Article Number: 4600
Armstrong sees ‘Sunshine’ in winners
Florida seems to be a hotbed for “What’s the Big Deal?” winners. During last year’s promotion, which ran from August through November, many of the $1,000 monthly winners came from the Sunshine State. And that trend is only continuing this spring. Two of the three April winners call Florida home, something that was repeated in May.
The most recent “What’s the Big Deal?” winners announced last week are Jenny Pham and Dean Webb of Florida and Josh Richards of Kentucky. So, what’s going on in Florida?
According to Paul Murrfin, vice president of sales and distribution, there is nothing particular about Florida compared to other markets. “All I can say is we have had a lot of success with some of the bigger dealers in Florida getting them to support us. What it comes down to in that market is there are some companies that have drunk the Kool-Aid and they like it. But it’s not just Florida where we are seeing this happen. More and more people are finding the value we bring. They like the quality of the product, they like the merchandising, and they like the new things we have come out with. A lot of companies have bought into that, and they are seeing the results.”
Murfin added that at the end of the day, it comes down to the Armstrong story: “The No. 1 brand in the industry that drives more consumers into retail stores than any other manufacturer—consumers that are predisposed to buying an Armstrong floor. “And when they get in the store they see all the new products, supported by some of the best merchandising and sales tools in the industry, creating the easiest sale the salesperson should ever have to make. Then, we reward them for doing it.”
Mike Nguyen, owner of Omega Kitchen and Bath Flooring, where one winning “What’s the Big Deal?” participant is employed, is an example of what Murfin described. “I know we’re a top seller of Armstrong. The products are unbelievable, the warranty is unbelievable and I’ve never had a negative issue with Armstrong. They don’t even need the contest to promote sales. Their products sell themselves. The advantage of the contest is to give salespeople more motivation.”
And that motivation seems to be working. There is indication that the promotion is influencing sales activity. Murfin noted that the company is seeing activity around just about every product included in the promotion. “We are particularly seeing an uptick in StrataMax sales, probably because we have new designs, more samples and there has been more exposure than in the past.”
The promotion has also produced more participants than last year. “We’ve been very happy with the way the contest has been going,” Murfin said. “We have 1,500 more people than last year, and that number exceeded our expectations.”
The most recent “What’s the Big Deal?” winners announced last week are Jenny Pham and Dean Webb of Florida and Josh Richards of Kentucky. So, what’s going on in Florida?
According to Paul Murrfin, vice president of sales and distribution, there is nothing particular about Florida compared to other markets. “All I can say is we have had a lot of success with some of the bigger dealers in Florida getting them to support us. What it comes down to in that market is there are some companies that have drunk the Kool-Aid and they like it. But it’s not just Florida where we are seeing this happen. More and more people are finding the value we bring. They like the quality of the product, they like the merchandising, and they like the new things we have come out with. A lot of companies have bought into that, and they are seeing the results.”
Murfin added that at the end of the day, it comes down to the Armstrong story: “The No. 1 brand in the industry that drives more consumers into retail stores than any other manufacturer—consumers that are predisposed to buying an Armstrong floor. “And when they get in the store they see all the new products, supported by some of the best merchandising and sales tools in the industry, creating the easiest sale the salesperson should ever have to make. Then, we reward them for doing it.”
Mike Nguyen, owner of Omega Kitchen and Bath Flooring, where one winning “What’s the Big Deal?” participant is employed, is an example of what Murfin described. “I know we’re a top seller of Armstrong. The products are unbelievable, the warranty is unbelievable and I’ve never had a negative issue with Armstrong. They don’t even need the contest to promote sales. Their products sell themselves. The advantage of the contest is to give salespeople more motivation.”
And that motivation seems to be working. There is indication that the promotion is influencing sales activity. Murfin noted that the company is seeing activity around just about every product included in the promotion. “We are particularly seeing an uptick in StrataMax sales, probably because we have new designs, more samples and there has been more exposure than in the past.”
The promotion has also produced more participants than last year. “We’ve been very happy with the way the contest has been going,” Murfin said. “We have 1,500 more people than last year, and that number exceeded our expectations.”
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