I spent my first 26 years in the flooring industry at my family’s retail business. During that time, I did whatever was needed. I installed and estimated during the day and covered the sales floor at night and on weekends. Most of that time, I worked alongside long-time sales professionals who loved what they did. The most productive salespeople asked a lot of questions and listened to the customers’ responses to qualify their needs.

Remember, for most people, flooring is a major purchase that they may only do a few times in their lives. They look to you as a flooring professional to give them advice based on their needs. This attention to detail helped them not only make that sale but they also had fantastic repeat and referral business. The best ones even had customers stop in for a visit occasionally.

If you have an eye for design, you can take it even farther by providing decorating advice. One of our consistent top performers was our marketing manager. She worked on the sales floor when she had time because she enjoyed it. She was very poised and sophisticated, so customers were eager to get her advice. Looking professional goes a long way to getting your customer’s respect.

I recommend asking about their family makeup and other things that could affect the flooring selection. These are a few questions you may want to consider asking your customers. Naturally, the customer’s age will need to be factored in when the time comes.

• How many people live in your home and what are their ages? Large families with young children require flooring that can handle the traffic and additional maintenance that will be required.  
• Do you have any pets and what are they? Some pets can damage or destroy some flooring products.
• Are there any wheelchairs or scooters used in your home? The stress from wheelchairs and other motorized scooters can damage some flooring.
• Are you full time or part time residents? This is typically a question for older people or affluent residents. Leaving a home unoccupied can destroy some floor covering products especially if the home is not maintained under HVAC control with consistent temperature and humidity. Advising seasonal residents to install a humidistat on the HVAC system to prevent humidity from building in the home can prevent many failures.
• How long do you plan on keeping your home? This can greatly influence the amount of money they are willing to spend on flooring.
• What is your current floor covering and how long has it been down? This will give you an idea of your customers’ expected flooring life cycle and how well it is maintained.
• What do you like about your current flooring and what don’t you like about it? This will give you guidance on which direction to go or avoid.

Using the information they provide will enable you to make recommendations that your customer will love for years to come.

I recall one instance where one of my mentors was talking with a customer who selected something that would not perform well with their large family and multiple pets. He simply told the customer, “I won’t sell that to you.” The customer was clearly shocked and asked why he didn’t want their business. His reply was perfect. He said, “I really like you folks, and I don’t want to sell you something you won’t be happy with.” He explained that their selection would not perform as desired with their family and pets. Instead, he recommended a less expensive product that was more suitable. The customer agreed and followed his recommendation.

He always started by asking the customer questions about their family and pets. He used the information they provided to point them in the right direction when it came to product selection. In addition, the design of the home can play into long term performance of the flooring.

Direct sunlight exposure can be problematic for certain flooring types. One of the most common issues with LVT/LVP is expansion and gapping caused by the flooring being rapidly heated by the sun and cooled when the exposure ends. This issue can easily be avoided by recommending a product that is not sensitive to temperature fluctuations. Carpet can fade from sunlight so a solution-dyed yarn may be a better choice. Hardwood can change color in direct sunlight depending on the species and if it is stained or natural. We typically see this where furniture or rugs are placed.

It is not always about price. Customers’ long-term satisfaction is key for repeat and referral business. As my dad would say, “The quality is remembered after the price is forgotten.”