Script for a hardwood flooring sale

Ll ARDWOOD FLOORING sales

I lcontinue to multiply faster than those of sheet vinyl, vinyl tile, ceramic tile, carpet and area rugs, offering home centers and lumber dealers a growth market.

The $600 million wood flooring market in the United States is projected to double by 1 995. The majority of the growth is predicted in laminated floating floors. Prefinished, laminated products for floating installation are primarily manufactured for the do-it-yourself market.

Although new product developments have made hardwood floors a do-it-yourself product, many homeowners hesitate to tacklethe job. They like the luxurious, natural appearance of hardwood flooring, but they perceive the product to be expensive, diflicult to install and tedious to maintain. In short, a luxury for the well-to-do.

Dealers frequently hear the following doubts from customers, but by countering the objections with the benefits of hardwood flooring, they usually can make the sale. The dialogue below illustrates many of the benefits hardwood flooring has for the do-it-yourselfer.

Customer: We want to do the work ourselves, not hire a professional.

Salesman: With the new developments in hardwood flooring, installation has been simplified for a do-it-yourselfer. We have a brochure that gives the easy-to-do steps required. You can look it over and see just how the project is done. We also have video tape instructions that you can borrow.

Customer: I don't have the special tools needed for laying a hardwood floor.

Salesman: You don't need any special tools with the hardwood flooring manufactured especially for do-it-yourselfers. A chalk line, a square, a crowbar, a hammer and a hand or power saw plus a couple of wood blocks and wedges are all that you'll be using. You don't even have to use nails, just some adhesive.

Story at a Glance

Answers to customer's doubts about hardwood flooring. .. what you should say to stress benefits. howvideos and literature apply to presentations.

Customer: The floor will get lots of hard use. The kids spill stuff.

Salesman: Laminated hardwood is extremely durable. The polyurethane that coats these pre-finished flooring products has been proven in abrasion tests to wear twice as long as other finishes. In the Taber Abrasion test, an industry standard, hardwood flooring with a polyurethane surface withstood testing equaling 20 years of normal household use without showing wear. The polyurethane finish also resists spills.

Customer: I don't have a lot of time to keep hardwood looking nice.

Salesman: Laminated, prefinished hardwood floors are easy to maintain with dustmopping or vacuuming. Spills wipe up with a damp cloth. If the floor gets extremely dirty, you can clean it with a damp cloth and a little mild detergent.

Customer: Hardwood flooring won't work. The room is in the basement.

Salesman: Laminated hardwood flooring can be installed below level with a few precautions. For below level use manufactuers recommend a six mil polyethylene film barrier be put down first. If you follow the manufacturer's instructions for below level installation, there should be no problems.

Customer: We can't use hardwood flooring. Our existing floor is a concrete slab or vinyl flooring or wood.

Salesman: Laminated, prefinished flooring can be applied over almost any dry, sound, level surface including existing wood, vinyl or concrete floors. Manufacturers recommend using a poly film barrier or a foam padding in some installations.

Customer: Our budget is limited. Won't hardwood flooring cost a lot?

Salesman: Because hardwood flooringlastssolong and can be easily installed by the homeowner, it is really a good buy. Now that the need for a professional installer has been eliminated with products designed for do-it-yourself installation, hardwood fits into most budgets.

Customer: Will hardwood flooring go with our decor? We like modern or casual or country or antiques.

Salesman: There is a type of hardwood flooring for every decor. Parquet and strip, alternate or random plank products allow you to select the look that blends with your furnishings. You have a choice of woods including dark, medium and light oak and light tone beech and ash. There's also a choice of smooth or textured surface.

Customer: With the kids using the floor for play, won't it be cold and noisy?

Salesman: On the contrary, you'll find that prefinished, laminated hardwood provides a floor with improved resiliency, sound insulation and improved moisture protection.

Handing the customer product literature detailing the installation process and a catalog showing colored room settings with various types of hardwood flooring is a convincing conclusion to this sales presentation for prefinished, laminated hardwood flooring.