I Used to Sell Flooring the 'Standard' Way. Here’s Why I Stopped.

I've been selling flooring for about seven years now. For the first three, I used the same playbook as everyone else: lowball the quote on the carpet, then add the padding, the installation, the moving of furniture, the old floor removal. It's basically how the game is played. You hook 'em with a number that fits their budget, then explain reality later. I was good at it. But I also had a sinking feeling every time a client's face fell when they saw the final number. And I had a stack of chargebacks and bad reviews that proved the system was deeply, deeply flawed.

Here’s my controversial take: The sales model of 'surprise fees later' is a relic. It's bad for the client, and it's actually terrible for our long-term business. I’ve learned that a scary-looking, all-in total is almost always a better deal for everyone than a cheap-looking base price with a dozen asterisks.

The Lie We Tell Ourselves (And Everyone Else)

The justification I used to give myself was that clients just want a low price. They're shopping for a number, not a process. And if I don't give them a low number first, they'll just walk to the next shop. The data on my own work tells a different story.

In 2022, I tracked 50 residential jobs priced both ways. For 25, I gave a ‘bait’ price—just the carpet and basic labor. For 25, I gave a complete, itemized quote including moving furniture, old carpet removal, tack strip replacement, and our 'unexpected' contingency fee. The 'bait' price was, on average, 30% lower. I closed 21 of those 25. For the transparent quotes? I only closed 12 of 25. I thought I was a genius.

Then I looked at the profit margin and the time suck. The 'bait' jobs took 40% more time in total—back-and-forth emails, on-site surprises, angry phone calls when the final bill was higher. My net profit per hour on those jobs was actually lower than on the transparent ones. The clients who took the transparent quote? They almost never argued. They were prepared. They felt in control.

I remember one job, a big commercial LVP install for a dentist's office. The project manager, a guy named Mike, called and said, 'Your quote is $4,000 more than the other guy's.' My gut told me to scramble and negotiate. But I stuck to my guns. I had itemized everything: extra for subfloor prep we couldn't verify, a line for moving 12 heavy dental chairs, a specific waste % for the complex LVP pattern. The other guy's quote was sheets of paper with no line items. Mike went with the other guy. Four months later, his project was delayed by three weeks and he had a $6,000 change order for 'unforeseen subfloor issues.' He called me for the next job. He's now my most consistent commercial client. His budget doesn't get surprised anymore.

The 'Unseen' Costs That Aren't Optional

Most buyers focus on the per-square-foot price of the flooring. It's the easiest number to compare. They completely miss the costs that turn a $4/sq.ft. carpet into a $7.50/sq.ft. reality.

The question everyone asks is, 'What's your best price on the Shaw Floors Carpet?' The question they should ask is, 'What's the total installed cost for this room, including moving my furniture?'

I've seen the 'outsider blindspot' play out hundreds of times. A homeowner picks a beautiful Shaw carpet from a catalog. They love the feel. But they don't think about:

• The Subfloor: 80% of the time, the old carpet pad leaves adhesive residue that has to be scraped. That's extra labor. Or the plywood has a squeak that needs a screw every 6 inches. That's a full day for a crew.
• The 'Miter' Factor: On hardwood and LVP, the layout and pattern complexity is a major cost driver. A herringbone pattern in a 1980s house that isn't square? That's 25% more waste and labor.
• The Furniture: Moving a king-size bed and a 90-inch sofa isn't an add-on. It's a 30-minute job for two guys. It's a real cost.

This isn't a new problem, either. The thinking that 'installation is just the price of the product plus a small 'service fee' is a legacy myth. It comes from an era when margins on materials were much lower for distributors, and the installer's time was cheap. Today, skilled labor is the most expensive part of the job. The 'service fee' has become the main cost.

I've learned to ask, 'What's NOT included?' before 'What's the price?' If a vendor can't tell you the line-item cost for removal, furniture moving, and subfloor prep, they're hiding something. And that 'something' will cost you later.

Trust is a Harder Sell, But it's the Only Sell That Sticks

Last month, a new client called. He had a giant budget—like, $30k for a whole house. He'd gotten three bids. 'Yours is the highest,' he said. 'But you're the only one who told me the butler's pantry floor would need to be reinforced because it's over a crawlspace. Everyone else just said 'we'll handle it.' I want to work with someone who sees problems before they're my problems.'

Looking back, it's a no-brainer. The vendor who lists all fees upfront—even if the total looks higher—usually costs less in the end. There's no 'change order' drama. There's no 'surprise' text on a Saturday morning. There's just a known, trusted relationship.

I know some of you are thinking, 'But Dave, sometimes you have to compete on price. You can't always be the most expensive.' And you're right, to a point. I've lost jobs to cheaper quotes. But I almost never lose the client. The client who buys on the cheapest price will leave for the cheapest price on the next job. The client who buys on trust? They're with me for the next renovation, the rental property, and the new business.

Am I perfect? No. I still slip into the old habit of giving a 'quick ballpark' before I've fully assessed the job. And I've paid for it. Just last week, I gave a quote over the phone for a small bedroom carpet. My gut said, 'This is a $600 job.' I went with my gut. Turns out the room had a weird closet layout and a concrete subfloor that needed a special adhesive. My $600 job turned into a $1,100 one. The client wasn't happy. I ate the cost. Lesson learned: never quote without seeing the floor plan.

Honestly, I'm not 100% sure the industry will ever fully shift. The pressure to get that first 'yes' is intense. But for me, the shift has been clear. Every time I give a transparent, scary-looking quote, I feel a little better about the next phone call I'll get from that client. And that's worth more than any quick win from a bait-and-switch.

So, here's my final piece of advice for anyone selling or buying flooring: Don't be afraid of the high number. Be afraid of the number that's too low to be true. It's almost always a promise that won't be kept.