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The carpet market is a huge market, with lots of types to select from. Here are 12 different types of carpet and what they will offer you and your home.

Woven

Woven carpet is produced on a loom that is very similar to woven cloth, being cut pile. There are numerous different colored yarns being used and the whole process is capable of producing very intricate patterns from designs that are pre-determined. Generally, woven is the highest quality of carpet available.

Tufted

This type of carpet is produced on a tufting machine by using either a single colored or sometimes a non colored yarn. If non colored is being used, then the carpet will be dyed or printed with a design as a separate process. Carpets that are tufted can either be cut pile, loop pile, or a combination of both. Machines can produce a lot more meters of carpet than weaving, and they are usually at the lower end of the market.

Needlefelt

The needlefelt type of carpet is a bit more technologically advanced. They are produced by electrostatic attraction of individual fibers that form a unique carpet with extremely high durability. You can normally find needlefelt carpet in the contract market such as in hotels or other places where there is always going to be a lot of traffic.

Flatweave

The flatweave carpet is created by interlocking warp and weft threads. The types of oriental flatwoven carpet include soumak, plain weave, and tapestry weave. This type is not well known in the North American region, although it is very popular in the orient and Japan.

Hooked rug

This is a simple construction of rug that is handmade by pulling strips of cloth such as wool or cotton through the meshes of a very sturdy fabric. Now, this type of rug is generally known as a handicraft.

Knotted pile

With knotted pile carpets, the structural weft threads will alternate with a supplementary weft that will rise from the surface of the weave at a perpendicular angle.

Cut and loop piles

The cut and loop pile combines both looped and cut fibers. They provide a variety of surface textures for medium durability. Cut and loop carpets are available in either solid or different colors. The several different layers in this carpet can hide dirt and footprints in formal and informal areas.

Saxony

Saxony consists of tightly twisted cut piles that are heat set straight. They consist of two or more fibers that have been twisted together in a yarn, and they provide a very soft texture for informal as well as formal areas. They will show each and every footprint and even marks from vacuum cleaners.

Textured saxony

Textured carpet is the best selling and it works well in informal areas due to the very soft feel. They are tightly twisted and texture headset for medium durability. They also offer a multi colored look that will hide tracks and footprints.

Plush/velvet

Both plush and velvet are lightly twisted and offer a uniform color. They are very soft and offer more level than textures. This type of carpet is ideal for formal areas due to it’s luxurious appearance.

Frieze

Frieze is a highly twisted cut pile type of carpet that is suited for high traffic areas. It has short fibers that will tend to curl in different directions at the surface to hide footprints and vacuum marks.

Level loop pile

The level loop pile is constructed by weaving even loops of yarn into carpet backing at both ends. This type of carpet is durable as well as track resistant, due to the strong loops. Higher loops in the carpet will create a more luxurious look. They are also great because they will prevent dirt from filtering on into the carpet.

Protect your carpet against paint drips, snow, mud, dirt, stains, and heavy traffic conditions. Read about plastic carpet protections as well as temporary carpet protections.

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I am consistently challenged throughout the day by the type of impact am I having on those around me. Is a positive impact or having a negative effect? I have to admit that my behavior is different with people that I have the time of day for and it shifts to the other end of the spectrum for those I do want to be around.

There is truth in what many leadership and entrepreneur writers say about surrounding yourself with those people that can pull you or your business up to their level. It is also good advice to stay away from negative influences in your life. The people that drag you down to their comfort zones and may not even be comfortable with you or your company being successful.

What is the impact that you are having on those around you? Are you giving a boost so that your friends, colleagues and even those negative people can get up to the same level as you. Or, are you attempting to drag them down to your level? What is the impact on you if you help them up or push them down?

What is the impact of your business on the marketplace, on your community or on your staff? Many people are shocked to hear that I help my competitors get to the same level as I am at today. Personally, I would much rather have a competitor as an ally than as an enemy. What impact would this have on your relationship with your competitors? Teaming up with the right competitor will have a tremendous positive impact on your business since you now have a friend who may just watch your back for you if one of your clients happens to ring him one day. You get a second chance to recoup the rewards of a positive relationship.

What impact is your business having on your partners? Is your business the type of business that openly shares ideas, concepts and strategy with others in your field or in a different geographic region? Do you share your success stories with others? Do you have a positive impact in your partner community? Do you become the “go to” person when others are stuck for answers?

The most important impact your business can have is on your clients. These are the people that cannot be ignored. Oddly enough, this is where a lot of businesses have the hardest time achieving a positive impact. It is not because the principals of the company do not care about the services that they are providing or the product they are selling. I was in a major big box store observing how the customers were feeling as they left the store, none of them appeared to be happy after having a great service experience. I am sure the directors and managers care for each customer, however when staff are involved the impact cycle needs to be a fine tuned machine. All employees need to create a positive impact with your client base, but first they need to feel a positive impact from the company that employs them.

When the impact cycle breaks down, the client experience suffers and a negative impact occurs. What damage does do to your business? Your client now has the option to go searching for a positive impact and when they find it, they are happy once again. It is everyone’s responsibility in an organization to immediately create a positive impact when they become aware that a negative impact may have occurred.

One thing about impacts that I have learned over the years, is that you have to work extremely hard to create a positive impact with anyone and it takes two seconds to create a negative impact. Positive impacts require work. It may appear that some just naturally have the skill to pull this off. I have a suspicion that these businesses or individuals have really worked very hard to polish their skills to create a positive impact with everyone they touch. Most importantly they consciously stay away from the forces that try to pull them down to a level below what they want to achieve.

Stuart Crawford is a business consultant with Calgary’s You Factor Inc. Stuart specializes in working with Information Technology companies to make them competitive in the Canadian marketplace. He can be reached at stuartc@youfactor.ca.

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With Competitors Take The High Road

What do you do when the competition cheats and/or hits below the belt? We recommend that you take the high road. Let them drown in the flood. Remember, he who laughs last! You must resist the temptation to retaliate by descending to their level. You should read the book by W. Michael Hoffman who is Executive Director of The Center For Business Ethics at Bentley College in Waltham, Massachusetts. He presented another good reason to do the right thing. Not only will the high road give you better karma, but if you do something unethical in retaliation, it’s usually you who gets caught and if it’s illegal, there are far more reaching ramifications. Not to mention you will be in violation of your belief system or religion, which is a personal issue indeed. There are many variables to consider when handling competitors who hit below the belt. You need to consider:

What exactly it is that they are doing?

Where that activity falls on an ethics scale of 1-10 (Is it not nice or is it illegal?)

Is the competitor targeting your company specifically?

How many other companies are victims?

What is the impact on your business?

How much damage, if any, does it do to the industry?

Will it hurt your customers?

What is motivating this behavior?

Are they trying to get business any way they can?

Is this a last ditch attempt to stay in business now that you’ve taken market share?

Do they understand what they are doing?

Is the unethical action being done by a single employee?

What is the company’s philosophy?

Write all these down and elaborate two paragraphs on each of these topics. You will not only find out a lot about your competition, but also a solution. Talk to your mentor, a business consultant or your regional director about it. We have encountered everything over the last twenty years. Things such as: Slander, Stolen equipment, Sabotaged equipment, False complaints to government agencies, Etc. Our company happens to be in the car wash business; we’ve even had a competitor pay the landscapers to blow dirt and leaves on the cars we have just washed in the parking lot next door. Unbelievable. First we were mad. Then we laughed. We told our customers what they did and our customers told ten friends and so on. Needless to say, this strategy backfired on our competitors. Not only did it backfire but also it showed us how desperate they had become, letting us know we were winning the market share and they were getting closer to defeat.

Once you know what’s happening, what do you do? You can simply ignore it and let your strong reputation and community spirit protect you. Or you may want to take action. You should not complain until you do something about it. Just don’t do it ‘hot headedly’. You can report the unethical activity to the right people. Here are a few options you might want to consider: Report it to a professional organization, Report it to a regulatory agency, Talk to the owner of the company involved, Talk to professional competitors and or Confront the individuals.

If you report to a professional organization such as the BBB, local Chamber of Commerce, Industry Association, Detailers Association, Entrepreneurs Club, etc., that would be a good start. If you want to report to a government agency, let an industry representative do it for you. There is no reason to look like a ‘tattle tale’ especially in a small tight knit town, trade association or industry.

Many times it’s important to go right to the source. If you know the owner, you might be able to use this relationship to open communication lines. Start your conversation with “I’m hearing some things that concern me and I feel obligated to tell you. I know how hard you work and I think you ought to check this out.” Try not to position yourself as a victim. Remember, your competitor is the underdog if they attempt terrorist style methods. You are the lead dog and there view will never change. Position yourself as a friend or colleague. Put him at your level even if he is not, you might be surprised how well this does.

The more business owners help each other, the stronger our industry’s image will be with the consumer. Many times the person doing the slandering or questionable activity is the owner. But do not directly accuse them. No sense making enemies. If you don’t get proper satisfaction going directly to the source, contact others in your industry. Chances are they have also been victims. Quite often unethical activity works only when it is concealed. When you talk to people, be specific about the facts, not personalities involved.

When confronting an actual individual, such as a certain employee from another company, be vague and say something like: “I’ve heard such and such and I wanted to clear up any misunderstandings. What can you tell me about this?”

As an alternative or even a supplement to direct confrontation, publicly flatter your competitor even if you despise the person. There must be something he does well that you can compliment him on in front of others. It makes it real tough for someone to shoot at you after you’ve flattered them publicly. Perhaps they had been offended previously and this is just a revenge thing playing out in their Machiavellian self, remedy this by killing them with kindness. So remember:

Take the high road

Talk highly of competitors

Do something about disreputable slandering by competitors

Learn about your competitors from remarks from customers

Always know you are the best and together we are even better

Everyone in business has been offended or been hit below the belt. What you do about it will decide your inevitable success. Take the high road, think about it.

Lance Winslow - Online Think Tank forum board. If you have innovative thoughts and unique perspectives, come think with Lance; www.WorldThinkTank.net/wttbbs/

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