Showrooms: Beyond Sample Boards
Along with providing the samples, the salesperson can also give an estimate. And, since the company also does tear-outs, it really provides a one-stop shopping experience for people thinking about upgrading their countertops – although people expect to visit the main showroom and yard to pick out their slabs.
“Our turnaround time is usually five to seven working days from the time we measure to the time we install,” Job says. “That makes it real quick. Within two weeks they’ll have their countertops and be done.”
Click to enlargeWhile Job says buying and outfitting the mobile showroom took more time and money than he expected, the response has been worth it. The van became a hit at home shows, and it doubles as a mobile billboard when it’s on the road or visiting a client. A full-color vinyl wrap on the exterior also helps attract attention.
As Job says, people notice it when it’s parked at their neighbors’ house.
“They’re going to think, ‘They must be getting new countertops,’” Job concludes. “You know the best advertisement is usually word-of-mouth, and the neighbor is going to be able to say, ‘We had Quality Surfaces come out and they brought this mobile showroom and brought samples into the house and gave us a quote right there, and we never had to leave.’
“It’s worked out quite well.”
Editor’s note: Michael Job passed away in December 2011 following a road accident in Mexico.
HOME IS WHERE THE STONE IS
VIRGINIA BEACH, Va. – When the owners of Suffolk, Va.-based Trindco recognized they had an underserved market less than an hour away, they decided to hit the beach – literally.
And, while their first idea of remodeling a beach cottage didn’t quite come off, the old house they renovated in Virginia Beach is proving to be an attractive second showroom for the fabrication company.
Hunter Adams, Trindco co-president, says Suffolk is a great location for a fabrication facility, but not enough Virginia Beach homeowners were finding the company.
Enter the idea of a second showroom.
“Both of us agreed we didn’t want to go into a strip mall or traditional retail space,” says Adams. “We both live in Virginia Beach. and thought it would be neat to have a beach cottage as a showroom. We could build the kitchen as a kitchen vignette and the bathroom as the bathroom vignette and have some other neat displays.”
They were outbid on their effort at buying a beachfront property. However, the partners then identified a 1926 home on a prime corner about five blocks from the beach.