Follow these 6 home center sales tactics and you will increase your home center orders and take sales away from stone, tile and laminate.
The kitchen design associate is everything to those who want to grow and prosper in the home center business. Take care of the Associate and they will take care of you.
A Home Depot Annual Report simplified why you want to focus on the Associate. It said, “(In) customer interactions with Associates 30-35% purchase immediately after asking for their advice; 25-30% were seeking advice for a later purchase.” Every kitchen and bath shopper seeks out advice from the K/B Associate. They can teach the customer what to buy. Thus, you want to win over and teach the associate what to say and do when it comes to surface materials.
Tactic #1.
Personally influence the 3 areas you have a degree of control over:
q Associates
q Displays
q Installation
Tactic #2.
Create personal relationships with the Kitchen/Bath Associates
q Teach product knowledge, design and installation
q Have regular scheduled contact with the installation manager
q Know the district, regional and in-store install managers
Tactic #3.
Conduct one-on-one in-store training
q Take the mystery out of solid surface and quartz and make it exciting
q Make solid surface and you their most dependable resources
q Teach them 5 way to bring up and recommend solid surface and quartz
q Put the 5 ways on a 4” x 6” card they can keep in their apron
q Use “apron cards” provided by your suppliers
q Keep their training simple, very simple
Tactic #4.
Learn the culture and direction of home centers
q A typical solid surface and quartz countertop market is: 30% pro sales; BIY/Installed sales 30%; 40% other/DNA.
q Hang out in the depot and talk to the K/B designers.
q Read Home Channel News, Built from Scratch and Inside Home Depot.
q Buy a share of Home Depot and Lowe’s, their annual reports and press packets are treasures in teaching you how to profit from them.
Tactic #5.
Be available within minutes
q Teach them to call you 24/7 – be their strength
q Have your cell phone published to “everyone” in the sales loop
Tactic #6.
Take care of the customer
q Be responsible for everything solid surface/quartz!
q Take ownership of customer issues, immediately.
In the home center business, nothing really happens until you have a personal relationship with the kitchen and bath associates. If you plan to enlarge your company, develop the associates. If you want more profits and market share, develop the associates. The reality of home center success is so incredibly simple, just develop the associates.
About the author:
Robert Oxley, in addition to being ISSFA’s Executive Director is also a recognized authority on selling to, serving and succeeding in major home centers. His research, training, consulting and sales into the home center business spans 15 years. Contact Oxley with your questions at 1-877-GO-ISSFA or oxley@issfa.org.