I saw this headline while reading the editorial section in a morning newspaper recently. The subject of the article was local politics, but it struck me as defining exactly the position many independent flooring retailers are finding themselves in today. We at the WFCA are seeing far too many dealers who have been too busy and involved in the daily grind of their businesses, that they fail to take a longer term view of what course the flooring industry is taking.
The headlines in industry publications warning of difficulties in hiring sales associates, as well as the currently preferred compensation plans, don’t resonate until the need arises for additional staff members. Then, saying that they haven’t got time to identify and properly train fresh personnel, they settle for the shortsighted approach of hiring an “industry veteran” who’s looking for work. Sound familiar? How did that work out long term?
These same dealers complain about the lack of available installers in their market. But when pressed on what they are doing to expand the number of installation providers available to them, I always hear a different version of “basically nothing”. I actually had a sizable dealer confide in me recently that everyone that they sent out the backdoor that morning would not have been acceptable ten years ago. I guess that he wanted sympathy, as he seemed shocked when I asked him what his budget for training new workers had been during that time. Again, the answer was another version of “basically nothing”. Since when has lowering acceptable standards been a successful business model long term?
My mantra is to “inspect what you expect”. Given their lack of interest and investment in the recent past, how could these dealers really expect positive results? While ignorance may have been bliss earlier on, it has been having troublesome effects on today’s flooring business.
Please know that it need not be this way! From nearly fifty topics as varied as setting pricing strategies, to conducting effective interviews, WFCA’s Online University can help dealers of any size become more professional. Whether your goal is to raise the level of performance among sales or management staff, WFCA’s Training Camps are designed to do just that. Installation a problem area? Our CFI division offers training for those currently in the field, as well as those who have never held a knife before.
Training assistance in these areas, and more, exists today. But the first step must be yours. Contact the WFCA today to learn of all of the offerings available to our members. Ignorance need not be an excuse. Besides, for the majority of the dealers that I come into contact with, it really doesn’t prove to be very blissful after all!
Tom Jennings
