November 12/19, 2018: Volume 34, Issue 11 By Lori Kisner The economy is booming, new home starts are strong and consumers are investing in home renovations—all great news for the industry. Why is it, then, that retailers are still feeling the pinch? More importantly, how can they grow their businesses and bottom line? Flooring stores aren’t impervious to the issues that occur in other specialty retail industries. Let’s face it—specialty retail is a competitive...
Read MoreOctober 15/22, 2018: Volume 34, Issue 9 By Jason Goldberg What is more important to your business—lead generation or lead management? The answer: They are both equally important and, when used correctly, they build upon each other. A lead is typically coming to you one of three ways (what I call the lead source): digitally—most commonly through your website forms; walking right into your store; and calling your store. What caused this lead to...
Read MoreMarch 5/12, 2018: Volume 33, Issue 19 By Kurt Wilson With the explosion of mobile devices in the last few years, many new software programs and apps have come on the market that are designed to be used by flooring professionals. That begs the question: Why should you get onboard the mobile train? Answer: Mobility enables your sales, estimating and installation team members to be more productive. For example, sales professionals can use their...
Read MoreJanuary 22/29, 2018: Volume 33, Issue 6 By Matt Beaudreau Many businesses today—including the flooring industry—have as many as five generations working together. That’s a phenomenon unprecedented in the history of the U.S. workforce. This presents both an opportunity and a challenge as businesses look for ways to improve communication and work processes across generational lines. The first thing an owner needs to do is acknowledge there are fundamental differences in the way people...
Read MoreJanuary 8/15, 2018: Volume 33, Issue 15 By Matt Beaudreau The big question on the minds of many businesses today, whether you’re selling laminate flooring or Lamborghinis, is how do we reach this group that everyone is talking about—the millennials? For the purposes of this conversation, we define millennials as follows: those born between 1977 and 1995. The long and short answer is retailers first need to look beyond the “category” of potential buyers—although...
Read MoreNovember 6/13, 2017: Volume 32, Issue 11 By Wes Dillingham I recently learned about a company called Enjoy, a 100% online reseller of consumer electronic products such as Apple TV, GoPro, etc. I know what you are thinking: another Amazon, right? The difference is Enjoy—which currently operates in New York and San Francisco—takes online retailing to the next level. When you buy a product from the company, they have someone deliver it in person,...
Read MoreAugust 28/September 4: Volume 32, Issue 6 By Wes Dillingham (First of two parts) One of the biggest mistakes companies make when buying and implementing software is not approaching it as change first. It’s important to keep in mind that any software you plan to implement at your company is likely to present a major change to the day-to-day routine of your employees. In other words, if you are implementing any type of software...
Read MoreJune 5/12, 2017: Volume 31, Issue 26 By Garnet Sofillas Today’s health clubs look drastically different from the traditional gym of 30 years ago. In the 1980s through the early 2000s, mainstream clubs had it all: selectorized machines, cardio equipment, aerobics, group X, massage and tanning. Nowadays, functional training is the focus and many traditional gyms are eliminating equipment to create dedicated, functional training spaces. “The focus is now on strength and conditioning—jumping, sprinting,...
Read MoreJune 5/12, 2017: Volume 31, Issue 26 By Laurie Baatz One of the most common issues plaguing the installation of flooring today is moisture in concrete. Yet, the chronic headache has not helped to change the behavior of the teams involved. Sound familiar? The architect or interior designer writes the project’s flooring specifications. The construction documents state that moisture testing be conducted following ASTM F2170. Specifications also state the contractor follow the manufacturer’s installation...
Read MoreApril 24/May 1, 2017: Volume 31, Issue 23 By Vinnie Virga If you were able to ask Tony Robbins, Zig Ziglar, Jim Rohn or any other world-class personal performance speaker to identify the greatest inhibitor to success, they would probably say “fear of acting.” I would agree. When it comes to establishing and growing a successful business, every decision counts – even if you procrastinate and don’t take action, that is in its own...
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