DALTON—When it comes to putting together a national sale a company needs to come up with an offer that will excite people enough to leave their home and purchase the product or service. One of the best ways to help ensure this is to go directly to the source and find out what it wants. And that’s how Mohawk Industries came up with its biggest national sale of the year.

The Mohawk Anniversary Sale runs through Nov. 15 at participating Mohawk Aligned Dealerships—Floorscapes, ColorCenter Elite and ColorCenter Select— with offers created from consumer research that investigated what appeals to end users in an ultra-competitive marketplace— and what ultimately makes them buy, noted Manny Llerena, vice president of retail marketing.

“With this year’s Anniversary Sale,” he said, “Mohawk is giving your customers what they are looking for—great value and the incentives they need to buy today.”

Llerena explained, the sale centers around rebates for the mill’s SmartStrand with DuPont Sorona carpet and Mohawk branded laminate, and couples it with “a strong consumer finance offer, national advertising and an Internet coupon for free merchandise.

By focusing on one soft surface and one hard surface product, he said the sale message is more targeted. “SmartStrand is a very strong product for many of our dealers, and we wanted to give them extra momentum with the rebate. Mohawk laminates have new features—Scratch-Guard protection and GenuEdge Technology, for example—which offer a value advantage in the marketplace.”

Details of the promotion include rebates of up to $300 on SmartStrand purchases and up to $150 on Mohawk laminates. In addition to special pricing on some Sorona and laminate styles, discounts are also being placed on select Mohawk branded hardwood and ceramic products.

Consumers also have the opportunity to download a coupon for a free Mohawk FloorCare Essentials Kit with the purchase of a carpet or hard surface product.

Retail salespeople will have extra incentive to sell Mohawk products during the promotion as the Mohawk Infinite Rewards program is offering added bonuses. Check with your Mohawk sales rep for details.

Mohawk is supporting the Anniversary Sale with a three-pronged national advertising campaign that includes TV spots on such channels as HGTV, DIY, A&E, Fine Living, Planet Green and TLC; ads in consumer magazines like Traditional Home, Country Living, Fabulous Floors and House Beautiful, and “never go dark” online banner ads on consumer websites, including Homeportfolio.com, HGTV.com, DIYNetwork.com, FineLiving.com and RealSimple.com.

Llerena said dealers can get in on the action with the comprehensive kit Mohawk developed featuring ad materials including TV, direct mail, print and radio that can be customized for local use. In addition, “festive” point-of-purchase materials have been created so dealers can build their own in-store promotions around the sale.

As an added incentive to get retailers in the spirit of creatively using the P-O-P materials, Mohawk is holding a contest for the most innovative and original dealer events tied to the sale. For a little spice the kits feature a different theme for each aligned group. For example, a fall carnival is a central graphic for Floorscapes, while a hot air balloon festival is the centerpiece for ColorCenter.

From these “bases,” he said dealers can do in-store activities such as popcorn machines, face painting, balloon artists, and “other inexpensive, fun ways to build traffic. Dealers are encouraged to send in photos and information about their local and in-store promotions. The store judged to have the best local promotion will win a customized television commercial or a gift certificate to Mohawk Marketplace.”

Because the Mohawk Anniversary Sale has traditionally been one of the biggest annual events for retailers, Llerena expects the competition to be tough. “Many say this is their most effective selling period of the year. This year, we’ve giving them even more tools to make this sale a resounding success.”

For more information on the sale, visit mohawktoday.com.