Hardwood Floors Oct/Nov 2019

By David Williamsn

I cannot tell you howmuch impact this transformation has made in his business. Yes, he still does sell unfinished flooring and probably always will. (There will always be some market for unfinished flooring.) But now, he sells as much factory-finished hardwood flooring as he sells unfinished. I spoke to him recently and he told me that he is very busy. His business is growing, and (here’s the best part) he is more profitable than ever! This is a huge win for him, and a great example of how we all need to embrace change with an open mind.

evolve the business model based on the needs and demands of the customers. In fact, the chance to embrace change and the challenges it brings is one of the very reasons that I love to get up and go to work every day. I love the opportunity to learn about and to sell new products. I love the challenge of finding the answer to a question and going through the process of building my expertise about every product that we sell. This is what the opportunity to sell new products to new customers represents to me. I’d like to share a story about one of our customers who also experienced the transformation from unfinished to factory-finished flooring. He had always been an unfinished wood flooring customer. He just wasn’t interested in looking at or talking about factory- finished flooring. He definitely didn’t want to sell it. However, after his own business experienced the ramifications of the economic downturn, he realized that he too needed to make a change. So, he decided to give factory-finished wood flooring “a try.” And try, he did. He took a couple of displays, opened a small showroom, and changed his attitude about the new flooring.

We need to show customers the benefits and value hardwood floors can bring to their home, not only in appearance but also in versatility and overall value.

One final thought, as we move into the next era of change in our industry: people still love hardwood floors. I hear it all the time. Consumers want hardwood flooring in their home. With the influx of vinyl flooring that “looks like hardwood,” we are battling every day to keep our businesses at the top of not only our customers' minds but also the consumers. We need to show customers the benefits and value hardwood floors can bring to their home, not only in appearance but also in versatility and overall value. Since people really do desire hardwood floors in their home, we need to make sure we continue to talk about their features and benefits. We need to offer all of the options that will help customers get the best possible flooring in their homes. Remember that change comes before opportunity. Find ways to offer all of the hardwood flooring options to your customers, and you will find your business growing far more than it ever has. And your customers will thank you for your efforts.

HARDWOOD FLOORS ARE OUR PASSION – BUT EVEN MORE SO IS GETTING CUSTOMERS WHAT THEY DESIRE

Selling hardwood flooring is what all of us have a passion for. We love this business. And we absolutely must open our minds to what else we can do to make our businesses more profitable. Expanding our offerings is just one way to do that.

David Williams is Vice President, Horizon Forest Products, headquartered in Raleigh, North Carolina. To learn more, please visit www.horizonforest.com.

the magazine of the national wood flooring association

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