Hardwood flooring promotions that work

shown in kitchen, office, dining room and living room settings. All emphasize the versatility of hardwood flooring.

"The displays help the customer visualize the product as it might look in their home," explains the store manager. "This helps our sales quite a bit, especially on big ticket items. It boosts add-on sales, too. Someone comes in to buy cabinets and decides that he has to have a hardwood floor to go with them."

Confident sales people equipped to sell hardwood flooring aggressively are claimed as secret weapons by many dealers. One store maintains a training program for all its employees plus one expert to handle unusual situations. Another conducts an ongoing training program for its hardwood flooring sales staff.

Consumer education is stressed as another constant necessary for successful hardwood flooring sales. One store has frequent hardwood flooring clinics, advertising them in the newspaper as well as asking the editor for a news story, both giving the dates and details. This store also participates in the local Parade of Homes and other community projects.

A small home center chain features hardwood flooring periodically on its weekly home improvement radio talk show. They invite a guest host who is one of their suppliers to discuss product selection and installation.

A decorator asked to hold a seminar discussing the possibilities of hardwood flooring in home design was popular at a suburban store. This was followed by a d-i-y installation clinic the next week.

Dealers are divided on the question of installation. Some sell a high percentage of their hardwood flooring to contractors and remodelers and don't want to become involved in installation. Others regularly hold d-i-y installation clinics. Some loan out installation videos and a few offer free use of installation tools. Some recommend installers while others only maintain a list.

Show it. Tell it. Sell it. Dealers who move a lot of hardwood flooring agree that by following these precepts consistently they can sell more hardwood flooring than the guy down the street.

Story at a Glance

A collection of tips from dealers who sell lots of hardwood flooring .. .advertising, power displays, knowledgeable salesmen, consumer education .. ideas to give you an edge.