KBB - February/March 2015 - 18

DEALER DISH

Marketing 101
Having a good system in place can help attract the right customers to you
Most consumers who want a new kitchen or bath search online before they visit a showroom, but this doesn't necessarily mean most will buy
products online. As we all know, these projects are not trivial or simple,
and the majority of consumers wanting to renovate have not done so
for 10+ years. Most consumers value the service a kitchen or bath dealer
provides, and independent dealers have a great advantage as they can
often offer local, personalized service.
Positioning in the marketplace is important to set yourself apart, and
this can be improved via online and ofﬂine strategies. All kitchen and bath
dealers - large or small - need to establish marketing initiatives to get
people to seek them out and engage with them. Given that most people
ﬁrst look up companies online, there is great opportunity for dealers to
engage visitors on their websites and start building a relationship based
on trust.

Double Your Sales
When used properly, the Internet can empower the kitchen/bath
dealer. A website that doubles the amount of leads that are then followed up and managed properly will also double sales. With a complete
marketing plan in place, you will be able to improve on each step of the
buying process to get more customer leads. None of this is complicated,
but it will require some work and dedication. The steps for implementing a
complete marketing system in your business are all straightforward:

1. Make Your Site Easily Accessible, and Engage with Content.
Customers have long since gone beyond looking at your website as a
business card. It needs to offer much more and be the basis of the start
of your relationship to attract visitors. You need to ask yourself, how does
yours reﬂect what you do?
Our research with consumers, which is also augmented by our reviews
of hundreds of websites and feedback from our customers, shows that the
majority of people looking for a new kitchen rate kitchen dealer websites
less than ﬁve on a 10-point scale based on the value of the information
they provide. Add more links and relevant reasons to engage on your site,
and it's likely that a 50 percent increase in leads will result.
Besides product information, it is important to relate to and align with
your target customer through your website. Address head on the concerns they may have, and provide the content and help they need. As
a renovation can be a substantial expense, the more you can make the
customer feel at home, the better, and make it clear that they are in the
right place. Provide content that illustrates the things in which you specialize, and provide something of value to your target customer.
2. Build Trust through Ongoing Communication. Follow up via faceto-face meetings, phone conversations and emails. This fosters relationships and builds trust. Email is one of the most powerful and efﬁcient com18

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munication methods when used properly during the lead-to-sale process.
There is also an irony in that the more consumers are online, the more
value you can actually demonstrate by engaging them ofﬂine. Don't be
fooled into thinking that potential customers who visit your website will
automatically buy from you. The more channels with which you use to
communicate useful information, the greater your chance for gaining
a customer.
Downloading a PDF document is ﬁne, but it can be more valuable to
send your potential clients a printed newsletter to illustrate new projects
on which you've worked, new lines you've introduced, a view on recent
kitchen trends, etc. The material itself may not be more valuable than the
content on your website, but the perceived value will be greater when you
take the time to mail an item.

3. Systemize Follow-Up. A lot of the time dealers leave it to the clients
to do the follow up, but it is the dealer's job to ensure nothing falls between
the cracks and to provide real customer service. Surveys are an ideal way
to follow up with customers; you can ﬁnd out the current status of your
leads and whether or not they need any assistance. You will also catch a
few sales in the process that would otherwise be missed. The main reason
for this is that during the time spent thinking about getting a new kitchen
and actually deciding on a remodel, the consumer contacts more than
one prospect. Following up with those potential leads can sometimes put
you at the top of the list.
4. Positioning Is Key. Good positioning in the marketplace is vital for
all dealers, but they also need to differentiate themselves. A mix of quality,
service and price is what is good for your business and your reputation.
5. Build Referrals. An important element to one's business is the
referral, which can amount to well over 50 percent of sales and signiﬁcantly more for most established businesses. At the beginning of your
relationship with prospective customers, be up front about the fact that
you expect them to refer you once the project is complete. Make it clear
that you will provide them with everything they need and that your existing customers agree. Ask this of them on day one so it becomes part of
the sales process and your customers know you expect it; this cements
strong positioning and backs up your business.
Like I said, none of this is complicated, yet so few implement these
steps. Even though time and again we see the same results with double
lead generation and better positioning, it is a slow process for kitchen
and bath dealers to take the plunge, and it shouldn't be. n
- Dr. Edward Nugent is the principal at www.kitchenmastermind.com
and the author of Marketing - A Kitchen Retailer's Guide.

February/March 2015 / www.kbbonline.com / The Ofﬁcial Sponsor of KBIS www.kbis.com

http://www.kitchenmastermind.com http://www.kbbonline.com http://www.kbis.com

KBB - February/March 2015

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