Dave Stafford is a flooring industry veteran and former executive vice president of Commercial Carpets of America (CCA), a major independent flooring dealer and contractor in northern Virginia. Dave has served as vice chairman of the Floor Covering Contractors Association (FCICA) and is an Honorary Lifetime Member. He provides selective consulting services on business management and government contracts within the industry. He may be reached at dave@dsainfo.com.
If you’re familiar with firearms, you know that, while caliber is important, it’s the type and construction of the bullet that is key to success. Just as a hollow-point bullet won’t penetrate an engine block, buckshot is unlikely to be effective when dove hunting.
An astute businessman always looks ahead, and as Labor Day has just come and gone, and the kids are back to school, you may have had the thought that, “Maybe I should be doing some school business.” And the fall is a great time to make plans for this type of business.
Following a recent seminar, a dealer approached me to ask for my thoughts on why he’d been unsuccessful going after some commercial business. “I’ll bet I’ve priced over 20 projects, and I have yet to get one of them,” he said.
If you're in the flooring business as a dealer or contractor, then "open, empty, clean, no take-up" is what you hope to see. Usually, though, what you find is furniture. Lots of furniture.
