Rumors started spreading a few weeks ago as dealers began calling us that they had received a strange letter from Cardell. As it turns out, the letter wasn’t from Cardell, it was from a firm representing Wells Fargo who apparently owns the credit agreement with...
The other day I needed something from my father’s house, and I was told it was “in the attic.” I figured it would be a 5 minute trip – you know, grab what I need and get out. But when I climbed into the attic, I was stunned. Amidst piles of boxes (some...
When is the last time you took a stroll through the ol’ sales attic? As we mentioned in a previous article, you should think of your sales attic as a culmination of how your team sells today. When prospects say no, they go on up to the sales attic – then it is your...
In part 1 of this post, I shared my jury duty experience, where we were all treated like children. The culture there was terrible and it got me thinking about culture at businesses in general… What’s imbedded in your culture? I read a lot on the blogs and LinkedIn...
It’s amazing how a day (or two) in public service can teach you how to reflect on your company culture. Take jury duty and airlines, for example. When you operate in a box (or a tube at 50K feet), your view of reality can warp significantly over the years. This...
In part 1 of this post, we discussed China’s declining birthrate and how it will affect imports in the next few decades. Catch up here: Is the Chinese Import Dead – Part 1. Continuing on, there’s more to discuss: Some other disturbing stuff There are currently over...
For some dealers, it’s a religious debate. They wouldn’t dream of selling an import line. For other dealers, it’s just another business opportunity for the lower end of the market. And for even other dealers, the investment never really panned out, and they’re in...
Last year I wrote an article that the ants were marching. More and more, smaller cabinet dealers are cropping up and blitzing in with square foot pricing that they give to the prospect right in the home. Of course these guys had their own manufacturing operation out...
It’s no secret, dealers and remodelers are jumping onto the blogosphere in droves for 2013. As buyers start their journey online up to two years in advance of their purchase, these savvy businesses are generating leads from their website before they ever walk into...
In part one, we discussed how too many choices dooms us to be unhappy. We left off with you making a list of everything you need your software to do…and that’s where things got ugly. Your list of twenty-seven high level things you need your software to do is about to...
We equate choices with freedom. But we have so many choices these days that things are ridiculously debilitating. Just check out your local grocery store or electronics center. Choices produce paralysis. With so many options to choose from, people find it very...
“Changing in the cabinet industry is hard.” We can’t tell you how many people we’ve heard this from. We remember when we first heard these words from a cabinet dealer owner years ago. He was so afraid of changing things because he was worried his salespeople might...
Everybody wants it, but do your salespeople and designers really understand it? Like a lost treasure, salespeople armed with a prospect’s budget get the equivalent of a map with a large “X marks the spot.” But what is it really? Is it a number, a range or a figment...
It’s no secret that I love free diving (and no, that’s not my glamour shot to the right). But what many people can’t figure out is what is so fascinating about not breathing. And unlike most people’s vision of free diving – you know, the one where you rocket...
Before I was married I was a peanut butter nut. For those of you who can eat peanut butter straight out of a jar as your little piece of heaven, you and I have a special bond. When your wife has a mega peanut allergy, you learn to adjust. But there are times when I’m...
Below are my top reasons why starting off your selling process with a showroom tour is an absolutely horrible idea. Prospects can’t relax. Sit back and watch a showroom tour from one of your coworkers. It’s laughable when you look at it. There’s a...
This year I clocked in dozens of dealer visits and the data is clear: kitchen and bath operations are pretty much the same as they were before the market crash. It seems that although the world has changed dramatically, you guys pretty much use the same hammer with...
In honor of Halloween, I decided I would write about the scariest things I’ve seen in cabinet dealerships and remodeling business recently. To protect the innocent, no names or locations will be used. And if you read this and know that it’s your business we’re...
If you’re a lumberyard, you’re probably kept up late at night over Amazon’s growing dominance on the web. Like any other commodity that you may not need right this instant, Amazon has mastered the ability to get product to your doorstep. The War Over Shovels As a...
Sounds boring, I know. Yet you’d be surprised to learn that you’ve been messing around with Special Order Sales ever since you entered the cabinet industry. You’ve also been placing special orders, sometimes daily, at your favorite, local Starbucks. “But with...
I often wonder if airlines these days have any idea how absolutely awful their employees’ attitudes have become. Take USAir, for example. The other day I patiently waited for my potential upgrade to first class. Hey, it’s one of those little things that makes us...
Having started my career in textiles when I joined Ernst & Young in 1994, I was surprised to learn the incredible advancements and complexities of that industry. It was fascinating to see the number of possibilities when it came to something we take for granted...
When I first moved in with my wife, I had a bit of a bachelor’s pad. As the months rolled into our first year together she finally mustered the courage to ask me about some tiny pewter figurines I had in random places throughout the house. “They’re...
Where’s the beef? A rash of dealers as of late have been paying SEO vendors for better search rankings so they can get more traffic. These SEO firms sell the myth that with some special words in some special places, along with their voodoo magic, they can get...
The Law of Diminishing Returns The old ways of doing things in the kitchen and bath industry get less and less effective with each passing day. Any incremental gains industry owners do make to these business processes achieve a net negative to their operation (i.e....
