Richard Saling is a force to be reckoned with when it comes to his new position as Director of Marketing for Express Flooring. This former Marine has brought his military decorum and self-discipline to his newly awarded position. He has been putting in sixteen-hour days studying data and analyzing metrics. He has developed a strategic foundation for marketing campaigns to skyrocket the company’s visibility while increasing sales, productivity, and revenue as he hit the ground running. He is an incredibly driven individual. His vision is to take Express Flooring and grow it from a local business into a national powerhouse.
Richard grew up in the midwest but moved to Phoenix in his teen years. He began his adult life by serving our country as a Marine. Upon completion of military service, he returned home to Arizona to attend Arizona State University to earn his BA in business management. He furthered his education at the University of Phoenix by 2005 achieving his MBA.
Richard Saling is a devoted father and husband. Mr. and Mrs. Saling been married for twenty-two years and are the very proud parents of three teenagers. His sixteen-year-old is a musician. His eight-teen year old son is currently taking college courses and has honorably made a commitment to service as a Marine following boot-camp. His daughter is fifteen and an artist.
There are not enough hours in a day for relaxation at this time. Richard spends most of his day perfecting business and marketing strategies for Express Flooring and creating what he does best at this time. However, on the rare occasion that he can enjoy some r&r, he takes pleasure in listening to music with his son and hiking in nearby mountains. Another favorite past time he enjoys is investing in real estate and helping people out of real estate challenges. The additional income has provided the family with fun vacations.
Richard Saling has worked diligently throughout his career. He took his bumps and bruises on the way. He and his family went through a few very lean years with the recession. But, he never gave up. He did what it took to keep his family secure. He planned his career to assure that he had the right credentials required to become fully immersed in his passion. Much to the benefit of Express Flooring. He’s exactly where he wants to be. Living life out-loud!
How did you get started in marketing? What inspired you to go into this industry?
I had a strong interest in making commercials and telling a story and making a brand grow. The science of persuasion. I was always intrigued by how commercials were made. Also seeing commercials on television and in print, I was drawn to the creativeness. I liked coming up with taglines, telling stories, and using creative images. It really excites me and online marketing was just becoming a thing. With the advent of digital marketing where I can marry one with the other and tie it with back-end results, we can see those results immediately. It is great to have that feedback to see what is working and what is not. It is all just very exciting to me. To create something and to be able to see the results, I have the best of both worlds. I can be a business person and creative at the same time.
How do you make money with Express Flooring?
Our company generates revenue through online, print, and advertising marketing strategies. I have spent the first four months analyzing what was working and what was not. I know where and how we tie back into sales. I brought in Google analytics. I also revamped and relaunched adwords to boost sales, and reduce the cost per sale. With these strategies implemented, I have been successful in making the entire marketing process much more streamlined and efficient.
What is one marketing strategy (other than referrals) that you’re using that works really well to generate new business?
One of the things that is working for us is paid media. Generally, the adwords on Google. We know the key words for people who are ready to buy. That is the largest area of opportunity for us right now as consumer shopping and buying habits are shifting.
What is the toughest decision you’ve had to make in the last few months?
Having to let go of some of our advertising partners. We have had some advertising partners for 7 or 8 years. We gave them the opportunity to turn things around. We wanted to get a return and there were some that could not give that return on the dollar. So, we had to let them go. The metrics tell the story, we know pretty effectively what is working and what is not. We know where to put our dollars. To grow the company, it had to be done, we had to let them go. At the end of the day, we were no longer a good fit.
What do you think it is that makes you successful?
Jim Rohn as a mentor. He once said “You may be smarter than me. You may be better than me. But there is no way you are going to out work me”. That is my philosophy. I got that from being a Marine.
I am working 16-hour days to build a foundation for Express Flooring. Eventually I will get to a “normal” work day. But until the foundation is put into place I will be here to dive into those numbers and get to all of the details. I am a one man marketing department. It’s on my shoulders and a lot of people are counting on me. When you’re a one-man marketing department you need to know everything. I am happy to do it because I know I am moving the needle in the right direction. Knowing that I make a difference inspires me.
What has been your most satisfying moment in business?
My most satisfying moment is when I look at the year over year monthly results. It is when I compare results of year over year or month over month. I know my efforts are not only making an improvement but also a difference. That is extremely satisfying to me. It may not be as fast as I would like, yet it’s progress.
I also find it satisfying when the appointment setters come to me with excitement asking me to continue whatever it is that I am doing because they have never scheduled as many appointments as they are now. They thank me and tell me how much they appreciate it. I find that satisfying as well.
What business books have inspired you?
Winning by Jack Welsh
Good to Great by Jim Collins
The power of habit by Charles Dewey
The Purple Cow by Seth Godin
What is a recent purchase you have made that’s helped with your business?
We purchased SEMrush. It provides insights into our SEO and Paid Media and links back to our site. This purchase has really proven to help out Express Flooring in increasing its visibility and reach.
What does the future hold for your business? What are you most excited about?
I am not sure what the future holds for me. I am the marketing person, I am where I want to be. But, I can see me being a top contributor for growing this business and taking it from being a local company and going nationally.