Edition #19

I have a few different things I’d like to share with everyone, and the newsletter seems a good place to do it.

Users Conference – We had an incredible Users Conference last May at the Valentin Imperial Resort, near Playa del Carmen, Mexico. Everyone loved the resort, and we enjoyed fantastic and energizing trainings, collaborations, and conversations together.

We streamed the opening session of the Users Conference live on our facebook page. In case you didn’t have a chance to watch it, here are a few segments. They have a lot of good information and updates.

QFloors UC Product Updates Video – https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=Rs6A1HnFwDg

QFloors Customer Support Video – https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=-SiDDDhk4JM

Integrations – At QFloors, we have an open integration policy, which means we will allow any company/software that would like to connect to QFloors to integrate with us. We have existing integrations with many products, and are in the process of adding even more. QFloors is the hub, the engine running your operation. Once you have that running smoothly, you can add on other products as desired, with information shared between them and your QFloors system. This Users Conference clip is specifically talking about integrations and includes a visual that will help you get the idea:

QFloors UC Integrations Video – https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=RsFTTvZP19Y&feature=youtu.be

We do have some companies that have chosen to work on deeper, more seamless, and more extensive integrations with us. For instance, we’re working closely with Roomvo room visualizers and Mobile Marketing digital marketing/website agency for an expansion of the information shared between your website all the way through closing the sale. We’re excited about all of the opportunities this will open up to our customers.

Credit card scams are exploding. We continue to hear sad stories about customers who have been scammed. These criminals are definitely targeting our industry and every single one of our QFloors customers is a potential target. Please be wary of anyone calling in a large cash-n-carry order. Here’s an article that talks more about this scam: /news/credit-card-scam-targets-flooring-dealers.html

Please don’t be their next victim! Remember to pass this important information on to your employees as well.

It’s crazy to see what a difference a year can make. Last year’s economic boom has now turned into a slowdown for a number of businesses this year. Rising interest rates, skyrocketing inflation, and a looming recession have caused many to hesitate on spending discretionary income. And the flooring industry is especially susceptible to lower discretionary spending.

However, as long as you make preparations during these ambiguous times, there’s no need to lose sleep over your business. One of the most important things you can do to prepare for an uncertain future is to “Sharpen the Saw.” Sales may not be coming in as fast as they have been, so you need to fine-tune (or sharpen) the other parts of your business. Improving in just a few small things can result in big dividends, when it comes to running your business in the most profitable and efficient way possible.

What can you do to strengthen and fortify your operation against a recession? I suggest you do two things: 1) Ensure you stay on top of your financial statements, and use them to influence your business decisions; and 2) Automate your operation as much as possible, so that you can run lean and efficiently.

Basically, you want to lower costs so you have more breathing room for the inevitable slower sales.

1. Keep on Top of Your Financial Statements.

I’m an eyewitness and have seen the importance of this firsthand. Years ago, my father owned a number of flooring stores. During the good years, things went well. Sales were consistent and showroom traffic was busy. Having grown up in the business, Dad knew how to sell, how to promote, and how to keep customers happy – what I call the front end of the business (sales). He just struggled with the back end (operations and accounting). When business would slow, this weakness hurt him, until we made some course corrections.

As an accountant, I think of these different segments of a business like the different parts of a Profit & Loss statement. The topline section is all about Sales (Revenue). In a recession, your sales always go down–unless you’re actively taking business (Marketshare) from your competitors–and you don’t have much control over that.

The next section of your P&L are variable costs because they go up and down with sales. They are called Cost of Sales (Cost of Product, Labor, Freight). What happens to these costs when you have inflation (higher Product prices), low labor participation rate (higher Labor costs), and extremely high gas prices (high Freight costs)? These costs are exploding for you, right? Just like sales, you don’t have much control over these costs under current macroeconomic conditions.

The last section of your P&L is the Fixed Expenses. They are fixed because they don’t change much from month to month. These are things like insurance, salaries, rent, and other General and Administrative costs. This is the area where you as an owner have more control. This is where you should start to look for places where you can “Sharpen the Saw.”

While the flush of business during the pandemic helped some business owners get away with just “winging it,” they won’t be as lucky when things slow down. As an owner, you need to be able to make smart decisions, and accurate and up-to-date financial statements will help you do just that.

2. Automate Your Operations As Much As Possible.

When times get lean, you may find that you need to continue to operate your flooring business with fewer resources – human and financial. Implementing time-saving features of software can help you do just that.

How is this possible? Are you fully implementing all of the ways QFloors can help your business? For example, we’ve found that those who implement our software have been able to save significant amounts in accounting fees from your CPA. QFloors produces all the reports you need automatically. You only need your CPA to file the income tax return. In addition, we find most medium to larger businesses who are fully utilizing QFloors save a lot in wages.

During the terrible recession years of 2007-2012, industry reports indicated that between 20-25% of flooring stores went out of business. Yet during that same time frame, only 3% of companies that were actively using QFloors software went out of business. That’s a pretty significant difference. So you should always make sure you are using QFloors to its fullest potential. Use it to run your business tight and (if needed) lean, and use it to produce the financial statements necessary to guide your decision-making.

If you feel like you’re not using QFloors to the fullest, we offer a variety of training options that can help your business utilize QFloors in the most effective and efficient ways for your needs. Just give our support and training dept a call. We’re here to help.

When business is slower, it’s more important than ever to run things efficiently. Sharpening the Saw by cutting unnecessary overhead costs, and striving for operational excellence using good technology tools like QFloors will help your business stay afloat and/or thrive.

Recently at a tradeshow, I was having a conversation with a business owner. It is my job to find out about his business and as our conversation (and happy hour) progressed he casually opened up, admitting to me he had no clue how, nor desire, to grow. He had reached a plateau. Now, I know not everyone has aspirations of a multiple location flooring empire, but in this case I felt like the gentleman had potential to increase his profits dramatically within his current scope. He seemed afraid of what the increased profitability might require and as a defense mechanism, he actually told me he didn’t want to grow.

I asked him what he was doing for marketing and he got a “deer in the headlights” look. BINGO, I immediately guessed what he was afraid of…technology! We have come to an intersection of knowing that website lead generation, SEO, online reviews, social media, etc., are necessary, but most are still not familiar enough with how to navigate these channels successfully.

Virtually all aspects of life, especially communication within society and culture, are changing with advancing technologies. Your business is no exception. Similar to the decision I make as a father of three young children, you can choose to seek shelter from, or accept and control the advantages of technology.

Here are a few ways to increase your flooring sales through technology, without having to “know” technology:

SMS Marketing

The relationships between you and your customers are no different than any other type of relationship; communication is key. Reaching your consumers through text message or SMS marketing is the fastest and most direct business-to-consumer channel out there. The open rates are considerably higher than email and less intrusive than a cold call. You can tailor and schedule your messages by anniversary, birthdays, holidays etc. and automate this process to reach hundreds and even thousands of people in seconds. By staying in front of them, your customers become customers for life. Through QFloors and our partners, you have access to features that will allow you to mass text an introduction and then respond one by one to those who reply, in almost the exact same way you text your friends and family everyday. And should you worry about being intrusive, with a simple response of “stop” your customers can choose to be automatically removed from any future messages.

Social Media

Marketing is all about meeting your customers where they are and inviting them to “follow” you to what they need. It’s very basic. For better or worse, most are on social media. I interact with my grandma, who lives hours away from me, on Facebook more than any other way. Take your message and mission to where the people already are. Now, the most difficult challenge of this is being consistent. I would recommend that if being the face of your company doesn’t come natural, then find a professional to do it. Let someone else do the heavy lifting, bringing people to your doorstep where you can then take over and do what you do best.

Word-of-Mouth

Any skilled craftsman throughout the ages has benefited from word-of-mouth marketing. This may seem like a deviation from my message, but let me explain. Word-of-mouth in today’s world includes the previous points in two ways. First, you should use the same tools to communicate with your referrals as you do your customers. Text them and contact them online efficiently and consistently through professional automated processes. Second, empower your customers by creating and giving links and other content for them to text and post online. Incorporate giveaways and other rewards to incentivize the continued spread of your good reputation.

CRM

Having a hub to organize all the information required in the above steps is another crucial point. I cannot stress it enough. There will be days where people are not kicking down your door to buy your products. Having lists of past opportunities and details make renewed connections possible. A good CRM can not only help you keep up with the day-to-day pre-sale activities, but also help you prepare for any storms coming in future days. A good CRM can fill those rainy less-active days with views of your pipeline. Start with the hottest stages and work backwards to the colder opportunities, and things will never slip between the cracks. You will also gather the details for accountability and reporting. Knowing your ROI on marketing channels, campaigns, human resources, etc. provides clear visibility and will expel fear from decision making and change.

If any of these counsels become time consuming or over-managed, they will break down and fail. Doing them is half the battle, doing them consistently and efficiently requires technology. This is an invitation to do what you already know you need to do, work smarter. You do not need to “KNOW” technology to benefit from all it has to offer. Partners like QFloors will take what we do well, to support what you do well, and your success becomes ours.

Consider all that is done each day on your computer. Now consider all the work each member of your team does in their day-to-day operations? Things just got big, didn’t they, and maybe a little overwhelming. Now that we squeezed that elephant into the room… How would you feel if you couldn’t access the information stored in your QFloors software? Customer Information, Sales History, Orders, Stocked Materials, Payments, even your recorded bills. Here at QFloors, we want to remind you just how important backups are.

I always feel like a broken record when I ask “Are you doing regular data backups?” But this is something I ask every chance I get. I’m always surprised when the response I get is not simply “Yes.”

Please know that I (or anyone on our support team) will HAPPILY take the time to show you how to make a QFloors backup and save it where you can find it. You simply need to reach out.

A common answer to my question about data backups is, “My IT company does that.” Well, I’ve said it before and I’ll say it again. You are only as good as your last backup. How much data do you want to lose? A day? Or a month? All of it?

If you answered that question with “None,” then make sure you have a contingency plan in place for the unexpected. What is your plan, should your system go down? How will you run your business while you are down? How long will it take to get back up and running? Your backups impact that. If you have a third-party IT company in charge of making your data backups, you still need to test them regularly.

Disconnected backups are done daily for QCloud customers, but those who host their own data need to make sure backups are happening. Don’t just rely on your IT or tech company to do the backups for you. It’s great to use their service but as an extra layer of protection, you should test the backup. You can also do a backup yourself and we will test it for you. Please be aware that we would highly recommend when doing your QFloors data backups that they are being stored and/or moved somewhere off of your computer.

QFloors is a software program installed on a computer. If something happens to your computer, like a virus, ransomware attack, water damage, fire, etc., then you need to recover your data via your last backup. If your backup is very old or not done correctly, you may lose quite a bit of data. If you do not have a backup, or if you only keep it on your computer, then you risk losing all of your data and will have to start over from scratch.

We have written many Knowlege Base articles and even created webinars going over backups and setting up your automated data backup software. To access these resources, log in to the QFloors Support site, and visit the Knowledge Base page. Under the top left search bar, type in the keyword “backups” and click the “Search” button.

Read over this Knowledge Base article on our Support site and come up with your own contingency plan: Creating a Contingency Plan for Technology Outages. Whether you host your own server computer or use a third-party tech company like QCloud, you can make sure you are covered by making your own data backups.

Once your backups are in place, we recommend having a “fire drill” where you test them to make sure they are set up correctly. In this crazy, unpredictable world, sometimes despite our best efforts, technology fails us. These simple things can help keep your company up and running in the event of a technology outage.

In the event of a QCloud outage, we will send email updates as well as post on our Facebook group page. Make sure you know who in your company receives our email updates, and that they check their emails regularly. If your QCloud is down, check our Facebook group page for updates, and follow any instructions given there. If it is our QCloud we will have all hands on deck, getting all of our customers back up and running as soon as possible.

Your contingency plan needs to be in place and understood before any type of outage happens. Having data backups and a contingency plan will save you, should the unexpected happen. And we all know, life is unpredictable. So next time I ask, “Are you doing regular data backups?” please know that I truly have your best interests at heart.

A QFloors user can get supplier information instantly without making a phone call or going to an external website, through fcB2B Web Services. The types of information currently instantly available (accessible 24/7) through Web Services are: Inventory Levels and Related Items (which are accessories specifically attached to a product like glues, trim pieces etc.). In QFloors, we can check inventory by using Check Vendor Stock, which allows the user to ask if there is enough inventory to cover a job.

Web Service features include:

• Stock Check
• Related Items
• Order Status
• Price Check
• Stock Check with Quantity

Additional information can be found on the website fcB2B.info. We’re an active member of this organization.

At times we come across customers who are not aware of Web Services and how it could be a benefit to them. It’s possible that vendors you currently work with have credentials already set up to use their Web Services. To get started with Web Services, simply contact your fcB2B supplier and tell them that you would like to open a web service account. At QFloors, we have online documentation, training videos and support resources that can assist you in getting better acquainted with this feature. You can find all of it here: Web Service Setup Training

Suppliers that are currently supporting at least some portion of web services are the following: Shaw, Engineered Floors, Mohawk, Adleta, BPI, Buckwold Western, Herregan, Jaeckle, JJ Haines, Louisville Tile, Ohio Valley Flooring. WCTingle Flooring, Elias Wilf Corporation, Virginia Tile and William M. Bird, with many more suppliers preparing to launch. These suppliers can be found here: B2B Table

Taking advantage of Web Services can help save time, lower stress and boost profits. Let us know if we can help you get started!

Some of you know this, and most of you don’t. In December 2020, Chad, our daughter, and I were all hit with Covid. As is typical with this bizarre and shape-shifting disease, we reacted to Covid differently. Our daughter felt better within 24 hours. Chad felt better within 10-14 days. And I inexplicably became a Covid Long-Hauler, despite no prior health issues.

Without boring you with a lengthy list of my whac-a-mole symptoms, I’ll summarize by saying that the past 19 months have brought challenges and growth. The great news is that over just the past 3-4 months, my oxygen levels and overall health have improved. But I’m still not at my pre-Covid state. Because of this, I decided recently to start working part-time in order to prioritize health a bit more.

The beautiful silver lining to that is that we have added several talented and bright people to our Marketing & Communications team, and it is better than ever. For a long time, I was a department of one. Last year, there were 2 of us. Now we have 4 employees (or 3.5, once I start to work part-time).

Aerin Ogden is the new Marketing Director. You probably recognize the name. We luckily didn’t need to look very far to find the best candidate. We needed someone who understood not only traditional marketing and advertising methods, but also digital marketing, google rankings, SEO, website optimization and auditing, social media marketing, video editing, google analytics, and graphic design. We also needed someone familiar with the flooring industry. Finally, we needed someone who understood clearly who QFloors is as a company, with the skills to represent that brand accurately to the world.

Aerin brings all of that and more. Aerin graduated with a B.S. degree in Communications (Advertising) and a Design minor. She previously worked for a digital marketing agency, helping clients such as Budget and Avis Rental Cars with their website optimization. As our daughter, Aerin has spent most of her lifetime around flooring and QFloors. Her schooling and career have helped her develop amazing skills in both digital and traditional marketing. She started working for the QFloors marketing department in Dec 2020, and took on the responsibilities as Marketing Director in May 2022. We’re glad we were able to recruit her “home”, after years of trying.

Kristian Workinger is our UX programmer intern, and helps with the QFloors and QPro websites. He gained a certificate in Full Stack Web Development from Dev Mountain, and brings a lot of enthusiasm and energy to our team. He was a math teacher before studying computer programming. He has worked closely with Ryan Cluff , another QFloors programmer, to assist us in updating and maintaining our websites. Kristian loves the outdoors, working out, and country swing dance, and is originally from the San Diego area.

Tyler Burgener recently joined QFloors as the advertising and marketing campaign manager. He will be helping with social media marketing, email communications, and advertising. Tyler is currently getting a Masters in Professional Communications from Weber State University, and previously graduated with a Bachelor’s degree in Communications and Public Relations. Tyler enjoys the outdoors, and spending time with his wife and young daughter. He is a huge Utah Jazz fan as well. Tyler is fairly new, but is coming up to speed quickly. We already recognize his dependability, good work ethic, and positivity.

I (Chris) will continue helping out as well, albeit part time. It is fantastic to be working with such a great team. I realize that most of our customers’ interactions are with our sales or support teams, so I wanted to introduce our Marketing Team to you all, so you could put the names to the faces.