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Colonial Mills Inc. is hosting its annual Summer Splash Rug Sample Special event, now through Aug. 31. Featuring savings of up to 60 percent for dealers on the company’s Rug Sample Centers, Swing Arm Systems, Fabric Rug Customizers and Custom POM Sets, the sale is designed to help dealers get the most up-to-date samples and selling tools at deep discounts.

Ask most retailers “What is your closing percentage?” and they’ll probably tell you “Four out of five!” Sounds great. But based on observation, experience and actual head counts, I have found that even for good retailers, it is actually closer to one out of every five prospects. This means that if the average sale is $1,200 and you do about $1 million in sales each year that works out to about $3,333 a day. But your actual sales opportunities add up to almost $50,000 a day. Think about that:  Nearly $47,000 a day is walking out of your store and you might as well be holding the door open for it to leave. This translates into 15 people per day coming into your store. That’s 1.5 customers per hour in a 10-hour day-not even a busy day.

Editor’s Note: The following listings are corrected or new listings to the May 2007 National Floor Trends Directory & Buying Guide. All listings are also available online in our fully searchable Trade Directory & Buying Guide. Please contact publisher Jeff Golden at goldenj@bnpmedia.com if you would like to be listed online or in next year’s directory.

It’s official: The residential floor coverings market is in a bit of slump. There is no denying that. But there is also no denying that flooring retailers who understand how to pick up contract work are the ones who best navigate this rocky terrain. Last month, NFT debuted a new column, “Commercial Possibilities,” that addresses this issue. This month, we build on that premise and encourage you to combine two key elements that are (hopefully) fundamental to your business: what you know and who you know.

The days when laminate flooring stood its ground primarily as an economical alternative to hardwood, tile and stone are long gone. Today’s consumer is drawn to this wide-ranging product segment as a stylish and durable option. Often, shoppers are not weighing one laminate product against another as much as they are looking at how the overall category stacks up against other hard surface options. 

Six carpet cleaning solutions and eight extractors recently earned the Carpet and Rug Institute’s Seal of Approval certification. Seal of Approval products meet the highest standards of effectiveness and quality in carpet cleaning, according to CRI. Products must pass a series of stringent tests based on strict criteria in order to receive the certification.

Shaw Learning Academy, the training arm of Shaw Industries, said that flooring professionals who completed the company’s Floor Tech class in the last three years have increased their sales volume by more than 20 percent. The course remains one of Shaw’s most popular offerings, according to the company.

Former Secretary of State Colin Powell gave a rousing keynote address on leadership and how it can be applied to everyday circumstances during Hunter Douglas’s inaugural International Alliance Conference. The July 25-27 event in Denver brought together dealers, fabricators and manufacturing partners, and included presentations on consumer habits, fashion trends and product rollouts.

Selected as a top design by retailers, distributors and others in the flooring industry, Decorative Carpets’ Crackle was recently honored with an NFT Styling Excellence Award. The distinctive rug is made using silk and wool, highlighted by veining patterns similar to those found in natural stone and marble. George Sugarman, owner of the 52-year old Decorative Carpets, said he was going after a subtle tone-on-tone effect with the design.

Woo them. Sell them. Sell them again. Sell to their friends. That, in a nutshell, appears to be the key for floor covering retailers battling through a slump in residential sales. On the heels of a year that is widely described as a high water mark for the industry, retailers say they are becoming more savvy about luring shoppers into their stores and servicing them once they get there. They also make it clear that repeat business and word-of-mouth are the twin engines that power a successful flooring retailer.