The Kitchen Sales Coach Issue #8 - Retool Before You Advertise
By Robert Foltz, CKD
There may be fewer prospects calling you or walking through your door, but they're ready to do business with the dealer whom they feel is the most professional and proficient!
In my mailbox today, there was a slick four-color flyer called "Home." Usually, it includes three to five Kitchen Companies of various types, but this issue had about 10 companies. I see this all the time. Companies and individuals panic when showroom traffic is down. They start spending money on advertising in an effort to get more people in the same showroom, and they handle all their leads the same way without thinking about the marketing system for their businesses first.
1. Do you have an entrance to your business that shows prospects who you are, your credentials, and your company philosophy?
2. Do you have a cabinet comparison wall and know how to use it effectively?
3. Do you have a storyboard and know how to use it effectively?
When these and other systems are set up properly, the prospect gets a feeling that they're learning about your company and how you can help them achieve their dream kitchen or bath. Without these tools, you're simply another kitchen and bath firm bidding on their project.
These systems and others don't cost much at all, and those prospects that come into your showroom will be more likely to buy from you because you explained the process to them after listening to their needs.
The Benefits for each of these systems are:
1. "Who we are" at the entrance will give the corporate values, mission statement, and code of honor that your company develops. This allows prospects to understand the stated values and principles of the organization. More than 90 percent of your competitors won't have this, which gives you a competitive edge because you can allow what's in writing to do the talking about how great your firm is.
2. A cabinet comparison wall will give you the ability to show either the different lines you carry or different molding treatments that affect the investment parameters of a prospect. Done correctly this area will be the most profitable space in your showroom.
3. A storyboard will be a 6- to 8-foot wall showing prospects how your firm works from start to finish. You'll be able to show estimate sheets, design deposit (or other initial sale) documents, and contracts, so the prospect will know exactly what to expect.
These will tell your prospects who you are, what you have, and how you're going to accomplish their project. These systems can be set up very inexpensively and will make your advertising dollars more productive.
Promote Value over Price
Your prospects will tell you that they purchased somewhere else based on a lower price. Whether they don't want to hurt your feelings or go into a lot of detail, they just want you off the phone. Every time I cut my price without cause, I ended up regretting the decision-100 percent of the time, no justifications, no excuses.
Those business owners that understand this fully, understand that it's about perceived value! Listening to the prospect and understanding what they want will lead you into demonstrating your company's enhanced services that add value to the job.
In today's market, you might have to spend more time proving your company's value by added services or design ideas. Your showroom must tell a story both about the past (referral letters on the wall) and the future (design ideas in the form of drawings, displays, and innovative color & texture selections). In a market like this one, where the consumer is savvier, every detail in your showroom must be planned and well thought out and not just cobbled together.
An example, my rates for consulting are $150 per billable hour, but I don't consider travel time as billable hours. I'm enhancing value by giving my clients more hours than the billable hours. I'm doing this because I'm building my brand, and I need referrals and happy clients just like anyone else.
Earn the business, earn your margins, and be able to stay in business. Those who cut the price are only borrowing from their future earnings. Referrals that come from a job that has been slimmed down will also be price driven. Get off the merry-go-round of price, price, price.
About Robert Foltz, CKD
Robert Foltz, CKD is experienced in all areas of the retail kitchen and bath business. As a manufacturers' representative, his experience and expertise can help improve your business. He also works as a sales trainer, consultant, and personal coach.
With 23 years of experience in every area of the kitchen business, he has personally experienced the most common mistakes all business owners and sales people make. He has used that experience to develop a formula that will help you avoid those common mistakes and to dramatically accelerate your success.
Robert can be reached at and his work can be seen on www.KitchenSalesCoach.com.