Showrooms help sell cabinets & uanities

aABINETS and vanities sell best

|\zwhen customers see them in auractive kirchen and bath models.

Before building a display, management should ask" "What do we want to happen when a prospective buyer enters?"

The main purpose of a showroom is to sell. As a sales tool it must generate enthusiasm, creale desire, show new items, reassure the customer, suggest creativity, display good workmanship and offer choices, according to the National Kitchen & Bath Association.

Effective models are based on an analysis of potential buyers and a planned presentation. Before designing the sales space, management should decide:

/ The type of clients desired. A propective customer pnohle is vihl.

Story at a Glance

Ways a showroom can encourage cabinet and vanity sales ... displays and sales solutlons.

/ Products to be displayed. Even if the sore does not sell flooring, wall coverings and lighting fixtures, displays must include these excitementgenerating items.

/ Amount of floor space neede4 based on number of customers expected to examine the model at me time.

/ Adjacent space fu a sales desk, cmlputef design @nter, p'roduct samples, catalogs, sales aid storage, etc.

/ \\e message o be conveyed to the customer, e.g., dignity, friendly warmt\ a ptace to save money.

With pre-planning, the spatial layout can reflect the sore's specialties in a creative and utractive fashion.

Depending m the space available, a store might build three complete kitchen displays and one to eight vigneces. A similar number of bathrooms also might be appropriate.

Displays should be planned to demonstrate tbe cboies avdleble to o customer. For example, with three kirchen displays, tbe first might have cabinets to lhe ceiling, tbe second a soffit above standard 30" high wall cabinets and the third an open soffit with decorative moulding. Each display should be built with different cabinet styles and finishes, counter!ops, appliances and fluing choi(n. This three*hoice conc€pt adapB well oo gd/better/best selling.

Limiting the model kitchens or bathrooms avoids confusing tbe olstomer with too many choices. For slnmpl€, three kitcbens demonstrating basic traditional, contemporary and high tech a European styling will meet the design expectations of most customers and serve as a starting point ftr those wanting mse indivitlualistic designs.

Displays should be traffic stopp€rs. This can be achieved 6y facing the layout towards the store traffic flow and creating a strong design statement. Color as well as layout will invite curiosity and draw customers ino tbe sprce.

Once the kitchen or bath display has auracted the qrstmer, it is th job of Oe salesperson to serve and sell. The sensitive sale.sp€rson will debrief the customer to learn their preferences, idea$ needs and bulger Affer listening, be can tailc his presentation to provide a solution that fits expectatims.

The seller must resist the temptation o show off every style and finish of cabineL every cormt€rte material, appliance or fix$re. This aproach cmfuses shopers who usually bave a glimmer of what they wanl Just as disorganized displays, disorganized literanre and discganized estimates tend to make a customer doubt the ability of the store, a disorganized pres€ntation tums him off. An aganized presentation of ideas md troducts that meet their stated needs will usually be m arger

The cabinet and vanity shonryoon is a large investment. It must be planned as an effective mateting aid and produce results with increased sales.