Anaheim, Calif.—With more than 700 of its Color-Center dealers in attendance, Mohawk Industries threw the type of convention most attendees will remember and benefit from for a lifetime. From an assortment of new and proprietary products and profit-building accessories to an extensive educational offering of nearly 30 courses through Mohawk University and three days of numerous fun-filled networking opportunities topped off by a concert from one of rock ‘n’ roll’s defining bands, Three Dog Night, this year’s annual convention, Focus 2002: The Vision is Clear, had something for everyone. “Mohawk executives as well as every employee are fully committed to the Color-Center program,” said Manny Llerena, the mill’s vice president of retail marketing. “We want to make each member among the most profitable dealers in America.” Mark Olson, the manufacturer’s director of retail marketing, added, “Color-Center has been an important part of Mohawk’s business strategy for the past 30 years, and this year is no exception.

If anything, our ColorCenter members are increasingly becoming more of a force in the marketplace and it is our responsibility to make sure they have the necessary tools and products to continue their success.” He noted how Mohawk has made a huge investment in addressing issues brought up at last year’s convention, which, for the first time, brought together the entire membership at one meeting. (Previously, the company had held East Coast and West Coast conventions.) And, “the members are seeing and utilizing the benefits. They are understanding the value of what we are offering them, which is a variety of business tools—from products to back office assistance to merchandising to a full-blown national marketing program that can be tied in at the local level. “They see that everything we are doing is geared to the consumer, in terms of making the shopping experience easier and friendlier to building a brand image she can trust,” Olson continued. “This alone justifies their investment in the Color-Center program.”

The concept is catching on, he added. A simple comparison from last year shows the membership is not only selling more Mohawk products in their stores, especially on the hard surface side, it is leveraging the breadth of offerings being made available to them. From updated indoor and outdoor signs and graphics that link dealers with a national name to in-house office assistance such as insurance, credit card programs, numerous co-op offerings and many more, “the members are recognizing the benefits and understanding they don’t require them to change who they are. “That’s the beauty of ColorCenter,” Olson noted, “while the program can be put in as a full-store concept, it is still a boutique; a store-in-store initiative.”

As an example of how Color-Center is evolving into a total floor covering resource to meet every consumer need, the membership now has its disposal a complete hard surface program including a variety of proprietary products. This is being done because “today’s consumer wants a store to satisfy her multiple floor covering options,” he explained. Part of meeting the consumer’s needs goes beyond the selling of floor covering. It has to do with keeping her business by having her frequent your store on a regular basis. To help accomplish that, Mohawk launched the Floor Care Essentials total maintenance system. This Mohawk exclusive combines two aspects to maintaining soft and hard surface flooring: constant care and everyday cleaners. The constant care part of the program features a set of vacuums and deep cleaners from Bissell, including the ProHeat ProTech Up-right Deep Cleaner with Scotchgard carpet and upholstery protection ( FCNews, Sept. 3/10).

A Bissell spokesman told the membership his company and brand “are the hottest they have ever been in our 125-year history, so this is the perfect time to tap into our partnership with Mohawk as we expand our offerings to the specialty floor covering retailer.” The everyday portion of the system is what will help set dealers apart from their competition. “This system is the result of all the wrong things we do cleaning floors,” said Brian Warren of Floor Care Essentials. The patent pending formulas—one each for soft surfaces, hard surfaces and eliminating odors—not only work “better than any product available on the market today,” they are 100% safe, meaning non-toxic, biode-gradable, harmless to humans, pets and plants, and leaves no residue. “You can use this on anything you can put water on. “It’s been tested 16 ways till Sunday,” he noted, “including nationwide focus groups on everything associated with the system, from bottle color to signage. We also tested it in 100 stores and it not only sold, there has not been a single complaint.

And, each item in the system has at least a 50% margin at retail, so it has the potential to not only drive more business, but be a big profit center for your store.” To help drive traffic into dealer showrooms, the mill has committed to building a national Mohawk brand. This year alone, the company’s shelter and television campaign is expected to make two billion impressions. Included in the campaign is the second edition of “Old Friends, New Neighbors.” This consumer-oriented magazine produced in conjunction with “Woman’s Day” is sent to the publication’s 2.4 million readers and is designed to educate and give ideas about home decorating via Mohawk products. In addition, through dealer support, from signage to local advertising that ties into the national campaign, the Mohawk name can be a marketing advantage in this age of brand recognition. “Since 9/11, brands have become more important than ever,” said Sonna Calandrino, marketing and training consultant to Mohawk. “And, together, we can make Mohawk the name she comes to know and trust when it comes to flooring her home.”

Tony Ausilio, CarpetsPlus of America’s Retailer of the Year, noted he utilizes the Color-Center program and has found it to be beneficial. “It works really well; it’s a good program, especially now with the hard surfaces Mohawk is offering. It has really come to the table in this area and is quickly becoming a factor.” As for the convention, he said, “it is very impressive with how it’s set up, especially with regard to having the other vendors here besides Mohawk. It’s good for me because I normally do not have a chance to see these companies firsthand. Also, the list of seminars being offered is very comprehensive.” Jeff Lorberbaum, Mohawk’s president and CEO, summed things up: “Our goal is to be more than just a flooring company. We want to enhance the retailer’s business because if he is successful, then we are successful. That’s why we offer and encourage them to take advantage of the many things to improve their businesses beyond product, including ads, credit, insurance, merchandising—it’s all for their benefit.” He challenged each member to write down some of the things they learned and will use to help them change. Then, keep looking at it for the next 30 to 60 days so it will not be forgotten, because “over the next 12 months they will make a difference. We’re here to make a profit, not just sell floor covering.” —Matthew Spieler