Are you ready to grow your retail business in 2022? Bruce Weber, CEO, American Home Surfaces Group (AHSG), said there are five moves flooring retailers should make to help grow your business next year. Founded in 2000, AHSG is an alliance of more than 400 independent floor covering dealers nationwide.
- Showroom Merchandising: Remember your showroom is 75% or more of the sale: get off to a winning start. “Customers need to see colors and textures of flooring in person—you just can’t do all of that on a computer,” Weber said.
- Training and Development: Reintroduce old and new in-store and in-home closing skills. Learn how to master Main Street, and for custom home builders, offer three levels of products for their builds.
- Kitchen and Bath: Join your local chapter of the National Kitchen and Bath Association (NKBA) where there are many good things happening. “Kitchen and bath are the two most invested rooms within any household,” Weber said. “People pour more money into those two rooms—it’s the gathering point for family, friends.”
- Networking: Learn who are the key local custom home builders and the NKBA members in your market. “See ’em, sell ’em, service ’em,” Weber said. “Get to know those people and join committees.”
- Match Floor & Decor: In every practical way, Weber suggests matching Floor & Decor. “Don’t be a victim of their merchandising style, and their cash-and-carry strategy,” he said. “They spend the money on modular rooms to give consumers examples. Always remember: you never know where next customer last shopped.”
