Matthew Spieler

An interesting thing happened to me while attending the recent QFloors Users Conference. It was a realization that in order to get the masses moving toward a particular goal, even if it has been proven the end result will be beneficial, some form of tangible motivation must be included.

Take the use of the industry’s business-to-business (B2B) standard. While more and more retailers are using the industry protocol every day, there are still a great many who have either never tried it or used it once and never again.

When the industry’s largest manufacturers and distributors and virtually all software providers can accept at least some form of B2B transaction, suppliers are questioning why these services are not being fully utilized.

This concern is understandable considering the numerous time and money saving advantages B2B brings to the table. It has been shown how B2B, even in the simplest of forms, can save a dealer days, even weeks worth of valuable labor over the course of a year—labor with skills that many have discovered could be put to better use than phoning in orders. Think of the time savings to place a typical 15-line item tile order: over the phone it can take on average 30 minutes yet only 15 to 30 seconds via B2B.

So why are more businesses not taking advantage of this service?

Chad Ogden, CEO of QFloors, asked this very question during a roundtable discussion with users. This is where I became enlightened.

I don’t want to characterize most of the answers/reasons as excuses because the people giving them were genuinely concerned, but most were easily put to rest by Ogden and the rest of the QFloors team. Issues/fears dealing with product catalogs and constant price changes and increases were the main factors cited. The next biggest dealt with tradition and/or comfort level in that they are already calling in orders to companies not B2B capable, “so we might as well just call it in to Shaw or Mohawk.”

Ogden noted retailers have always had to deal with the first two reasons, so cleaning up your electronic catalog is no different than making notes and crossing things out in a printed one. But how does the industry get over the comfort level? When asked if there was some sort of incentive or motivation tied to using B2B over the phone, everyone in attendance raised his or her hand in favor.

I’m not suggesting the industry punish those who call in their orders—similar to airlines charging a $10 fee for buying a ticket over the phone—nor am I advocating a discount be given on orders placed online. Mills already have a hard enough time trying to pass along price increases, and there is a built-in discount when B2B is used.

What I am saying is the industry can come up with creative ways to “encourage” more businesses to use B2B. Start with the product catalog. In today’s environmentally conscious world and with manufacturers promoting their green initiatives, one could make a case how using an electronic catalog is not only better for the planet but the wallet as well. Just think of the number of trees and amount of energy saved in printing alone, then throw in the cost and environmental impact of delivering these bulky volumes. A person familiar with the process can argue how this should help a project accumulate those all-important LEED points.

So how’s this for an incentive? Those who request electronic versions of a product catalog receive it free, while those who want it printed and mailed to them will be charged. Even if it is the break-even price to produce the catalog, when given a choice most will opt for the free version.

This is just one idea to encourage B2B usage. I’m sure the marketing gurus can come up with others. If you need help, give us a call and we can offer some more tidbits.

We have to remember B2B is still a relatively new way of thinking for the industry and sometimes its takes a little encouragement to get people to gravitate toward new concepts. I remember a few years ago when people were saying glueless locking systems would not work. Not only are they now offered by every laminate manufacturer, but they are also being incorporated into wood floors as well.