A s I visit with flooring dealers around the country, I often hear the lament “Our business isn’t what it used to be.” In today’s economic climate, this statement is often 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 as we take care of them. Each spring we anticipate cleaning up the landscape and rejuvenating the lawn. We open the windows and give the house a thorough cleaning. We service the air conditioner and tune up the mower to make sure that they will service us well for another season. Do we not value our livelihoods at least as much as our lawns? Then maybe we should consider giving our businesses a spring tune up, as well. 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 not running at full speed right now, this may be an excellent time for a tune-up. What needs fixing in your business? Do you have policies or procedures that once worked well but 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. It may FIX WHAT NEEDS FIXING!
TOM’S Tips
Tom Jennings Retail Training Expert A lifelong flooring industry member, sold his family’s retail business in 2006 and now serves as an educator and speaker. A past WFCA board chairman, he is currently chairman of WFCA Services, Inc. tomg.jennings@gmail.com
“ The price
of ignoring problem areas of a business is usually far greater than the cost of repair.”
10 Premier Flooring Retailer D2 | 2025
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