Rahm Emanuel said “Never Let a Serious Crisis Go to Waste.” A crisis is an opportunity to do important things that you would otherwise avoid. While the economy does look brighter, our industry is still at the bottom. The good news is that means our industry is ripe for something transformative to happen –it’s times like these that major shifts in the market happen and progress is made. We are in a perfect environment to produce just that.
And speaking of something “transformative” happening, are we the only ones who have noticed that nothing ground-breaking has happened in the kitchen and bath industry for decades? It seems that instead of working together to transform our industry, people are content with just surviving.
And sadly, it’s always been this way. Business models in this industry are pretty much the same as they were 50 years ago.
Think about this for just one second – what if every industry remained the same and nothing revolutionary ever happened? We would still be getting our news every Saturday from the local newspaper rather than instantly via the internet, we would still be using land lines rather than our cell phones, and we would still be ordering the same old cabinet from the same old manufacturer the exact same way, oh wait…that one is true.
If I was a Manufacturer…
You’ve all heard the saying, “A cabinet is a cabinet is a cabinet.” Cabinets are all the same (with the exception of some modifications etc) – and they’re all sold the same with the same business model. They all have territories, and every territory has dealers. What about a new model? What about a model where we completely break away from the idea of a territory? Instead, a manufacturer would have “certified salespeople” and every dealer that carries their line has to have a certified salesperson on staff. A certified salesperson would move $2M/yr. so every dealer on the planet would want one.
If I was a Cabinet Dealer…
It’s easy to poke fun at the cabinet manufacturers – after all, they are your vendors. But look inside your walls for just a moment. My bet is nothing much has changed in your business in the last few decades. Sure people have come and gone, but it’s still the same old pig- just a slightly different shade of lipstick.
What Are You Doing?
Why sit back and wait for the market to hand you a gift which may never come? Join the revolution and be a part of becoming a more successful business venture. If things haven’t changed much at your dealership it’s time to get a makeover – and that’s more than just lipstick, honey.
