Habits can either make or break your kitchen and bath business, and since we’re all human here, we tend to become creatures of them from time to time. Now that summer is here and things are hopefully picking up for your kitchen or bath business, it’s time to become...
These days it seems like there is a “How-To” book, “Tips and Tricks” collection, or “[Fill in the Blank] for Dummies” book for just about everything under the sun. In our effort to save you some reading time, and help ensure that you can focus on the critical...
During good times, we all get fat. Not necessarily body fat, but more specifically, business fat. When business is good, we tend to ignore it, and it continues to accumulate. Kitchen and bath professionals concentrate on sales and ignore the numerous small things that...
So many factors send ripples through the markets, affecting jobs, housing, stocks, commodities, banking and prices. There are opportunities for some, misery for many. Although this year may prove to be better than recent years, it is important to keep your eyes...
With kitchen cabinet sales still down, it has become extremely easy to find excuses to avoid traveling to professional trade shows: your car won’t survive the trip; the airfare is too high; your family needs you at home, etc. You may, however, be missing out on a...
If Marty McFly were to flash back to the years leading up to the market regression (say 2003-2005ish) and pay your business a visit, what would he see as your strategy for winning more sales? I’d be willing to bet he’d see an over-inflated sales team with their own...
They say that the definition of insanity is doing the same thing over and over and expecting a different result. If that’s true, then there are a lot of insane folks in the kitchen and bath industry. As an industry sales professional, I imagine it’s safe to say that...
For many kitchen and bath dealers, contractors and remodelers the winter months and holidays tend to lead to a noticeable decline in sales. Of course, even as old man winter settles in for another extended stay, the spring building season is actually right around the...
These days, many healthcare plans include wellness packages striving to keep the healthy in good health rather than just serving the unhealthy. Often, companies don’t install large-scale wellness programs because they believe them to be expensive and time consuming. ...
According to Livestrong, “Employees who work as a team have improved communication, greater productivity and mutual respect for each other.” That being said, it is extremely important to make sure your employees don’t lose sight of your business’s...
Let’s face it; the kitchen and bath industry can get stressful at times. Things can become a madhouse…someone entered prices incorrectly, an in-home measurement was missed due to an absent employee, and your salespeople are arguing over who stole whose lead. While...
We’ve touched upon the issue of salespeople wearing too many hats at times – and we fully believe that each department should focus on their own workload instead of having to do two jobs at once. That doesn’t mean we don’t think cross-training is crucial...
We previously posted about extra costs associated with current employees. That post may have been sobering, but don’t go stiffing all of your workers to make up for it. The cost to replace employees if they leave is all but guaranteed to exceed the cost to keep...
What if I told you that your $40,000 salary employee may be easily costing you $15,000+ extra? If you don’t already know how much your employees cost, it’s about time you do the math – not to scare you, but rather to help you budget and make informed...
Not many people want to start a new project during the holidays, unless it’s one that doesn’t require as much time as an entire kitchen remodel. So, the end of the year for cabinet dealers, contractors and remodlers tends to become a time for finishing tasks (current...
The holidays really sneak up on you, don’t they? It seems they come earlier every year. One day you’re looking longingly at the summer sun through your office window; and then a day later it’s snowing and you can almost swear you hear the faint sound of...
Have you ever been to a restaurant that you just loved…and then went to the same restaurant in a different location and didn’t get that same vibe? Maybe they didn’t seat you right away, the food wasn’t up to par, or the order time was slower. ...
Your employees invest a lot of time and mental power (let’s hope) into making your company successful, so it’s always a good idea to let them know you’ve noticed. Of course there are things you can do throughout the year to show your appreciation,...
Yes, we’re in a down market. Intuitively it seems like a good idea to start slashing people and expenses to survive. Indeed that may be a necessary action, but owners need to avoid making an emotional decision and step back for a minute. When many businesses opened...
Wouldn’t it be nice if there were how-to manuals out there for those in the kitchen and bath industry? Life would be great if you could type “how to run a successful K&B business” into your search engine and get the answers that you seek. Unfortunately, the...
Although it may not seem like the most obvious request to make of your cabinet manufacturer, asking for a plant tour may be one of the best things you can do as a kitchen and bath professional. Taking a plant tour from your cabinet manufacturers will offer you a...
Deciding how many people to keep on staff can be one of the hardest decisions facing any business owner. Inventory, scheduling, and designs can all be complicated; but ultimately deal only with inanimate objects. Making decisions that involve people, on the other...
Have you ever been in the process of working on a document only to have your computer suddenly crash before you’ve had a chance to save it? Before the auto-recovery feature was added to products, you probably would have lost all of your hard work, causing you to have...
Expanding your inventory to include merchandise that enhances or expands your sales is always a good idea — if it is done properly. Using other merchandise as an added draw for your cabinet line can reap rewards. The addition of countertops, vanity tops,...
Given today’s economy, kitchen and bath professionals are competing in any way possible to garner the most sales. Logic tells us that the easiest way to attract customers is to cut margin and offer discounts. Because of this, many cabinet dealers and remodelers...
