Based on the turnout at TISE, Coverings and the other industry events so far this year I’d say training is more popular than ever.

Flooring professionals from all levels of the industry came together at the Waldorf Astoria in New York for a black tie event to help raise funds and awareness for the Floor Covering Industry Foundation (FCIF).

Despite all that has happened with the economy over the last eight or so years one thing has continued to remain: The desire by consumers to purchase items on credit—especially when it comes to large ticket items such as flooring.

If your customers buy two rooms from you, can you provide flooring for the rest of the house free and make a profit?

Throughout my career as a retail sales advisor, manufacturer representative, and educational writer for the flooring industry, I’ve worked hard not to use negatives about my competition to influence a purchase in my direction.

The buying groups, marketing groups or whatever they’re called these days in the floor covering industry have been an extremely valuable adjunct to the business.

INSTALL (International Standards and Training Alliance) issued what it called a “call to arms” to contractor members at its three-day 2015 Floorcovering Leadership Conference, which carried the theme of “The Future in Flooring” at the United Brotherhood of Carpenters (UBC) International Training Center in Las Vegas.

A record 170 attendees visited San Diego for the FCICA 2015 Annual Meeting, “Riding the Wave of Success.”

The following is part of a continuing series of retailer and contractor forums Floor Trends is doing over the course of the year.

Nowadays, with a fluctuating economy, businesses are becoming more open to the idea of expanding to include Main Street sales.