Marketing requires a core strategy to help attract consumers to you. I hope to help you find some new techniques that will help separate you from the competition.
FIRST – In marketing you need a creative slogan. You see these everywhere in the Floor Covering industry:
“Number One in Customer Satisfaction” or “Free Estimates” or “Guaranteed Lowest Price”
What makes you unique? Your business name, your slogan, or how many years you’ve been in business are not benefits to your consumers. “Cheapest Price Around” doesn’t count as a benefit because everyone says it. Use catchy slogans like “Creating Ideas for Better Living”; “Flooring is an Art”; “Bring Beauty to Your Home” and “Indulge Yourself in Creativity”.
When we use slogans about pricing such as, “Lowest Price Around” and “Guaranteed Lowest Price” we are attracting the customers that are shopping around and only looking for the lowest price. Quality and Customer Service probably means nothing to these types of consumers. They are only interested in the price. If you live in a place where you are destined to this type of “Cheap Price Vortex”, the best advice I can give you is to move. You will not be truly successful in this neighborhood.
SECOND – Create a catchy and unique phone answering script. What do we hear when you call retail stores? “Thank you for calling Boring Flooring. How may I help you?” Try something like – “Thank you for Calling Dave’s Floors, where you’ll love your new floors, or we’ll replace them for free!”
THIRD – Flooring is a commodity. Many consumers that are looking for flooring are wanting quality, comfort, performance, and uniqueness. Flooring is not something that a customer is going to buy every week like groceries. They want to know the floor is going to last for many years to come. How do retailers attract these types customers?
Consumers will pay 17% more to buy from retailers with great customer service skills. Happy customers tell 11 people about their experience whereas angry customers tell 15. Wow your customers with the feeling of happiness as soon as they walk in. Greet them; offer them a drink from your beverage bar. Serve freshly baked cookies to all walk-ins. Offer a play area equipped with toys, games, and DVDs. BONN01 Offer a “man cave” with a recliner, mini fridge, snacks and ESPN on a large flat screen tv. That’s right! Women are the number one consumer in floor covering. Have a wall of testimonials from satisfied customers. Have monitors that show before and after clips of your installations, testimonials, and happy customer photos.
I could go on and on with tips to help spice up your marketing. In short, get rid of marketing that states cheapest and free. Premium-Quality and Cheap Price are contradictory of one another. Pick one. You can’t have the cheapest price in town and still expect to have the best quality in town. They just don’t work together. Start using some of these strategies and watch your business grow.
– Dean Nagel