The Kitchen Sales Coach Issue #7 - The Way You Do Anything is the Way You Do Everything
By Robert Foltz, CKD
Look around yourself today and notice something about your friends, co-workers, and business contacts. I'll bet there's someone who's late for every meeting. There's someone who always shorts his share when you divide the bill at lunch. Someone you know always waits until the very last minute to finish a task and then hurries through it.
The way you do anything is the way you do everything, so if the person who's late for a meeting is one of your suppliers or contractors, do you think he or she will value the end date on your contract? And the person who loves to argue over the bill at lunch, is it likely that same person will argue over the cost of their $50,000 kitchen? Do you think a contractor who waits until the last minute for a small task will treat a large task any differently? Start noticing how the small things relate to the large ones and you'll have a wealth of information about the people in your life and business.
Of course, once you're aware of how this works for other people, you'll start to become aware of how it works in your own life.
1. Are you always scrambling to make designs and proposals on time?
2. When a client calls to ask a question that you're not sure of, do you make up an answer that the client wants to hear?
3. When a mistake has been found on a job, do you blame someone else first instead of taking responsibility?
4. Do you meet your client and order the part right away, or does the next sale take priority and you wait until you can get to it later?
About ten years ago I took ten of my jobs and asked myself if I was I living up to my intentions. I suggest you do the same. Really notice which little things you do and say and how they relate to the bigger things in your life.
This is a great tool for evaluating every business to business relationship you have. This will help you to determine which employees, employers, suppliers, reps, factories, and even friends are aligned with your best interests and your values. It will help you determine who you need to keep and who you need to let go.
Is the rep giving you the time to explain his product or simply running in and running out quickly? Do they train their customers on product benefits and features? Does the factory return your phone calls promptly? Do the order processes go smoothly? Evaluate and get a feeling before committing to a display, or selling the product.
Ask the people around you to do a task before you give them your business. See not only how quickly it's done, but how thoroughly and carefully he or she listened to your instructions.
Clients give the designer hints to their personality traits:
1. Do they frequently change or forget your follow up appointments? This is a sign that you're not very important and they don't value your time, much less your talent. So move on to the ones that do!
2. Do they argue over your design details and always want to change them?
3. Do they try to save money by using their own subs and installers, taking profit centers away from you?
4. Do they listen to everything you say and seem happy, but just can't get together for that final meeting-you know, the one where the check gets written?
A client's behavior during the design or proposal stage give you an absolutely clear indication of how they'll be during the job/project management phase. Pay attention and price accordingly.
The way you do anything is the way you do everything. It is a universal truth and a powerful business tool that you can use to align yourself with those who share your energy and passion.
Modern Design Style is Here to Stay
Have you noticed the explosion of modern style showrooms in your market area? Have you said to yourself, "My clients aren't asking for this. How do these people stay in business?" Just like green design, modern styling is here to stay.
The experts in modern design that I've spoken with say this style accounts for around ten percent of the overall market and its growing nationwide. I think the growth comes from two segments in our population. Older Baby Boomer retirees are looking for a simpler, cleaner look, and the younger professionals who are 25 to 35 who don't want what their parents had.
Now, don't go ripping out your traditional display with the corbels, oversanding, flyspecking, and brushstrokes just yet. I recommend that dealers find a strictly modern line to incorporate into their offerings. If you have your traditional line do modern, it might not have the same features such as horizontal wood grain drawers that are 48 inches wide. It'll look like a cheap imitation. That is why you should find a true modern line that fits within your clients' investment parameters. There are emerging product lines that are going to fill the gap in all of the price segments.
Brush up on true modern design. Go to your local bookstore and look for publications dedicated to this style. Read, and absorb the content. Visit a modern design store, look closely at the display setups and notice the details. Like green design, the smart designer is conversationally up to date on the style so that their prospects will turn into clients because of their expertise on the subject.
Those designers and firms that are in modern design are smiling right now. You should be, too.
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.