San Francisco. Coreen R.. is 49, single, a successful small business owner, and ready to make some home improvements. Her most precious commodity ? time. She?s a night- owl shopper, frequenting Safeway, Kinkos and other establishments after 9:00 p.m. She?s too tired to take a number and wait in line, and weekends at HD are crazy. Instead, she shops from 9 to 11 p.m. on the web.

Dallas. Recently widowed, Helen F. has downsized into a condominium that needs new drapes and carpeting. She knows her tastes and doesn?t want a decorator. She tried shopping in store ? the parking, crowds, vast selection and general frenzy left her overwhelmed. Her grandson, home from college, is helping her find what she needs ? on the web.

Most attendees at the NAFCD convention readily embraced computers for the usual (inventory, client databases, etc.) but viewed the web as a vast playground for computer games & chat rooms. The web was first explained in a nutshell, followed by examples of how it works.

How One Cyber Company Turned an Industry on it's Ear
Amazon.com, dubbed "the world's largest bookstore" changed book buying forever by starting with a goal- more sales, and working backward. Up until this time, most bookstores focused on "How do we drive more traffic into our store?" thus limiting their options for creativity. People visit Amazon via computer, search 2.5 million titles, and place their orders electronically. No storefront. No direct mail marketing. Amazon is really a distributor (like you!) but is selling like a retailer. 

"But Ann", you may respond "you can't compare a complex purchase like floor covering to buying a book." I'm not. I'm simplys saying keep an open mind. Amazon is one example of a distributor selling directly to the consumer. NAFCD is in the same position.

Connecting with your Customer
Another valuable service the web can provide is Relationship Marketing. In today's out-sourced, laptop, cell-phone world, people are more mobile than ever before, thus more difficult to capture. Yet studies show that people still want to do business with people they know and trust. So how will you create relationships in the cyber-future? How will you establish trust?

Relationship Marketing
"People today have money to spend. What they lack is the time to evaluate products and the trust in companies that make them." claims Seth Godin of Yoyodyne Entertainment. With clients like AT&T, H&R Block, MCI and Volvo, Seth created a model for marketing on the web called Permission Marketing, which could easily adapt to the floor covering industry. Here's how it works:

We'll Pay Your Taxes
H&R Block had a new service they wanted to introduce - Premium Tax. On H&R's home page, Seth ran banner ads "We'll Pay Your Taxes Sweepstakes." Over 50,000 people responded. To enter, participants submitted their e-mail address, granting H&R Block "permission" to teach them about their new service in exchange for entering the contest. 

Every week, participants were e-mailed trivia questions about taxes or H&R Block services, then directed to H&R Block's "home page" to find the answers. They could ignore this mail altogether or respond when it was convenient for them. (It sure beats those annoying bank card calls you get at home during dinner.) Over the life of the promotion 97% of those who entered the game stayed in it! When was the last time you had a 97% response rate to anything? 

Among those who participated, 54% said they now understood Premium Tax. Several felt they developed a relationship with H&R Block, and now viewed them as a resource for information.

Establish Yourself as the Source
The Source for Information. For reliability. For? It's your choice. Whether you're involved in carpet/wood /vinyl/ceramic tile/laminate, one or more of the following ideas may work for you. Think outside the box. Some distributors told me they didn't want to sell over the web for fear of cannibalizing the retail outlets they now serve. You could partner-host a site with retail outlets you supply. Perhaps you provide the initial information that then drives the customer to the retail store to view the product. There are dozens of ways to structure your success.

A. Sponsor A Contest 
Offer a free hardwood dining room floor, a new tile bathroom etc.
I'm sure you (or outlets you serve) already access marriage records, birth records, new home buyer lists as major resources. Link your website to Newlywed and Baby sites, to Realtor.com, to Nursing Homes, to schools, to? Who wouldn't like to win a hardwood floor or new carpeting?

Like H&R Block, educate folks in the process. Be a new home buyer resource. They'll "bookmark" your website for future reference.
You might ask:

• How long can you expect a carpet to last with children under 5 yrs of age?
• Guide contest participants to your company study comparing 100% wool, nylon blend, etc. to find the answer.
• What is the most damaging stain to a broadloom carpet?
  Perhaps multiple choice - dog urine, coffee, red wine, etc.
• What's the most allergy free carpet?
• Is it really possible to install a wood floor in a family room in a day? (Quickstep)

Or fun questions:

• Which Oriental Rug costs $2,500? Which costs $25,000. Then educate them why.
• How many miles of carpet does United Airlines, Holiday Inn, etc. buy in a year?
• How many meals will you prepare for an average family of four in a lifetime?  Give mom some ammunition toss at dad when she wants that expensive kitchen floor.

B. Sponsor a Contest Showcasing A Specific Product
Imag-ine Tile produces wonderful true-to-life photos on their vinyl tile - everything from asphalt highways to pebbles in a stream.

• Challenge folks to come up with the most imaginative use of your tile. Originally, Imag-ine thought the asphalt tile (complete with manhole covers and yellow dividing line) would be great for automobile showrooms. But decorators started using it in boy's rooms. Link to designers, contractors, design schools, etc. Get them thinking about your product creatively.
• What about "life in the fast lane" asphalt for high school corridors? Sports bars? Teens love spending time on the web. Let them sell mom and dad on buying your floor.
  Link to teen sites and schools.
• For tiles that look like grass, water, and pebbles in a clear brook - what about a wonderful grassy lawn in a VA Hospital? Some of those men never leave their beds. What about a daycare center in the snowy Northeast?
  Link to government sites, hospitals, day care centers, etc.
• The clear blue water tiles would be just plain fun for bathrooms and health spas. (An ex boss comes to mind who thinks he walks on water. Not only should his office have this floor - he'd agree!)
  Link to health spas, hotels and resorts.

The aforementioned ideas took about five minutes of fun brainstorming. I'm sure the possibilities are endless. The point is - you need to at least know what's out there on the web so you can take advantage of it.
Do you distribute nationwide? Divide your contest by region. Best ideas in the west vs. best ideas in the east. Whatever you can think up, it's a playground out there.

C. Create a Monthly Newsletter
No expensive printing. No postage. People subscribe electronically. Perhaps focus on something topical"

• Florida hurricanes - What's the best way to dry out a floor to prevent warping?
• Spring Cleaning - best way to shampoo a rug?
• Have a Dear Abby segment to answer questions about stains.

Why a newsletter? Again, we buy from people we trust, and Peg Fisher reminds us that customers buy expectations from you, not products they can buy anywhere else. Sales guru Jeff Gitomer reminds us "If you focus only on customer satisfaction, they'll leave you as soon as they find a better price. Focus instead on customer success."

Let's say I want a hardwood floor in my entry hall. You tell me that tiny stones from my gravel driveway will carry into the house and pit my hardwood floor, so you recommend vinyl tile instead, have you lost money on a sale or gained a customer for life? And what about all the friends I relate my story to? Word of mouth spreads like wildfire on the web.

D. Use Technology to Create User Groups
Saturn, Harley-Davidson, MacIntosh have them. Your group could be customers, retail outlets, manufacturers, etc. The web is a great way to maintain a continual flow of information and feedback.

Warning: Don't just create a cool home page and expect to build a virtual community. It takes time to form relationships (although web time is drastically compressed). John Hagel and Arthur G. Armstrong, authors of Net.Gain explain "put community before commerce." In other words, your initial purpose should be to build a community, not sell more stuff.

Set up a chat room (your web guru can do this for you). You'll discover what customers really want, what they're dissatisfied with, and what product or service they can't find.

Licensing, Brand Names and Trust
Experts predict that the less time we have to shop, the more we'll depend on branding. Licensing is exploding- Ralph Lauren, Martha Stewart, Donna Karan, Beverly Murphy in Lowes. Licensing implies guaranteed quality that's consistent nationwide - and easy to buy over the web. I may purchase my master bedroom ensemble in-store, then next year outfit the kids rooms from the retailer's web site. 

You may argue that someone like Home Depot has resources to run a much bigger contest than you. On the web, a mom and pop can carry as much clout as chain. I defy you to surmise the size of a company from its web site. Sure, Home Depot may have more resources to create a terrific marketing campaign but guess what? They haven't yet. They're busy servicing their retail outlets. The race is to the swift, and no one has seized the high ground in floor covering on the web - yet? 

Back to Articles