As I visit with flooring dealers around the country, I often hear the lament “Our business isn’t what it used to be.” Often, this statement is made in reference to sales volume. I often wonder, however, if this statement isn’t telling of a deeper problem that many existing businesses face: they simply aren’t functioning internally as well as they once did.
There is a country saying that you “need to fix what needs fixing!” While this may seem to be obvious, how often do we see the consequences of poor maintenance? When we fail to perform routine service on our automobiles, should we be surprised to find ourselves eventually facing costly repairs? The same logic can be applied to the house that we live in – even to our personal relationships. Most things seem to take care of us in the manner that we take care of them.
Every business has elements that “need fixing.” Some are badly broken. Some are just a little out of tune – but out of tune nonetheless. Since most of our businesses are finally experiencing an upswing in store traffic, this may be an excellent time for a “tune-up” to take full advantage of greater opportunities than we have seen for several years.
What needs fixing in your business? Do you have policies or procedures that once worked well but may have become somewhat antiquated? How about procedures that could cause internal difficulties for your staff? Such policies can only have negative impacts on your customers. Technology can be a wonderful tool. Perhaps it’s time to revisit the flow of a customer’s order through your business.
Do you have an employee who is more detrimental than beneficial to the overall health of your business? Do you really think that increased volume is going to solve the problem? It never did for me – I doubt that it will for you either. Fix it now!
Do you have a product category that is not producing the results that it once did? Is there a product category that is growing at a much faster pace elsewhere (think green!) than it is at your store? Perhaps your store’s showroom displays are out of balance with the realities of today’s market. Remember that the customer will always buy what she is interested in buying – whether you’re prepared to sell it to her, or not.
The list of items that may need attention is long and varied. Areas that possibly may need work done include: inventory levels, store hours, website content, staff size, store location, staff training, receivables, marketing budget, etc. You will need to assess the needs for your individual business. Unfortunately, businesses do not have an owner’s manual in the glove box to advise you what service to perform at a given interval. However, being a member of the WFCA means that you won’t have to figure the answers out by yourself. When attending Surfaces in Las Vegas later this month, you’ll be able to meet with industry experts, in the WFCA’s membership lounge area, who can walk you through exciting new programs designed specifically to help your business compete more effectively, and profitably, in today’s marketplace.
The best time to give your business the “tune-up” that it needs is now! Problems just never seem to fix themselves. The eventual price of ignoring problematic areas of a business is usually far greater than the cost of repair. If you have areas of your business that “aren’t what they used to be”, fix them before they have the chance to break completely. Put the power of your membership in the WFCA to work for you. See you at Surfaces!
