 The Hippest and Coolest product deserves the Hippest and Coolest packaging. Welcome to the Smarter Building Materials Marketing Podcast, helping you find better ways to grow leads, sales, and outperform your competition. All right, everybody. Welcome to Smarter Building Materials Marketing, where we believe your online presence should be your best salesperson. I am Zach Williams, and we have an awesome show lined up for you today. We have Vinnie Sercosta, who's the VP of Sales and Marketing at Raskin Industries on the show with us today. Welcome to the show Vinnie. Hi, thank you so much for having me here. I'm really excited. So Vinnie, you and I were just chatting before we started recording here, but for our listeners, tell us a little about yourself, what you do, and what you all sell at Raskin Industries and who you market to. Absolutely. So my name is Vinnie Sercosta. I am the VP of Sales and Marketing here at Raskin Industries. We are a boutique LVT manufacturer. We sell through distribution nationwide, who then sells through traditional retail outlets across the country. And what we do that's unique is, we really focus on style, design, and delivering a very boutique experience. Michael Raskin, our owner and CEO, he really is our differentiator, and he is our product person. What he does for us is, the word we like to use is authenticity. So he delivers a very genuine authenticity to our brand and to our style and design of our products. In a world where everybody is trying to figure out how to make this stuff as inexpensively or as cheaply as possible, what Michael has done for us is one, he's made the product very personal to himself, right? So he styles, designs, and curates all of our products himself. And again, while the whole world is trying to figure out how to make this as inexpensively as possible, Michael said, let's go in another direction and let's make a really affordable floor that has the best fit and finishes available to us. So we source out proprietary features and benefits to build up a really, really great floor that's going to perform to the life that's lived on top of it. So you primarily sell flooring for residential, are you selling commercial as well, or is it primarily residential? We do. Okay. Yes. And we're very blessed from that regard as we do sell through traditional retail markets, but also in the commercial space as well. That's cool. And one thing I think it's interesting, I know, and you're talking about this, you live in Florida and beautiful Boca Raton. You know, one thing we're talking about is that, you know, the nation as a whole is starting to open up more and more and more. And one thing you guys are doing that's interesting is you're starting to find ways to blend both digital and in-store experiences where, you know, if you look over the past two years, it's been heavily digital. I mean, I know we're biased here, but if we think about the general buying habits, we're starting to see more people interfacing in-store. This is both, you know, traditional retail as well as through the specialty dealers. Talk to me a little about what you guys are doing there. You know, we're investing a lot of time, energy and resource in, you know, what we're calling our digital to physical experience. And it really starts with doing a deep dive into an understanding of who a Raskin customer is, right? As we look at where we think today's customer is starting their floor covering purchase journey, we largely believe that's happening online. And in a lot of instances, this is happening in the social media realm, right? So whether you talk about Pinterest or Facebook or even Instagram, these being resources and outlets for people to find brands and flooring and options. So we try, we say, okay, where do we find today's customer? And then what does today's customer look like? What is the DNA of a Raskin customer? So we did a really, you know, deep dive into trying to understand what a Raskin customer looks like. And once we did that, we could really hone in the messaging and the reach, right? We can say, okay, since we now have an avatar built of who we believe our customer looks like in this digital space, we can then go after like with pinpoint accuracy to market to and find them in these digital platforms and jump start their brand journey. So that's really what we're focused on is one, understanding who today's customer is, what the DNA of that customer looks like to us, and then how do we reach them and jumpstart their brand journey? So let's say we find them in Pinterest, right? Or find them on Instagram. We hit them with relevant advertising and marketing. They see us and then we have a call to action, which we drive them to the website. They go, they're on the website. We're doing a lot of exciting things in that space. And then we're going to help drive them into store. And all along the way, they're going to be hit with interesting content and branding and merchandising that they see from the very onset of this brand journey. And what that's going to do is make them feel like they're a part of something, right? I think today's customer, they largely want to shop more boutique and they want to feel more connected to the brands that they're engaged with. You're 100 percent right. Yeah, so we're trying to really engage that from the very jump and then all the way through this arc, right? All the way through this purchasing, this eventual floor covering purchase, which I guess is a very intimate and personal thing. It's going on their floor. It's a big purchase. It's one of those big purchases you make only a few times in your life and we want them to feel comfortable and a part of something special. Like I said, from the jump about Michael and the floors that he creates for us, they're very interpersonally meaningful to him and we want that to carry through and have that resonate to today's customer in this brand journey. That's so interesting. I have like a million questions for you about this, but for starters, are you primarily marketing to the homeowner or designer architect builder or all of the above? All of the above, right? Anywhere that, you know, like I said, we are blessed that we get to play in both of these residential and commercial buckets. So if we can inspire an architect or designer, a homeowner, or maybe even a retailer, because, you know, I know that a lot of retailers are always looking for new and unique products to bring in store and if one of those retailers even happens upon something that we're doing in the digital space and say, wow, that's that's something that I want to be a part of. And then there can be that pull through, right? They can contact their local distributor and say, hey, do you guys carry these Raskin products? I saw it on Pinterest or Instagram and man, these guys really seem like they have something cool here. So then we get the pull through from that, from that perspective as well. It's smart. You know, it makes me think about a research study we did recently where we, we interviewed architects, builders, homeowners, everybody, basically everybody on the channel. And we asked them, hey, of the brands that you tried that were new brands, or you bought something recently, how did you find those brands? And like majority of people found them online through ads or through the manufacturer's website, through social media. But what you're saying is you will, you basically you target people there, you segment them based upon what you know about those audiences. But then you're trying to get them in store. To talk me through, why are you trying to get them in store versus trying to close them through some sort of, let's say, digital focus? Do you know you have a higher close rate in store? Or is that just how you want the experience to feel to the purchaser? So, you know, we sell through like traditional distribution channels, right? So we're not set up to sell direct to consumer. That's just not our business model, right? So, you know, what we want is we want to cast as wide of a net as possible. We talked about directly reaching, you know, that avatar, right? But, you know, we want to be, say, we want to reach as many markets as possible. So we do that through our distribution partners and a distribution network. When we want to drive people from, let's just say, that customer that's scrolling Instagram and we've identified them as that avatar. So maybe we have some paid for advertising that's going to hit them with a call to action, which is going to drive them to the website where they're going to have, you know, they're going to see all the cool things that we're doing on our website. They're going to see a beautiful product. Again, all with this really interesting content. You know, obviously there's the flooring, but we're having a lot of this brand merchandising that breaks through the clutter. We have some animation that helps tell our story. And all of these things, again, are trying to capture their, you know, I said, you know, break through the clutter, but also, you know, kind of capture their imagination. Like this is something that's unique, special and different. And that drives them through the website. And then they find the product on there that they like. There's a call to action where they can go in store, like through a dealer locator type mechanism. Right. That drives them in store. And then they see the in store merchandising again with your branding and imagery that reinforces everything they've seen from that initial ad that they saw on Instagram. Then they saw it again on the website. And now they're seeing it in store and it's hip. It's cool. And then the last thing that they see is we've taken the the branding and merchandising and we have added it to the final thing that they see, which is the cartons. So even the cartons that get delivered to their home right before the flooring gets put down, what it's doing is reinforcing that brand journey, that brand experience. And again, even at the very end, before that floor gets put down, enforces that they're a part of something special. I love what you're talking about reference to your your packaging. Essentially, I like to say packaging is a fifth P marketing because it's really true. Like you think about like an Apple computer, like you get an Apple computer, it comes to your house and you've got a box there. They don't just put it in a cardboard box. There's like this unboxing experience. Oh, look, you just pulled it out. Look at that. So for our listeners, you got to go watch the YouTube video of this, too. So what is so that's the actual package that it comes in. This is the the hippest and coolest product deserves the hippest and coolest packaging. So imagine when, you know, most flooring, if you ever, you know, if you ever been around flooring products and flooring packaging, it all kind of looks a little bit mundane and and you have, you know, whether it's a white box or brown box kind of packaging and it is what it is. And these these containers get opened before the flooring is put down and it gets tossed away. So it's almost like an afterthought. But we said this is part of the experience, right? This is this is meaningful. And you use you use an example that I use when I'm pitching who we are and what we do that's unique and special. So I use Apple because we all know the how those you can't you can't open it quickly. It's like slow, you know, right? And it actually has a it almost has like that suction when you open it, right? The other example I use is when when somebody buys a Louis Vuitton handbag, right? There's something to that whole experience, right? It's it's not just the pocketbook you get. It's the the box it comes in. It comes wrapped in something. And then even the bag it comes in is like substantial. And so it's this whole thing that goes along with it. And that we're kind of taking a, you know, a little card out of that playbook and saying that those that experience reinforces how boutique and special the product inside is and our packaging, you know, it reinforces that experience as well. And it closes that circle, you know, that that initial touch point all the way to the last touch point before that flooring gets laid down, reinforces this brand journey or this brand experience. And that's really that that, you know, that authenticity, that that being genuine to who we are at Raskin, it flows through all of these little nuances, these little thoughtful things that we do to make sure that people feel connected to the flooring that they're purchasing. There's a lot of interesting threads you're kind of weaving here, which is you want to build the experience, which experience is a hot, you know, it's a hot button word, you know, how do I build the experience? But what you're really saying is how do I how do I take the attributes of my brand, which is this very, as you said, early boutique, the spoke brand that has a strong connection to the founder, the person actually designs these products. How do I take that on digital? How do I take that in store? And how do I take it all the way to the point of them actually getting installed, even if they're not going to install themself to make it feel like it's a yes, I made a good decision. And so that begs the question for me of like, yes, the people actually purchased it were probably really happy, but your dealers, like what are they saying? Because most manufacturers, a lot of them, they're like, how do I increase my share of wall with my dealers? Or how do I get into more dealers? But it's really how do you create more pull through from that from your dealer's customers is really the name of the game. And so what I'm really curious to know is like, what are the dealers telling you, you know, from the ones that actually list and sell your product? Do you have any interesting short stories you can share? Sure. And I am very blessed from what I get to do because I get to go out into the field and from sea to shining sea, whether it's urban environments like Chicago or, you know, more rural areas, I get to see a really great complexion of the country, whether it's in a more urban or more rural environment. Right. And so this the story that I get to hear people want something that's unique and different. Right. They're looking for something that stands out and they don't want duplication of what they already have in store. Really great retailers can they can calculate what the showroom space per flooring display needs to produce to pay the rent for itself. Right. So the really good retailers can do that. So they really are very selective on what goes into their footprint. And something that I really push through is, like I said, Michael Styles designs and curates all of our products himself. So there won't be that duplication. So when you walk up to a a rask and fixture on the showroom floor, the dealer can feel wholeheartedly confident that they're not going to have duplication in any of the other fixtures that they have and that it's going to be a unique presence for them. And because we're more of a boutique manufacturer, you know, we're not everywhere. Right. You know, what our positioning, how we go to market is going to be with somebody that's engaged in the story that I'm telling right now. So somebody that wants to be involved with a brand that are doing that are investing in this this journey, this experience, this branding, if they get it and want to be a part of it, they were the right fit for them. And if this is not something that's meaningful to them, then maybe we're not the right fit for their for their their retail outlet. So there has to be kind of an a buy in from from their perspective to be a part of the the rask and brand. That's fascinating. Vinnie, I'm curious, like if if I'm a manufacturer, I'm listening to this. I'm going, yeah, of course, I want to build a brand that dealers and consumers and architects and builders and everybody, you know, is really drawn to and they love the experience. Like that's, frankly, easier said than done. And you all have done a phenomenal job, hats off to you. What advice would you give somebody who's listening? Who goes, man, I hear what Vinnie is saying. I want to create that. What would you tell them? What would you tell them to start? What would you what advice would you give them? We really took a step back to understand, you know, your value proposition, like what are the things that make you unique, special and different, right? I always start whenever I do any presentation. If I were to walk out our front door and go call on a traditional retailer, I'm going to start with Michael Raskin and I'm going to tell him where he came from, you know, to where we are today and what he does for us from the product standpoint and his vision and it all starts there. So once we we understood our story, our value proposition, what makes us unique, special and different, that was step one. And then it was understanding, you know, where can we go with this? And when I said that we wanted to identify where today's customer is. And so we did a really hard look and said, where does today's customer start their floor covering journey? Right. And, you know, I think about where my wife would go. The first place my wife would go to and she is definitely in has the DNA of a Raskin customer, right? This is a woman that shops at four different grocery stores because she wants a very tailored experience in her in what she wants. So my wife would start in her Facebook and she would go right to her mom's group and she would say to her peer group and say, what floor did you buy and who did the work? And that's where this conversation would begin. So that understanding that that's where these conversations are happening and what do we need to do to find them in these spaces? And that's where we want to jumpstart their brand journey. Understanding these things and being able to say, OK, here's here's our value proposition. This is how we're unique, special and different. And then who is it that we're trying to reach and how do we effectively and efficiently reach them? And get them and get engagement, right? We're all looking for clicks, likes, shares and website traffic. So what are the things? And that's where we start. We have really great content. We have an amazing marketing team. You saw the the carton here. So we have an amazing team that puts together this awesome content and it's how do we use that? How do we shape the content to really drive the messaging downstream to that avatar to that customer trying to reach? Get the engagement and then now we've got them. I love it. Vinny, this has been awesome for our listeners. If they want to connect with you, what's the best way for them to do that? Definitely check out our website, Raskin I W W W dot Raskin I N D dot com. That's where you'll see the best showcase of what we have to offer. And and definitely check out, you know, check out us on social media on our Facebook, Instagram and Pinterest. Awesome. Yeah. We'll make sure we link to that in the show notes to Vinny. If you haven't checked out Raskin Industries, you absolutely should. Really cool products. Vinny, thank you again so much for coming on the show. This has been great. And for our listeners, if you enjoyed this content, make sure you go to Venvio dot com slash podcast to subscribe to get more. Till next time, I'm Zach Williams. Thanks, everybody.