The Mohawk ColorCenter Elite showroom

By Liz McKay
Dallas— Mohawk ColorCenter , 33 years old and now approximately 1,800 members strong, each year continues to find something new to add to the industry’s “oldest co-branding program.” This year was no exception as aside from product and programs, Mohawk focused on increasing member profitability at its annual ColorCenter convention.

Utilizing many of the tools unveiled at its Floorscapes convention here in December ( FCNews, Dec. 11/18, 2006), Mohawk applied the same principles to the smaller-scale retail locations that make up the ColorCenter base. The message, however, was the same: “The main purpose of your business is to run it so you are able to sell it at a profit, if you choose,” said Manny Llerena, vice president of retail marketing. “If you can’t do this you don’t own a business; you own a job.”

ColorCenter dealers are usually family run primarily single-store or two-store owners as opposed to the higher-volume Floorscapes retailer that more often than not has multiple locations.

This feel resonated through the convention and into the training seminars and educational workshops. “Dealers can use these classes to get a better understanding of how their businesses operate,” said Llerena. Similar to the Floorscapes convention, the prescheduled classes were designed by Kanter International, Mohawk University and the advisory council. Two seminars were made mandatory for all attendees and involved a hands-on, practical approach to operating, managing and branding a ColorCenter retail location.

“A few of the smaller, independent retailers don’t own a computer or feel like they don’t quite know how to do some of this stuff,” said Joe Herget, senior vice president, strategy, at Kanter International. “We want to say to them, ‘All you need is to buy a piece of software or plug in a few numbers and understand what they mean.’ If they walk away with that, then we accomplished something here.”

The first mandatory workshop, “Building Customers for Life From the Inside Out,” helped dealers look at their businesses through their customers’ eyes. Major focuses included building a brand to differentiate a business, creating consistent messaging and measuring the competition.

Dealers with whom FCNews spoke acknowledged that they could take something home with them. “We learned how to more heavily capitalize on the Mohawk name as a ColorCenter dealer, using storefront windows, etc.,” said Ann Lorenz of Under Your Feet Floorcovering in Ukiah, Calif. “As mom and pop store owners, it is the little things like this that are truly applicable for us. We could actually say, ‘I can do that.’ ”

Others, like Jerry Dillard, owner of J&R Flooring in Farmington, Mich., agreed, saying it’s nice to see what you’re already doing to build good customer relations, but it’s even nicer to see what you’re not doing and take that home with you.

The other mandatory seminar, titled “Make, Measure and Keep More Money from your Retail Flooring Business,” was a quick but comprehensive business management course. Setting goals and developing action plans, understanding financial statements and grasping the importance of benchmarking and breaking even were just a few objectives.

“This class is really about the mechanics of it all,” Herget said. “A huge number of carpet retailers go out of business each year…we don’t want them to be ours.”

ColorCenter dealers were enthusiastic about being able to share their own ideas with peers throughout both seminars. Some voiced the opinion that it was more helpful to discuss matters with others still in the floor covering business rather than a lecturer who used to be in the business.

Advisory board members strongly endorsed the value of the seminars. “The workshops should be a must for every ColorCenter dealer interested in running a business and making a profit,” said Eric Watson, Floors & More, Medford, Ore. “These workshops will improve the way we all run our businesses.”

Subsequent to the convention, a support team from Mohawk will follow up with dealers, ensuring they have implemented changes in their stores based on the information gathered in the workshops.

Rollouts and revamps

With all the new products and programs for 2007 on display, special attention was paid to specific rollouts like the Rooms for Living polyester collection, which combines Mohawk’s enviro-friendly EverStrand and SmartStrand carpet fibers. New displays are available for this boutique that offers products highlighting stain resistance, wearability and comfort.

An expanded ColorCenter laminate line is the newest collection in a series of three. It boasts 18 SKUs, extremely realistic tiles and an embossing method that mimics the surface texture of stone or ceramic.

Dealers were also introduced to new private labels for all 2007 hardwood and laminate displays. Labels and graphics will feature newly designed front and back panels, and will be supported by podium graphics and new positioning in the displays.

Complimenting the new products were some new offerings for ColorCenter dealers. The AdVantage Advertising Center provides dealers with a total advertising resource, allowing them to obtain customized materials for print, television, radio and direct mail promotion along with other less traditional materials like vehicle wraps.

Stepping it up

The most impressive sight on the convention floor was the Mohawk ColorCenter Elite showroom. This program is the ultimate ColorCenter dealer upgrade, and Mohawk said it is ideal for those “who want to significantly enhance their store’s presence in the marketplace.”

“The showroom provides a real profit center for the Elite dealers as it focuses customers on higher-end products,” said Mike Zoellner, Mohawk’s vice president of marketing services. He described how the showroom was designed to help increase sales by responding to purchasing decision trends. “It gives us the chance to ask dealers what they need.”

Always keeping the female consumer in mind, the ColorCenter Elite program provides a planned selling system that offers a comfortable, informative shopping experience. The Elite program takes to heart recent research demonstrating that women are more likely to make a purchase when they are able to educate themselves before speaking with a sales representative. A single visual presence, clear signage and information kiosks are all designed to support this process, presenting ColorCenter Elite dealers with greater opportunity to close sales.

Zoellner also pointed out specific features of the Elite showroom to FCNews. “The FloorCare Essentials system is a tool to help dealers maintain customer relations after the initial purchase.” The floor care system is designed for all hard and soft surfaces in the home. It works on both wet and dry spills, and can be used on other surfaces like countertops, upholstery and grout as well.