From industry-leading styling and design to top-notch service and unsurpassed quality, at Mannington the difference is always in the detail. Over the past several years, the company has received more than 100 industry awards in flooring, including more than 20 for hardwood alone.

When asked what sets it apart, Kim Holm, president of Residential Business, says, “Details. We pay attention to the details, we believe that we should ‘sweat the small stuff’, and we recognize that’s what makes us different from everyone else.”

To illustrate that point from a product perspective, Mannington invests in high-quality veneers for its engineered hardwood floors. These veneers offer a more consistent visual as opposed to other manufacturers’ products that may use less expensive veneers.

The company has invested a significant amount of capital in its hardwood manufacturing operations over the past three years to help bring increased capacity and capability to those facilities. In addition, Mannington has world-class research and development operations, which it sees as “a key to our company’s history and its future,” according to Holm. Mannington associates hold patents for more than 35 innovations, including that for the dispersal of aluminum oxide in a coating—the company’s Scratchresist finish, which is one of the most durable in the industry.

Attention to detail goes beyond the technical and into what’s important to the consumer: style. The majority of the purchasing decision is based on how the product looks, which is where that “difference in the detail” theme plays out best.

To illustrate the point, Mannington’s new hardwood product called Inverness replicates the look of an old, time-worn floor. The key to the success of that product was combining the hand-planed and painted looks of the past with the state-of-the-art finishing of today. Through precise attention to detail, those two things were brought together to create a floor that has it all: character, beauty and superior durability.

Style and quality are the cornerstones of any successful product, but the real differences come in the form of details. And that’s true of the salesperson as well. Sweat the small stuff, pay attention to the details and watch the business thrive.