Natural stone can be a hard product category for some retailers to get into. Not only does it require more knowledge on the part of the retail sales associate, but it also means successfully sharing that information with consumers in a way that doesn’t turn them away from the category. However, successfully selling natural stone products has some major advantages, including higher profit margins and ticket sales on the part of the retailer.
To successfully add natural stone to your product lineup, natural stone suppliers say it’s important to understand the fundamentals:
Know the product and its place
“Retailers should be versed on where natural stone products can be installed and used, as not all are designed for each project space. Lead times, maintenance, job lots from the quarrying should be comfortable for the retailer to walk someone through. There is a skill set in understanding and then successfully selling natural stone. Many retailers steer away from natural stone, so if a retailer can illustrate how and where natural stone works, it can be a fantastic addition to their product portfolio.”
—Patrick Warren, vice president of residential sales, dealer and showrooms, Dal-Tile
Keep up with trends
“It’s beneficial for the retailer to be knowledgeable about current style and color trends. Understanding how to use natural stone tile to recreate these designs, patterns, textures and colors adds to this advantage. An excellent design loses its value when implemented with a subpar material susceptible to scratches, tears, fading or wear. Natural stone is also extraordinarily beautiful and unique in pattern and color variation. Its timeless nature makes it versatile and compatible with various design styles.”
—Mike Weave, VP of dealer trade sales, Emser Tile
Understand the advantages
“There are many surveys that show natural stone is what consumers ultimately want on their floors and countertops. It’s the best way to increase overall resale value. Also, natural stone is classic by definition. It’s been around for millions of years. It will always be on trend. Ultimately, this is a product that is not price sensitive but rather service and design sensitive. Retailers have a big advantage in these two arenas, which gives them a big advantage in the natural stone category.”
—Raj Shah, co-CEO, MSI
Utilize your resources
Daltile: Daltile has experts in the natural stone business and this knowledge is available to its customers. It also has information, design and styling options and recommendations on daltile.com for reference.
Emser: Emser Tile offers onsite and digital services for customers. It offers a variety of sample types and sizes. Many retailers particularly like the series boards, which include room scenes and alternative sizes and trim also available.
MSI: The MSI website and salespeople are experts in the industry. Also, it has numerous visualization tools that can help retailers close the sale. Finally, its inventory is the highest in the industry.
