Rebuilding from the Inside Out
The Problem
City Tile and Floor Covering, the nearly 75-year old flooring store, wasn’t in crisis—but it wasn’t growing either. After a post-pandemic slowdown, the metrics looked solid: ads were performing, leads were coming in, and brand awareness remained strong. But conversions? Flat. Walk-ins were rare, and those who did visit weren’t buying.
As long-time marketing partners (back when we answered to the name Barker & Christol), we’d supported City Tile through housing booms, slumps, and everything in between. But now—under our new banner as thinkSmith—we needed to do more than “optimize.” We needed to investigate.
We reviewed past campaigns. We audited media, creative, and even pulled out the Brand Messaging Strategy we’d developed in 2015. That document had aged well—but it didn’t explain what was happening.
So we dug deeper.
Discovery Process Highlights
- Reviewed a decade of campaigns, media performance, and messaging without bias
- Revisited the original Brand Messaging Strategy to identify blind spots—but didn’t assume it held the answer
- Deployed secret (and not-so-secret) shoppers to audit the in-store customer journey firsthand
- Interviewed staff and leadership to map emotional engagement vs. operational process
- Refused to accept surface-level explanations—pushed past symptoms to identify root causes
The Discovery
The breakthrough came from the floor—literally. We sent in secret shoppers (and a few not-so-secret ones) to observe the buying experience. The results were jarring:
- Sales staff rarely greeted customers
- There was little to no engagement around design needs or vision
- Project tools and processes were underused or ignored
- The showroom felt more like a quiet office than a welcoming retail environment
For a company known for expert service and guided installation, this breakdown at the start of the journey was a silent deal-breaker.
But the poor service wasn’t the root cause. It was a symptom.
The Real Problem
After dozens of observations and some uncomfortable internal conversations, the real issue came into focus:
The sales team had become emotionally disconnected from the brand.
They weren’t acting as advisors or project managers—they were just paper pushers. Why? Because they didn’t need to sell. Compensation was generous. Job security was stable. And revenue, they assumed, would come from legacy referrals and repeat business… just like it always had.
Customer service expectations were met with eye rolls. New training didn’t stick. The team wasn’t resistant to change—they were indifferent to it.
The Solution
This wasn’t a marketing problem—it was a cultural one. And cultural problems require structural solutions. We recommended:
- Hiring a strong, motivating sales manager to reset expectations and lead with accountability
- Building a new compensation structure for future hires that rewards growth and client experience—not just tenure
- Updating the Brand Messaging Strategy to reflect today’s customer and today’s company
- Rolling out “The City Tile Way” as an internal rallying cry, aligning team members with the emotional core of the brand
This strategy wasn’t about better ads. It was about building internal clarity, reigniting purpose, and reconnecting people to the reason City Tile exists in the first place.
The Result
It’s a work-in-progress. The team is re-engaging. Leadership is aligned. The brand strategy isn’t just a marketing asset—it’s a cultural reset button. While the transformation is ongoing, City Tile now has the clarity, tools, and leadership structure to rebuild momentum from the inside out.