It’s no secret that as of late, the economy has been a wild card for flooring stores. Some are seeing growth, while others are reporting lower traffic than normal. No matter what situation your flooring business is in, it’s always a good idea to make sure you’re implementing the right strategies to keep your pipeline as full as possible. Although you can’t control what’s happening in the economy, you still can control what you’re doing as a business to make the sales process as smooth and streamlined as possible (and that can go a long way).
Below are a number of strategies and tips you can try to increase flooring sales:
- Enhancing the Customer Experience
- Improving Product Offerings & Inventory Management
- Taking Advantage of Customer Reviews & Testimonials
- Get Your Sales Team on the Same Page
- Utilize Data-Driven Insights
- Leveraging Your Digital Marketing & Online Presence
Enhancing the Customer Experience
There are countless ways to connect with potential customers, but there's always something your company can do to make those interactions more impactful and memorable.
If you want to increase flooring sales, it’s a good idea to take a step back and evaluate what your business can do to make your sales process not just a good experience, but the best one out there.
Ideas to consider:
- Don’t fall into the trap of talking at people instead of with people. This may seem overly simplistic, but if you ask anyone, this is the MOST important thing you can do to close a sale. Josh Burt, Manager of Ogden's Flooring and Design in Draper, Utah, advises: “Listening and making sure you follow up with customers are two of the most important aspects of selling flooring.”
- Ensure your customers see you as a consultant who has their best interests at heart (not a salesperson who wants a paycheck). Customers are smarter than you think and can pick up on your motives pretty quickly. Colten Gines, Director of Sales at QPro Software, gives this advice: “Take a consultative role in helping [customers] make good decisions and execute on those decisions. Timeline, budget and criteria all contribute to the decision-making process. Being proactive as a partner when establishing that process will build trust, and ultimately success towards closing new partnerships and keeping existing partnerships.”
- Personalize your customer’s experience. The best flooring stores out there ensure that every phone call, email, and conversation feels personalized and important...in AND out of the showroom. Do you take notes of each customer’s likes, dislikes, dreams, worries, family members, occupations, hobbies, pets, travels, anniversaries, birthdays, etc.? Are you utilizing a CRM so you can better track those details? Is there something you can do to let your customers know that you know them (sending them a Christmas card, engaging with them on social media, sending them an email or text when a product they liked is on sale, checking in to see how the house remodel is going, etc.
- Help your customers picture themselves having YOUR flooring in THEIR home. Speaking of room visualizers, it’s a good idea to have them in your showroom and on your website so customers can easily see your products in their homes. Help your customers paint a picture of what their home could look like. The better you paint this picture, the easier it will be to close on a deal.
- Help your customers feel like they’re getting a good deal. Educating customers on your products and services’ value, and offering discounts, promotions, or financing options can really drive a purchase home.
Improving Product Offerings & Inventory Management
If you’re wanting to increase flooring sales, you should frequently analyze your product offering. Reviewing your line of flooring products could lead to better profitability and an increase in top line revenue.
Ideas to consider:
- Ensure you’re staying up-to-date with the latest flooring material trends. Reading up on what types of flooring material sales are up, and which ones are down can influence your product line. For example, offering a diverse range of eco-friendly options, luxury vinyl, or high-tech engineered wood can be a good starting point. Additionally, choosing to offer sister product flooring lines can be an easy way to bring in new customers and increase ticket amounts for existing customers.
- Look into expanding into different market sectors. Diversifying your flooring business can expand your market and offer alternative revenue sources. For example, some businesses who used to be strictly residential retail have been looking to expand to multi-family/main-street commercial, new construction, or bid commercial markets.
- Optimize and streamline your inventory processes. With flooring inventory management software (ie: QPro), you can effortlessly track and ensure that your top-selling products are always in stock. By keeping your inventory operations efficient and accurate, you reduce the risk of errors, which improves service quality and encourages customers to return.
Taking Advantage of Customer Reviews & Testimonials
One of the most underutilized tools that can help you increase flooring sales is your customer testimonials. According to Global Newswire, 95% of customers read online reviews before buying a product. (Source: https://www.globenewswire.com/news-release/2022/01/13/2366090/0/en/Brand-Rated-Nine-out-of-ten-customers-read-reviews-before-buying-a-product.html) So if you don’t have as many reviews as your competitors, that could be a turnoff to potential customers.
Ideas to consider:
- Optimize your process of asking for reviews. What does your process look like? Do you ask every satisfied customer for a review promptly after your service? Some dealers have even utilized messaging marketing services so their review requests are automatically scheduled and sent out to their customers. Whatever you choose to do, just be sure to be consistent, friendly, and professional when asking for reviews. A little bit can go a long way.
- Don’t forget to showcase your reviews. If customers fill out a review, you shouldn’t stop there. Highlighting case studies and customer testimonials on your website can showcase your flooring business’ unique products and services and differentiate yourself from competitors. You can also experiment with sharing reviews on your social media channels and in your showroom.
Get Your Sales Team on the Same Page
Your sales team can make or break your business. The more knowledgeable, unified, and organized the team is, the more effectively you can close sales. By equipping your team with the right materials and resources, you’re setting them up for success.
Ideas to consider:
- Provide resources for your team, so they have a better understanding of your products’ features, benefits, and installation processes. What materials and training can you provide to better improve everyone’s knowledge and understanding when it comes to flooring? You might need to set up ongoing training sessions with the team so they can stay current with industry trends and consumer behavior.
- Ensure there is plenty of time to practice sales tactics & techniques. Does everyone have time to practice up-selling, cross-selling, closing techniques, and handling objections? Ensure you give the time and space for you and your team members to experiment with new approaches. If you and your sales associates are never trying new techniques, you’ll never be able to effectively grow.
- Improve team efficiency by utilizing tools & technologies. If you and your RSAs are taking a long time to dig through files to locate certain information, are dropping balls, or having a hard time promptly responding to emails or messages, it might be time for an upgrade. Consider investing in software and tools that helps your team access accurate information quickly, and respond to customers promptly. You can look into ERP business management software, POS & inventory software, CRM software, estimation software, room visualizers, marketing automation tools, and/or scheduling software to sharpen your operations. It is an investment to get going on some of these technologies, but doing so will enable everyone to fill out a proposal and close a deal in a timely, professional manner, which will make your flooring business more profitable in the long run.
Utilize Data-Driven Insights
When it comes to increasing flooring sales, it’s vital to analyze and apply business data to your operation. Creating accurate reports gives you valuable insight into what’s working and what’s not working for your flooring business. By analyzing both your business and the industry as a whole, you'll be better equipped to adapt and maximize sales opportunities.
Ideas to consider:
- Utilize business software to quickly track customer data, product trends, and buying patterns. It’s crucial to analyze where your customers are coming from, what products they're seeking, and what factors helped close their purchase. For those who didn't purchase, what held them back? CRM software can help track these trends, and can also help you understand which customers and products are generating the most revenue for your business. These insights can help you identify the products and customer types that are likely to be 'quick wins' and quick purchasers for your business.
- Look at researching your competitors. Analyzing your competitors’ strengths, tactics, and behaviors can help you know what to do to differentiate your business. If a competing business offers more products, better services, or lower prices, it could be a threat to your flooring sales cycle.
- Study industry trends and benchmarks. Are you simply skimming a few reports or truly diving into the trends shaping the industry? Consider exploring consumer reports and data from industry publications to see what’s working (and what isn’t working) for other dealers. If you're not committed to identifying trends and adapting, your flooring business could fall behind.
Leveraging your Digital Marketing & Online Presence
Last of all, one of the quickest ways to boost flooring sales, is to increase lead opportunities. One of the best ways to do this is to up the ante on your digital marketing and online presence. While this might seem obvious, it's surprising how many flooring businesses overlook the importance of building a strong online presence. Even if you already have a website, there could be opportunities you’re still missing out on.
According to a study from GE Capital Retail Bank, 81% of retail shoppers conduct online research before buying. (Source: https://www.ge.com/news/press-releases/ge-capital-retail-banks-second-annual-shopper-study-outlines-digital-path-major)
This means it’s more important than ever to have a strong online presence to establish trust and expertise with your potential customers.
Items to consider:
- Work on getting your website to rank for search keywords like: flooring stores near me, flooring stores near (city name), carpet store (city), best flooring in (city), best carpet in (city), wood flooring near me, etc. This will require you to do SEO research and optimization. You can either look at doing your own search engine optimization in-house, or can outsource to a marketing agency.
- Create educational content on your website and/or social media accounts to engage with potential customers. To better establish your brand online, create valuable content like blogs, videos, and how-to guides. These can educate potential customers about flooring options, installation tips, and maintenance.
- Showcase your products and services on social media platforms like Facebook, Instagram, and Pinterest. People like to see your work. If you deliver great results for one customer, others will trust you to do the same for them.
- Set aside a budget to run targeted paid ads on Google and social media platforms. Paid ads are becoming more prominent, which could potentially push your website to a lower position on search results, and push your social media posts lower on feeds. Even setting a little more money aside for paid search and display ads could go a long way.