The Latest Sales Strategies from Kitchen Sales Coach

I remember in my first year as a rep another rep telling me that I would be amazed by how easy it is to spot success among my dealers and how often I would see other dealers making the same common mistakes over and over. As much as I would love to go into every dealership and tell them everything I know about being more successful, I cannot and do not offer advice unless asked specifically to do so. Well meaning advice is often heard as criticism and the last thing I want to do is offend and alienate any of my clients.

I am pleased that these newsletters have opened doors for many dealers to ask me business related questions. I know I speak for many other reps when I say that we are happy to share what we see out in the field and to speak in general terms of what is occurring competively in your market.

One of the most common mistakes I see is listening to well meaning but ill-informed advice. Business owners often come to know, trust and rely on key employees. They know these great individuals have their best interests at heart, and that they often have many more years in the kitchen business than the owners do themselves. They do not recognize that those same employees probably have the same problem I did before I ran my own business - that you do not know what you do not know. Years of experience as a salesperson or designer does not mean that you know how to maximize the profitability of a business as complex as a kitchen and bath dealership. There are many places for your profits to leak away. It is risky to rely on the advice of someone who is beholden to you for their job you can rely on them not telling you difficult things that you may need to hear. They will reassure you to stay on the familiar path, they will protect their interest over yours without even knowing that is what they are doing. It is human nature to gravitate to what feels familiar rather than try something new; a new cabinet line, or a new way of running a project! So if you are comfortable and want to stay where you are rely on the counsel of your employees.

I did not know what I did not know! At that point I decided to get some outside counsel from people in my industry that I respect. I started with the representatives for the products I carried. I always had an open door policy and listened to my reps and others who wanted to be my reps. Once I knew I had a problem I started to listen more than talk. Eventually, I hired a consultant and learned from someone who had turned many businesses around some very simple things that made my business much more profitable very quickly.

When I hired Ken Peterson of the SEN group to evaluate my business, he told me the cold hard truth and asked me a simple question. "Robert, do you want to continue to sell yourself out of business or would you like to roll up your sleeves and make the changes necessary to make a lot of money?" Of course, I did not want to hear that! But, I figured that I would rather learn from someone who had been through the hard knocks and trials of recessions, and had actually turned many businesses around.

Many business owners will purchase a new ad or put in a new countertop and "spruce up the showroom" as a way to change the dynamics or lack of sales in a business. More often the issues are deeper than an incomplete display or "old showroom look". It is time to demand a new approach. Product is certainly important, but how we deliver that product is more critical than ever now. New approaches demand new and innovative solutions. Systems that are "outside the box yet integrate to your business strengths. Identify your weaknesses and eliminate them.

If you recognize that you need some advice or that you are relying on people who will keep you where you are right now my recommendation is that you turn to someone with experience in the business,who will be dispassionate and objective in analyzing how you do things now and what you might do differently. I suggest you start with your reps (Selling you product and Not selling you product), or you can join a buying group like SEN, Other industry guru's like Mort Block and Ellen Cheever. They have great reputations or you can talk to ME- Kitchen Sales Coach! (You knew that was coming)

My passion is getting this kind of hard information about your particular business to you and your sales staff. Giving them new and innovative sales tools to serve your hard earned prospects and clients better so that your referral base is higher and you make more gross margin on every job. Earn an "A" on every referral!

I offer a free hour of telephone consulting. Simply fill out a "Dealer Questionnaire" so that we do not waste the hour on basic information and you will get a feeling in your heart whether this is the right move for you and your business.

Whatever you do, Listen to someone besides your ego/mind or others that will keep you exactly where you are now! It pays to get out of your Comfort Zone!

Remember, " If you always do , what you always have done, you always get what you always have gotten"

Thank you and Have a Profitable Day!

Robert Foltz, CKD
Kitchen Sales Coach