer a lifetime installation warranty, and this offers a peace of mind for our customers that they are unable to find anywhere else.

What partnerships make you a stronger retailer?
Hadinger: Our vendor partners help make us a stronger retailer. From special pricing to exclusive product, we benefit from these relationships and are then able to pass on significant value to our customers.

DeGraaf: We are a member of the National Floorcovering Alliance (NFA), and the relationships and networking we are able to do throughout the year are extremely valuable to our business. When we have questions about processes or changes we are looking to implement, I will email the membership of NFA for feedback and potentially the dos and don’ts they have worked through dealing with the same topics.

Pirner: We are a proud member of CCA, and after being in business for over 50 years as a family company, we have extensive partnerships. We partner with our customers, supply chain and CCA, among others, to deliver the best value to win in the marketplace.

Myers: July of 2024 started our 67th year in the floorcovering business. We have been doing business with and have had relationships with vendors such as Shaw, Mohawk, Stanton, Couristan, Nourison, Fibreworks and Design Materials for decades.

Walker: We are proud members of the NFA and, in turn, support our vendor partners that are part of the NFA.

What tools make you a better retailer?
DeGraaf: A couple of unique tools I often use working with my team or when working with our customers are DISC assessment and Roomvo.

Our entire team has taken the DISC assessment test, and the results and tools the assessment provides in relating to the various members of our team are very helpful. I will often login and access the comparisons the portal offers when I have to have difficult conversations or reviews with our team.

Roomvo is used by all of our sales staff to help clients visualize new flooring in their own space.

Pirner: We utilize CRM software to support the team, CCA tools and our own developed tools with our supply partners. We also are an early adopter and utilize technology well in our company.

Walker: We utilize RFMS, as do many other flooring retailers. It is a robust system that encompasses most of our daily operations, from purchasing to sales and warehouse operations.

Do you offer financing, and how do you use that within your sales process?
Pirner: Of course. Some customers need financing, and it is always a part of the solution we provide to our customers.

DeGraaf: We do offer 12-month financing year-round and have signage in the showroom and a note on our estimates showing our customers this is an option. We do not push a hard sell on this option because we live in an area where it has historically not been exercised by the majority of clients.

Walker: We offer financing every day of the year. It is used to help customers realize their vision. Extended financing up to ten years allows our customers to enjoy their dream home today, while paying for it with low monthly payments over an extended period.

What is your big-picture showroom strategy?
DeGraaf: Do not overwhelm the customer with the number of products we offer, and no loose samples laying around next to displays. Clutter is confusing the customers, and we have a firm rule that any and all samples are picked up and put away at the end of the day.

Myers: Myers Carpet’s showroom strategy is “bigger is better.” We have the largest showrooms in our markets, which provide our customer an almost unlimited selection of floorcovering.

Walker: This varies by location, as we have a mix of design centers, factory outlets and a wholesale division. Design stores have a focus on high-end specialty displays, while outlets have more of an in-stock focus with rolls and pallets on the display floor.

Have you diversified beyond flooring? If so, any essential tips?
Walker: We also have a cabinet division. The biggest tip is that it all comes down to people. If you hire the right people, you will have success. It may be slow at first, but it will grow. Hire the wrong people and you will waste all your time and resources supporting them without success.

Do you use labor as a sales strategy and if so, how?
Hadinger: We do use labor in the sales process. The biggest benefit is if the customer installs through us, they will not have to worry about a thing. If something goes wrong, we will stand behind our install and fix it. Many of our customers are high end and do not want to manage their own installations.

Walker: We do offer full-service labor and have the highest insurance requirements for sub-contractors of any flooring store in the state. We also have in-house installation crews in some locations, where the installers are employees, and we maintain a higher level of control over their schedules and standards.

Myers: Labor is a factor in our business. Labor is involved in making custom rugs for our customers, and we sell labor for installation of all types of floorcovering, including carpet, hardwood, sisal and carpet tile, to name a few.

How do you keep the skills of your RSA team at the top of their game?
Pirner: Train. Focus on high standards. We use key performance indicators to compare to our mission success.

Myers: Myers Carpet is constantly having product knowledge meetings with our vendor reps and our salespeople at all three stores to review existing products and see new product introductions.

Walker: We seek to hire individuals with drive, enthusiasm and personality. They need to be motivated and focused, but they also need to be able to connect and build rapport with a variety of different customers.
We hold scheduled sales meetings and product knowledge presentations from vendor reps on a regular basis.

Hadinger: We have weekly product knowledge meetings to keep our RSAs abreast of new products and technologies. We also attend most of the markets for the same reason.

DeGraaf: We are diligent about communication and training with all of our RSAs. Each RSA has a dedicated member of our leadership team they report to and feel connected with to discuss anything that is on their mind. Each manager and leader also makes it a high priority to provide positive feedback and recognize members on our team for their accomplishments. It is most important that everyone feel valued at DeGraaf no matter what their position is.

What’s your best tip for advertising to your potential customers?
Walker: Break the mold and stay current. A lot of flooring retailers stick with their tried-and-true advertising. This may have worked in the past, but the advertising landscape is evolving quickly, and the customer base is changing as Millennials and Gen Z purchase more homes. Retailers must understand how these customers shop and how they receive their content. Advertising in the newspaper or the nightly news is not effective when it comes to reaching younger customers.

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