C.E.O.
Roundtable August 2017
Transform Customers into Raving Fans
By Janine M. Haas
Mejeur-Haas Communications, Inc
www.mejeurhaas.com
When Terri asked me to participate in the
CEO roundtable I assumed there would be a
round table with other people around it, the
Alure Home Improvements President & CEO
commented, glancing side to side and evoking
laughter from members in attendance.
Despite appearances on nearly a dozen
network television shows like Extreme
Makeover: Home Edition and in countless
corporate videos, Sal Ferro confessed to being
a bit uneasy with go-it-alone public speaking.
Its not something Im really comfortable
with, but when Terri calls you cant say no.
A class act, is how HIA-LI President Terri
Alessi-Miceli had introduced the events
spotlight CEO. This is a person anyone
would welcome into their home and do
business with.
The HIA-LI CEO Roundtable series is a
popular and valuable resource for HIA-LI
members, especially other chief executives.
Our CEO Roundtable started in 2011 in
response to our members asking for a way to
learn from the success of our most prominent
entrepreneurs, Alessi-Miceli declared. Sal
Ferro and his team at Alure have generated
just that kind of success.
So began the lesson on how strategic vision,
a customer-centric focus, and an intimate
knowledge of Long Islands people and
neighborhoods would lead to sustained growth
and continued success in a tough industry.
Paper and Paint
The story of Alure Home Improvements (the
HIA-LI 2016 Large Business Achievement
Award recipient) began in 1946 at the end
of World War II. Sol Hyman founded the
company and was eventually joined by sons
Carl and Bob. Alure was strictly a paper
and paint company back then. Not until the
SEPTEMBER 2017 The HIA-LI Reporter Page 14
late 80s, when I came into the business, did
we start with home improvements, Ferro
remarked. Carl was like a mentor to me and
for almost a decade we were attached at the
hip.
From its humble origins, Alure was destined to
evolve into a multifaceted home improvement
company, now comprised of core business
units specializing in windows, roofing &
siding, kitchen & bath, and the recently-added
commercial renovation division Fusion
Commercial Contracting.
Defining Moments
In the early 1990s, in the midst of a recession
that would see unemployment reach a peak of
7.8% and a 1.4% decline in GDP, Carl Hyman
(Sals soon-to-be-partner and from whom he
would later buy the company), made a bold
decision to open a showroom on Long Island.
That, along with the decision to partner with
global materials manufacturer Owens Corning,
catapulted us to a new level in the remodeling
business, Ferro said.
As Alures reputation grew it attracted the
notice of the Extreme Makeover television
show. It was an opportunity to help deserving
Long Island families improve their lives while
simultaneously increasing Alures exposure
both locally and nationally.
But the most profound of Ferros defining
moments were invisible to the public. They
were personal commitments to excellence in
customer service.
Raving Fans
All businesses claim to put the customer
first, even the ones that dont. But, for Sal
that wasnt enough. He aimed to transform
his customers into Raving Fans (customers
who wouldnt even consider going to another
remodeler regardless of the incentive).
I read the book Raving Fans by Ken
Blanchard (management expert and author of
the best-selling The One Minute Manager). I
attended a two-week workshop and I put the
concept into practice, Sal asserted.
The ethic is designed to run deep into the
organizations core and turn customer service
into a competitive advantage. To achieve that,
one more step was necessary.
The Vision Statement
Ferro not only committed personally to
delivering superior customer service, but made
that commitment on behalf of his employees
as well. But how, he asked himself, would
he instill that feeling in every person in the
company?
I wrote my vision statement in 2001 and
it has enabled me to convey that sense of
commitment to others, Ferro explained. I
make all my new hires memorize the vision
statement. The things that made me a success
are, in that way, transferred to every member
of the team.
Success The Condensed Version
Sal would encourage business owners to
be solid corporate citizens and get out and
network. Dont be intimidated by competition
or fluctuations in the business climate use
them as opportunities to strengthen your
business (Alures own original paper &
paint business would not survive the cut).
And, above all, embrace effective means of
solving problems. You dont throw money
at problems, Ferro admonished. You throw
solutions at problems.
I love the HIA-LI. They do a great job and
I thank you for this opportunity, Sal Ferro
declared.
The HIA-LI Roundtable has its own Raving
Fan, it would seem.
Please visit www.hia-li.org to register for our
next CEO Roundtable to be held on Wednesday,
October 18, 2017 featuring John DAddario III,
President of DAddario & Company, Inc.