(Editor’s note: This is the first installment of a new series highlighting the relationship between Shaw and its retail partners. FCNews staff polled floor covering dealers on the attributes that make Shaw stand out from the pack.)
Fantastic Floors
Orange Park, Fla.
Owner: Rusty Williams
How long have you been aligned with Shaw and what are some of the things you like best in terms of your partnership?
I started my company in ’09, and I aligned with Shaw in 2011. As far as a business partner from a manufacturing standpoint, I think Shaw does the best job out of anybody—it’s not even close. Shaw is a great partner because of the quality of their products, service and reputation. Some vendors buy product overseas, bring it back to the U.S. and start selling it directly to the public. But they really don’t stand behind their products no matter how much they guarantee they will. Shaw has always stood behind their products.
Can you cite specific programs, promotions or tools that the company has made available to help you increase your bottom line?
It’s all about the right products and the inventory. Having product available is key because when customers finally walk in the door and they’re ready to purchase flooring, it’s a big deal for them to have inventory available. Shaw does a really good job keeping the majority of their products and SKUs in stock. Also, the financing they offer through their partnership with Wells Fargo. In America, we live in a buy now/pay later economy, so providing that financing really helps out a lot. Then there’s all the marketing support and the training—everything that goes into the consumer’s experience when they walk into our showroom to see what we have to offer, and they’re usually driven toward the Shaw products.
In that vein, what are some of the best-selling Shaw products or collections in your store?
LVP makes up the majority of the pie right now. And when it comes to LVP, COREtec is still the leader. We sell a lot of COREtec products to our residential customers. When it comes to hardwood, our customers typically look for higher-end products such as Shaw’s Expressions in Castlewood. We’re located in the northeast part of Florida, and customers here tend to go for that upper-end look. At the same time, we sell a lot of carpet, especially for bedrooms. People still like to hit something soft when they wake up in the morning. We do very well with Shaw’s Anso Color Wall. It’s been a leader for Shaw for many years. Also, the Pet-Perfect display that’s situated right next to it in our showroom does really well.
What are some of the things that Shaw is doing to help you generate leads and close sales?
We participate in the digital program, Velocity, which helps me manage my website. When customers are searching for Shaw products or COREtec products in the northeast Florida area, they always will find my company. Also, Shaw has set it up where if the customer orders a COREtec sample online, for instance, Shaw will send me an email to let me know that the customer ordered a COREtec sample in a particular color. It helps guide customers who are searching for certain products directly to my showroom.
How does Shaw provide valuable assistance in other areas, i.e., sales training, product knowledge, etc.?
They do a good job of helping us in all those areas. First of all, I have a great relationship with my local reps and even the regional vice president. All of them are my friends. Also, the upper management team at Shaw, including people like Ryan Powell, Jake Smith, Danni Brock and Danny Crutchfield who head up the Shaw Flooring Network. I consider them all my friends.
In terms of product knowledge, they provide great training—they even offer good spiffs for my salespeople. My reps love it! Shaw also makes sure we’re up to date on all the promotions they offer, which really helps us all make money together.