Flooring America Sales Jump

Manchester, NH, May 19--Flooring America has enjoyed a substantial sales increase in the past year, in spite of economic conditions that have left the rest of the flooring industry relatively flat, according to Flooring America President Evan Hackel. "Overall sales were up 25%, due to new members and increase in same-store sales which were up a solid 13.8% since May 2001. I attribute that to the fact that a lot of our members trusted and incorporated many of the new programs that were introduced a year ago at convention," said Hackel. Members around the country are enthusiastic about the programs they have implemented in their stores over the past year. Programs such as Star Service, distance learning through Flooring America's Online University, and multi-media advertising have proven so successful that some members have volunteered to become peer trainers and make themselves available to other members looking for ways to boost their businesses. Star Service is a customer satisfaction assurance program which certifies stores that receive a score of 80% or higher from customer questionnaires. Brad Millner, owner of a Flooring America in Yuma, AZ, finds it to be an effective tool for getting an honest appraisal of how well he is able to meet customers' expectations. "Follow up calls just didn't work.Customers are far more likely to give a frank reply when responding anonymously in writing," said Millner. Millner feels that increasing the number of "yes" responses to the last item on the questionnaire—"Would you shop our store again?"—is most important. He concentrates on training to ensure that his store continues to receive high marks from customers and that his certification is renewed every 6 months. "I absolutely recommend Star Service to every member," Millner says. "It helps us close more sales." Genie Shupe, co-owner of Riteway Flooring America, Durango, CO, is such a fan of Online University, Flooring America's distance learning program, that she is installing a dedicated computer with high speed DSL exclusively for the use of her employees. "The courses provide an incredible amount of information, and they're a welcome alternative to training videos, which can be time-consuming and often talk down to the student," Shupe said. "Of course, improved sales are the real reward." Increased visibility and customer perception of size are a common benefit of Flooring America's multi-media advertising programs. Don Baldwin, Jr., of Baldwin's Flooring America, Omaha, NE, has customers walking in the door holding the circulars which he feels gives him a national image without overspending. "Notably successful promotions using financing drew a lot of attention," said Baldwin. "They helped me remain competitive with the two Home Depots and two Lowe's that are within 5 miles of my store." "Consistency works for me," said Bruce Hamel, owner of Home Beautiful, Lanconia, NH. He advertises on radio for four consecutive days, with six to eight spots on every station in his market each day, twice each month in every month of the year. "Customers ask me how I afford it. 'I hear you all the time,' they say, when in fact, I'm only on eight days a month." He reinforces his campaigns' consistent approach with Flooring America's circulars and direct mail programs, and encourages other members to do the same. "We introduced many more new initiatives at this year's April convention," Hackel said. "I look forward to another strong year with members participating in even greater numbers.