Titusville, Pa. – HomerWood and distributor Tom Duffy Co./B.R. Funsten is making sure to keep retailers competitive in today’s market by taking them right to the source. The premium hardwood manufacturer hosted several retailers from the Fairfield, Calif.-based Tom Duffy network, including Jeff and Wendy Meltzer of Los Angeles-based Universal Hardwood and Jeremy Probell and Jennifer Shaw on behalf of Pioneer Floors of Santa Barbara, Calif., as well as Donovon Johnson of Finishing Touch and Andy Moore with Precision Flooring.
“In promoting and selling HomerWood, our sales partners need to effectively tell our story and convey our value message,” said Paul Walker, general manager, HomerWood. “When a flooring retailer is effectively presented with all that HomerWood offers to their business, we get 100% buy-in.” The retailers were able to see how the mill employees work together to create the product and how well they interacted with each other. “The teamwork that we saw was great and it was refreshing,” Meltzer said.
And while the mill tour was eye opening for the group, it also provided them with an education that they could bring back to the show floor to help boost future sales.
Meltzer noted that after being on the tour, she could sell HomerWood even more confidently than she could before. “The quality control at the mill is great,” she said. “I can tell them all about quality control and how so many eyes are on a piece of product before it goes out the door.
“HomerWood’s history and product offering is unique, and communicating this ‘story’ to our customers improves our own selling opportunities,” she continued. “But my favorite part is that HomerWood products are Made in America. That’s still a huge story and it’s something I am proud to tell my customers.”