Prior to the housing market bubble, much of the cabinet sales market was devoted to the contractor – or more specifically, the residential home builder. We’ve all had to adapt and change. Some dealers have added other product offerings: flooring, specialty...
Competing in a tough market like cabinet making is hard enough. But as a cabinet dealer competing with imported products that may be significantly cheaper, you might find yourself wondering what to do. Here are a few ideas to help you find your competitive edge: Sell...
Consumers looking for new kitchen or other home remodel are often shopping price as their primary target. Others want to balance price and value and still others are most motivated by the best in quality and value. When encountering these three types, the best...
It started back in the 90’s I think. We’ll call him John Doe and he worked for a cabinet manufacturer. John looked at the dealer channel back then and realized it was a bit of a mess. John wanted to help cabinet dealers, but he couldn’t quite...
The team at BreakFront (formerly CompanionCabinet) recently analyzed dealers and the challenges they identified (from their perspective). The sample set we chose was made up of approximately 10,000 unique individuals who work in cabinet dealerships and whose roles...
Often as kitchen and bath professionals, you may wonder what you could do to convert quotes into orders more efficiently. Sometimes, customers need multiple quotes before they are satisfied enough to purchase cabinets. However, in most cases, multiple revisions of a...
Whether you are new to the industry, or have been around for quite a while, you’ll want to target the ideal range of profit margins for your business. There are many different factors that go into targeting an appropriate profit margin. The first thing you need to do...
The economic downturn proved to be difficult for most businesses, but with conditions gradually becoming more positive, you may find yourself proudly holding a “help wanted” sign. As the decision maker, there are important characteristics to seek when...
While the past few years have been trying on many businesses, there’s a cloud with a silver lining in sight. Software as a Service (commonly known as SaaS or “cloud” software) is revolutionizing the way companies operate. Gone are the days of outrageously...
Whether you’re selling kitchens, used cars or flat screen televisions, there are basic fundamentals involved that are frequently practiced by successful salespeople. Many of these principles use common sense, yet some salespeople still stray away from them....
Sooner or later it will happen—you’ll hit a sales slump. It happens to all of us at some point in time. Sales slumps can occur through no fault of your own. Market trends, competitor pricing and the state of the economy can all affect sales. It is important to...
Hopefully you’ve read part 1 of this cabinet dealer sales training series that gives tips on tasks that your salespeople should not be doing. Tasks that take the salesperson away from the actual job of selling is detrimental to your dealership, and your bottom...
We are now a full quarter away from the disastrous year that was 2010 and we’re starting to see some encouraging signs that the cabinet business is in growth mode. Sure the business may be coming from remodels instead of tract home building but at least people are...
Trust Software Companies to Make Software & Cabinet Companies to Make Cabinets A manufacturer’s worst nightmare is when you (the dealer) drop their line. When a manufacturer fights so hard to sign you up, it’s awful when you leave and go with another brand. It...
In the current economic climate no business can afford mistakes. Efficiency and value for money have become more than trendy ideas, they are facts of life. To help maximize your time and money, below are the top 5 most common mistakes cabinet dealers make. 1....
In part 1 of this series, we presented a viewpoint we’ve had for many years of living in the dealer channel that ordering from design software would never help the cabinet industry communicate electronically and it certainly wouldn’t drive costs out of the...
Green is just about the most over-used color these days. It’s like organic – it sounds great but there’s no standard definition on what is “organic,” so even those products with one ingredient like barley are now organic. I remember...
If you missed Karen Strauss’ state of the industry address, below are the key points from her presentation at KBIS. And if you missed KBIS this year in Vegas, don’t worry — I lost a little bit extra this trip to cover you. Karen started her...
No question, doing business as a cabinet dealer is not for everybody, but the payoffs and pleasures can be substantial for those willing to make the appropriate investment in time and effort. Oh, wait, you already knew that, didn’t you? Why else would you be here,...
One show I’ve enjoyed a lot is MythBusters. Why? Because there is certainly no lack of popular misconceptions, myths and urban legends to debunk. The other day I watched one particular show which really made me laugh. I think it was so funny to me because I...
Every three months we release an updated version of Equilibrium (formerly Aurora) that takes into account all of the feedback we receive from current users, as well as from our team who regularly tests Equilibrium. We just released a version that includes a number of...
Any kitchen and bath professional knows the occasional (or maybe the not so occasional) prospect can be hard to deal with. Maybe the prospect loves the feeling of control, maybe they are bent on taking advantage of the salesperson, maybe they aren’t ready to...
You organize clients While keeping track of leads And show real-time dashboards To help cabinet dealers succeed You have calendars to schedule Every stage of the deal And eliminate need for paper It almost feels surreal You allow for placing orders EDI, fax or email...
Some days are better than others – a statement that holds true for most businesses. When you aren’t generating new clients, days start to feel like weeks and your bank account starts to feel neglected. This is why it is important to stay ahead of local...
In our little town called the Kitchen and Bath Industry, there are some new cabinet manufacturer houses that are being built. There are still some larger mansions on the corner, but you never really see much of their owners. They stay mostly indoors, struggling with...
