This information is essential to the very existence of your business and because it is, I am going to be very forceful in my presentation. A growing trend is developing in this industry and others which seems to view the female customer as a subspecies to the human race. This is a dangerous belief on the part of the male-dominated industries, such as floor covering. The products you make and sell are primarily purchased by women who account for upwards of 95% of the retail purchases and, who, believe it or not, influence the majority of contract purchases. Somehow the importance of this has failed to impress you.

The female consumer is not an idiot. She is most often educated, financially sound and independent, knowledgeable about the products she is considering purchasing and, in many cases, more qualified to understand the mechanical aspects of construction issues than a man. She has a great deal of common sense, tremendous intuition and "gut" instincts, and knows when she's being lied to. If you're with a woman, gentlemen readers, you know what this last statement means. The female consumer is very often not shopping for price. She knows what she wants and is willing to pay for it. She's used to shopping for quality merchandise, whether it's cosmetics or clothing. If she's looking for a deal, she'll shop at a bargain store. If she's shopping for a high quality product, she'll shop a store which offers professional service at a fair price.

Most consumers know little about floor covering, especially carpet. They, sometimes wrongly trust the dealer to guide them to the right product. If the product fails to perform, or the dealer is perceived to have lied or covered up for some mistake, such as installation problems, and doesn't own up to the problem, he'll pay a dear price. Remember this, if you haven't already heard it before, "Hell hath no fury like a woman scorned."

CASE FILES

Let me share some recent, actual cases with you. A mature woman bought carpet from a small dealer/installer. After a couple years, she felt the product was not performing. Earlier, she noticed lines in it and now it has a seam delaminating and yarn sprouting all over. The yarn sprouts and lines, actually gauge lines, are manufacturing defects. The delamination at the seam is the result of it not having been sealed. The home is immaculate, yet the dealer insults her by alluding she is not taking care of the carpet. She swears she will never do business with a small independent floor covering dealer again. Hello big box, big chain guys.

A young, single, professional woman purchased an off-white berber from Home Depot. She noticed dark spots and lines at the time of installation and told the installers, who scared her with their attitudes and appearance. They told her the lines were from the broadloom being rolled up. After they leave, she gets a call from the installation house about the dark spots the installers told her were from roll crush. They weren't. She feels they lied to her. Attempts to clean fail. The service rep, a woman from Home Depot, calls an average of every three days to let her know what's going on. The manufacturer responds within five days.

Things are moving at light speed, but she has a bad taste because she feels she was lied to by the installers. She didn't buy for price, but because this was the product she wanted. However, she is pleased with the excellent female customer service rep who has made this mild fiasco manageable.

The female consumer feels she is being intimidated, lied to, spoken to in a condescending manner, treated like she is an idiot and even scared by the people she has to deal with when she has a complaint or concern. And, if you push them, they will fight you just for principle. We all complain about people who sue, but this is one of the reasons it happens. You people need to wake up.

The way you market and sell is foolish. You don't understand your market or your customer. You want a formula for success? Have the cleanest, most woman-appealing facility on Earth, staffed by women. Advertise how you cater to the female buyer and never mention price. And, after you've done this, deliver far beyond their expectations. You people aren't doing this; most of you haven't got a clue. Ladies who may be reading this, opportunity awaits you. Men who can't deal with this, look for work somewhere else and heed the warning of the female consumer. She is for real and she controls most of the money.