Hardwood Flooring

br l)arr l crrlri ['rc:iclertt Virginia IIartl*ood ( tr lA\l OI-TEN askcd "Ho"t t'an I Iirrercase my hardii,rod llotrrinr: sales? Business doesn't seem as good as it should bc."

'l-hi.s is unother irt tr.series o.f tttttttrtrt.s ln Darc l"t'rruri to ttful retuilar.s in sell ing, lturdxootl Jloor.s. ed.

A good, pertinent qllestion. And let's be frank about the ansu'cr. The vast nrajorit)' ol' homc iniprovcment centers, building supply houscs and lumbcr yards do not ha\c a sales person u'ho is a traincd specialist in hard\\'ood llooring-a knorvledgeable clcrk who can answer customer qucstions casil-v and riith conficlcnce. There's 9090 of thc problem.

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How ofien rvhen a cllstomer cornes into a store or lard to inquire about hardri ood flooring, is he either rnercly directcd to thc gcneral area riherc a hardwood displaf is located, or helped by' a sales pcrson rvho knorvs little or nothing about floors and thcir installation by do-it-yourscl fbrs?

There are numerous reasons why potential customcrs come into yottr place of business to inqr-rirc about harduood 1'looring. Perhaps the rcmodelin-s of a roomadding a den -redoing an area that rvas t'orrnerll' carpet, and cl'en repairs such as a \\'ater or lirc damaged floor lvliich thc customer rvishes to replace to ntatch the original rvood. lf thcrc is no sales person arailable uho qualifies as a hardu ood llooring spccialist, the chances are good that 1'our prospecti"'e sale *ill disappear do*n the tube and the custonrcr u.'ill go elsewhere to seek advice ancl spertcl his nioney. Multipll this t1'pical losl sale nranl' times and 1'ou'll quickly scc the reason why "Business docst-t't seem as gttod as it should be."

Okal', y'ou sa1', this all sounds logical. But wherc are rve supposed to find thesc so-called hardrvood specialists? We don't have the time or the money to send one of our people out of town to obtain this kind of education.

There is an answer. A good one.

Ask your local hardwood flooring distributor to train a hardwood flooring specialist for you. And at no cost. Simple as that.

About l0 years ago, Virginia Hardwood initiated such a training program for businesses such as yours and it proved extremely successful. For Phase I, we borrowed selected persons for lVz days. During this time, we placed them under the personal tutelage of our top salesmen, in the plant and out in the field. They were shown the most important aspects of selling hardwood flooring.

They learned about the many different wood patterns, parquets, and planks that were available-how to determine the amount of flooring required and estimate arnounts of adhesive and nails needed (if required) -how to interpret specification books and accurately relate said infor- mation to potential customers-and see firsthand on-the-spot flooring installations being made. Two or three weeks later, a half-day refresher course was held for the same people. This was Phase II conducted in our plant. At this time, an attractive framed and signed certificate was issued to each person, attesting to the completion of the course and entitlement to the classification of "Hardwood Flooring Specialist."

A major advantage to completing such a course as this is that when referrals are made by the local wholesale distributor as to where hardwood flooring, etc., can be purchased at retail, the prospective buyer can be referred to XYZ Company, John Smith, hardwood flooring specialist.

And what an effective advertising twist it would be for companies to promote the fact in their ads that they have a "Hardwood Flooring Specialist" on duty to assist in answering any questions.

Today, a program of similar nature could be easily initiated and prove ex- tremely profitable to those firms who are marketing minded. Really, it's up to you.

Thol's How lt Goes!

"The hordat part about this job is listening to the customers tell you what they used to poyfor things."

The Merchant Magazlne

An exciting new Melamine panel for use in bathrooms, kitchenq shower and tub areas Easv to clean. resistant to alcohol and oidinary household stains-plain, fancy or embossed, convenient sizes.

Dealers have turned their initial inventory and are cryingfor more! High profit, co-op advertising, samples, customer appeal. Swanboard has it all. See vour PGL salesman or call us direct, now.

TAKE-HOME TAPES

(Continued from page 12) fees in the $200 to $250 range. A condensed point of purchase program with only 13 tapes is available for approximately $SOO plus $100 per month. Costs are designed to be offset by the fees charged the customers renting the tapes. Tapes will rent for

$5 a day or $7 with the book which is kept. The viewing unit rents for $9.95. Books purchased separately are $3.95. Equipment maintenance is provicfed by Do It Yourself, Inc.

Roskind's enthusiasm for the project is infectious. His claims that the seminar-at-home will sell more merchandise for do-it-yourself projects by motivating customers to