Solve the Quantifying Problem

Quantifying is an accepted cost of doing business in the flooring industry. Except we don’t know what that cost is, and the quantifying process frequently lets us down; projects are quantified under pressure, leading to errors, and are often not quantified because we don’t have the time or resources and miss opportunities as a result.

“… for every $100k we spend on salespeople or project managers, $20-50k of that investment is spent on quantifying. This is a tap we can’t turn off when business slows, and we can’t open further when it ticks up.”

Let’s talk first about cost. It’s generally accepted that quantifying takes up 20-50% of a salesperson’s time, 20% in residential and 50%+ for commercial project managers.

We can safely assume that for every $100k we spend on salespeople or project managers, $20-50k of that investment is spent on quantifying. This is a tap we can’t turn off when business slows, and we can’t open further when it ticks up.

“Most flooring retailers see the cost of quantifying as baked into their business. However, the challenges your salespeople face in quantifying plans are also baked in.”

Most flooring retailers see the cost of quantifying as baked into their business. However, the challenges your salespeople face in quantifying plans are also baked in. Residential salespeople still have to answer the phones and work with clients who enter the store, while project managers have projects to manage. Their quantifying is compromised, and their capacity is limited, meaning that errors can occur and opportunities are missed.

It’s also worth noting that quantifying is an area of high risk. Training a new hire to quantify flooring is time-consuming and prone to error. Even employing a person with experience in the industry is no guarantee you are employing an expert quantifier. Getting quantities wrong can lead to us missing out on sales or, worse, winning projects that cost us because of errors.

“For example, Sam Colthurst of Colthurst Flooring said that QuantiSafe has been “nothing short of transformative” and has enabled him to “grow his business significantly”.”

As business owners, we always look for the “big thing” that will transform our business. As I have written in previous articles, however, the things that will transform our business are not necessarily new and shiny. They tend to be relatively mundane things that we do daily, but when done better, they significantly improve our business. Quantifying is one such thing.

When I was in retail, outsourcing quantifying was not a viable proposition. Today, with technological advances, quantifying providers like QuantiSafe can harness and oversee the skills of off-shore experts to which we wouldn’t otherwise have access.

“…the things that will transform our business are not necessarily new and shiny. They tend to be relatively mundane things that we do daily, but when done better, they significantly improve our business.”

Flooring operators in New Zealand and Australia are taking advantage of having access to QuantiSafe and transforming their business. For example, Sam Colthurst of Colthurst Flooring said that QuantiSafe has been “nothing short of transformative” and has enabled him to “grow his business significantly”.

You can learn more about QuantiSafe and register for a free trial at QuantiSafe.com.