Every two weeks, FCNews seeks out flooring retailers across the country to offer their advice on hot topics of the day. This week, we asked: How do you prospect for new business?
Here are their responses:
“Sales is a contact sport. The more people you interact with the better your chances of earning a sale. In addition to promoting our business to the masses, we encourage our staff to prospect by joining and becoming involved with as many organizations, clubs and networking groups as possible.”
—Eric Langan
Carpetland USA
(The Langan Group)
Davenport, Iowa
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“We’ve had the most success through consistent local marketing and a strong online presence, which keeps us visible and competitive in our market. From there, delivering a great customer experience drives referrals and repeat business, which has been a major source of growth for us.”
—Aaron Johnson
Johnson & Sons Flooring
Knoxville, Tenn.
“Because we are a ‘to the trade’ showroom, our prospecting consists primarily of networking and referrals. We attend designer events and work closely with them in their trade organizations. We also rely on referrals from satisfied designers.”
—Tom Connell
M & M Carpet Showroom
Houston
“Prospecting for new business is a daily chore. We’ve had success sponsoring community events and just being out in the community. I also believe in the referral network of previous customers; that network gets larger with every year we are in business.”
—Tom Heffner
About All Floors
Douglassville, Pa.
“We utilize social media platforms quite a bit to advertise discount sales. Most recently up to $1,000 off during the month of March, “Pot of Gold” sale. We recently launched a mailer for new homeowners who have moved into the area. I am hopeful this brings in some business for those looking to remodel their homes.”
—Deb DeGraaf
DeGraaf Interiors
Jenison, Mich.
