Showrooms: Beyond Sample Boards

It may sound like small potatoes to some, but Wright – who has stepped back from doing work for the big-box stores – says he prefers to sell direct, even one kitchen at a time.

“I feel I have more control of my marketing and my destiny by selling direct,” he says.

SPECIAL DELIVERY

Click to enlargeSPENCER, Ind. – Quality Surfaces Inc. will celebrate its 20th anniversary next month, and company president Michael Job has seen plenty of changes to his business model during that time .. and he’s literally kept rolling along.

A couple years ago, Job became concerned that a particular segment of the market wasn’t being served, and he decided to do something about it.

“It seemed with countertop replacements, the need really wasn’t being met,” he says. “A lot of our customers are kitchen-and-bath dealers, and they cater to the people who want their entire kitchens redone, including cabinets. Just doing countertop replacements isn’t something they find particularly interesting, or profitable.”

Job admits he was also interested in increasing his retail sales. However, that’s easier said than done, particularly in a marketplace such as his. Although Spencer is about a dozen miles west of Bloomington, Quality Surfaces is located outside of Spencer, an area he describes as “very rural.”

While people are increasingly shopping for products without actually seeing them, Job also felt his company’s website wasn’t the entire answer.

“I thought, rather than having people come to the store, why not take the store to them?” he says. 

The result is a van fitted out as a mobile showroom, complete with slab samples and mini-displays of sinks and faucets.

“Probably the best part is that we carry larger samples and they’re all removable,” Job explains. “We can take them out and take them into the customer’s home where they can see them right in the environment in which they’re going to be installed, and how a particular color looks with the colors in their home.”

Would-be customers can either call or go online to request a visit from the mobile showroom, which is manned by one of Quality Surfaces’ salespeople. Visits are scheduled at the homeowner’s convenience, free of charge.

“Customers can now browse through our products on their schedule, which is great for people who work nine-to-five,” he says. “And, what’s really nice is they don’t have to load up all the kids and bring them to our showroom, or find a sitter.”