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FIVE YEARS AGO, if you were asked to invest in a company that was developing an online portal enabling travelers to rent rooms in people's homes instead of a conventional hotel, what would you have said? Most likely, your answer would have been a resounding, "You're kidding, right?" Last year, Airbnb was valued at more than $25 billion. The hotel industry did not see Airbnb com- ing. The taxicab industry has been blindsided by Uber. Opticians never imagined a Warby Parker. Houzz has become the go-to resource for home decorating and improvement ideas. The list goes on and on. What diferentiates monumentally success- ful disruptive companies from the successful entrenched incumbents? According to Harvard University professor and recognized authority on innovative disruption Clayton Christenson, disrupters such as Apple, Zappos, Amazon, etc. ofer customers performance advantages. Note though, that does not necessarily mean price advantages. Decorative brick and mortar retail showrooms can become disruptive forces in their markets if they leverage their superior per- formance advantages, many of which are staring them right in the face. LIGHTING OPPORTUNITIES One opportunity knocking at decorative plumbing and hardware showrooms' doors is to expand their merchandise mix to sell products that every bathroom needs, but are often ignored or shunned. Lighting is a perfect example. Good lighting makes a bathroom more enjoyable, and poor lighting does just the opposite. Knowing how light interacts with materials, users and tasks helps showroom sales professionals create a plan that puts customers in their best light while at the same time select the most appropriate plumbing fxtures and hardware for their projects. Another reason every decorative plumbing and hardware showroom should sell bathroom lighting is that it helps showroom sales profes- sionals become trusted advisors. Simply asking a customer, "How do you want your bathroom to feel when the project is completed?" builds trust. Many customers are likely to be puzzled by this question, because they've never been asked how they want a room to feel. Nonetheless, asking how customers want their bath to feel is essential to identifying the emotional connection that your customers want to have every time they enter and use their new bath. The responses that you receive from customers – whether they want a sense of calm, excitement, romance, relaxation, satisfaction or some other emotion – will help you specify the right lighting, plumbing fxtures and architectural hardware. It is a question that also helps you to better understand customer goals. Chandeliers can change the look and feel of the bath. Sconces can help create the soothing feeling of a private day spa. Portable lamps and makeup mirrors on a vanity or countertop can create an unexpected feeling of intimacy. At the end of the day, showrooms sell products based on how they will make their customers feel when they're used. In addition to helping connect to customers emotionally, specifying lighting helps avoid the possibility that all of the other work that goes into selecting products is compromised. Without proper lighting, the tubs, vanities, mirrors and other products selected can look drab. As a result, the appearance of the room will not refect the customers' desired aesthetic. Your clients will be dissatisfed and most likely will blame you and your showroom for their disappointment. On a more basic level, bathrooms without proper lighting are not functional. Customers can either buy lighting from you or go to another showroom that sells it. That venue may also sell plumbing. Why would you want to send your customers to a competitor that could possibly take the entire project away from you? Proper and efective lighting can also make smaller spaces appear larger. When you show builder clients how to make spaces appear larger, you become more valuable. When you help individual homeowners create more space and better enjoy their baths, your eforts often result in multiple referrals from satisfed clients. Similar to most plumbing products, brand- name recognition among homeowners virtually does not exist in lighting. Most customers select lighting based on appearance. They like a sconce, chandelier, fush-mount or other type of fxture, or they don't. When they do fnd something they like, all they usually say is, "I'll take that one," instead of trying to fnd it online at a lower cost. Many showroom owners don't sell lighting because they're unfamiliar with how it works and believe they lack the expertise needed to sell it with confdence. But lighting and decorative plumbing are remarkably similar. Both serve specifc functions and both can make or break how the completed project appears, feels and functions. The Decorative & Plumbing Hardware Association developed a new edition to its educa- tion program that explains how to specify and sell bathroom lighting to enable its members to take advantage of the opportunities lighting presents. After reading the DPHA Lighting manual, show- room stafs will have the necessary knowledge and tools to confdently sell bathroom lighting. Just as many showrooms do not sell the pipe that is necessary to bring water to the bath, they don't need to sell junction boxes, wire or behind-the-wall components necessary to bring power to lighting. Plus, light fxtures are fnished in similar ways to plumbing fxtures and door hardware, allowing showrooms to easily achieve a coordinated look for their customers' baths. Another advantage is that showrooms do not have to dedicate lots of additional space to dis- play lighting. Pendants, fush-mounts, chande- liers, recessed lighting and semi-recessed light- ing can hang from the ceiling. Every vignette can be outftted with lighting without having to dedicate expensive space to placing lighting fxtures. Lighting enhances vignettes and helps to place beautiful displays in their best light. BATH FURNITURE Bath furniture is another often overlooked show- room opportunity. A recent industry survey found that showrooms only sell bathroom furniture in 10 percent or less of their projects. In many markets, showrooms claim that contractors and cabinet shops control bathroom furniture sales. If a designer or contractor suggests that they prefer to rely on a cabinetmaker, there are several key points to address. Customers need to consid- er the cabinetmaker's materials and design. Will the size of the piece or pieces account for the bowl, plumbing fxtures and customer storage requirements? Will the fnish used coordinate with other fxtures and components in the bath and/or adjoining bedroom and closet? Will the fnish be uniform? Who will install the pieces and who will be responsible for coordinating the installation with the other trades? JEFF ROBBOY " Expanding the merchandise mix to include lighting, accessories and furniture can help to make your showroom a disruptive force." Read past columns and features and send us your comments about this article and others at KitchenBathDesign.com Showroom Opportunities Are Knocking 22 Kitchen & Bath Design News • February 2016 DPH PERSPECTIVES