FLOOR ED
By Don Roberts 45-year Flooring Retailer; Board Director, World Floor Covering Association; Vice-Chair for Floor Covering Education Foundation
Whatever the excuse or reason, you need to have a plan to pick up as much of this “incremental” business you can. The installation crisis is not going away anytime soon!
To sell DIY or Not?
T
he word “incremental” is a word that many flooring dealers cannot get their arms around because it can be used in every aspect of our business. I’m talking about adding incremental customers and sales, thanks to capturing the do-it-yourselfer. That’s especially true for a full-service dealer that has a limited amount of product that they can get installed in any one month due to their limited number of installers. That incremental business takes observation, finesse, and work. Many full-service dealers overlook the incremental opportunity they have with the DIY community. Big Boxes own that market basically out of sheer convenience, as they will stay open for the customers’ benefit –– not the employees. I know this because I have had many dealers over the years tell me “That’s not my customer,” and my reply is “You are right, it is theirs, but couldn’t you use the incremental sales and profit dollars for your business? Also, they worry that if they drop the price, they will be saying that they were trying to overcharge them in the first place. Whatever the excuse or reason, you need to have a plan to pick up as much of this incremental business you can. The installation crisis is not going away anytime soon! More and more, manufacturers are trying to come up with products that are easier to install for several reasons. One reason is so professional installers can install more product in the same amount of time. Another is to make it easier for the DIYer
20 Premier Flooring Retailer | Digital 2 2020
