Kitchen & Bath Design News is the industry's leading business, design and product resource for the kitchen and bath trade.
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WHEN IT COMES to succeeding in today's rapidly evolving kitchen/bath market, there are seemingly as many similarities as diferences among leading design pros. And there are plenty of both. It's obvious, for instance, that today's designers – operat- ing in an ever-more-fragmented, competitive and technolog- ically driven market – represent a diverse array of business models, from dealerships maintaining large, brick-and-mortar showrooms to independent frms whose principals work from tiny studios, shared spaces or home-based ofces. Some design frms carry hefty payrolls, refective of sky-high annual volume, while others, generating only modest revenue, main- tain skeleton stafs or work solo, outsourcing many services they provide. And the diferences don't stop there. Designers' educations, backgrounds, gender and experi- ence levels vary just as dramatically. So do geographic markets, targeted clients, revenue sources, product mix, use of subcon- tractors and the types of projects the businesses undertake. Even more striking than this universe of diferences, though, are the commonalities shared by the wide cross-sec- tion of topfight design pros whose insights provided the backbone for an exclusive, eight-city seminar series – "Client Engagement Strategies for Today's Evolving Market" – being rolled out by Kitchen & Bath Design News in Atlanta this month (see related story, Page 12). What's especially striking, for one thing, is that every successful design pro has apparently fgured out – often after years of trial and error –precisely what business model works best for them, and each possesses the ability to leverage that model to their advantage. Traditional showrooms, for example, often leverage their ability to enable clients to touch and feel a vast array of product. Home-based designers, in contrast, often tout how clients can beneft from lower overhead and, hence, more modest pricing. But there's even more to the designers' success formula than merely that. Each one, it's clear, targets the specifc clients they wish to work with, and actively works to establish consultative rela- tionships based on personal rapport, expertise, transparency and regular communication. Each understands the psychology of selling – how emotion and lifestyle and need combine to impact buying decisions – and skillfully employs product displays, vignettes, samples, powerful digital technologies and cutting-edge sales-presen- tation strategies to create a personal experience and engage clients through their heart as well as their mind. Each makes a point of collaborating with a trusted group of tradesmen, allied professionals, employees and vendors who share their standards when it comes to product quality, customer service and fulfllment of the promises they make. Each utilizes a sophisticated web site and maintains a strong social media presence, embracing the growing plethora of online resources, software, kitchen/bath-related apps and marketing tools revolutionizing the industry. Each has a clear, well-thought-out mission statement, business plan and marketing campaign focused on a clearly established brand. Lastly, and perhaps most importantly, every successful de- signer in the kitchen and bath trade demonstrates that they're never satisfed with the status quo or what they've accom- plished. Always, they're driven to be better, to adapt, to learn, to grow, to do more. Those are the qualities that build reputations and success- ful businesses of all types. They're also the qualities to emulate as 2016 takes hold, and the market continues to evolve. " Even more striking than their diferences are the commonalities shared by today's leading kitchen and bath design pros." Designers' Success Formula Shared February 2016 • KitchenBathDesign.com 7 EDITORIAL ® Facebook.com/ KitchenBathDesignNews @KBDN PUBLISHER Paul DeGrandis PUBLISHER EMERITUS Eliot Sefrin EDITOR Janice Anne Costa MANAGING EDITOR Anita Shaw ASSOCIATE EDITOR Ashley Lapin Olian GROUP EDITORIAL DIRECTOR Patrick O'Toole CONTRIBUTING WRITERS Kim Berndtson Joe Dowd Jamie Gold, CKD, CAPS Elizabeth Richards Denise Vermeulen COLUMNISTS Ellen Cheever, CMKBD, ASID, CAPS Hank Darlington Leslie Hart Bruce Kelleran, CKD, CPA Stephen Nicholls Ken Peterson, CKD Mary Jo Peterson, CKD, CBD, CAPS Sarah Reep, CMKBD, ASID, CMG, CAPS, IIDA Bryan Reiss, CMKBD Eric Schimelpfenig, AKBD CREATIVE & PRODUCTION DIRECTOR Tracy Hegg CIRCULATION MANAGER Mike Serino READER SERVICE MANAGER Jeff Heine DIGITAL PROGRAMS MANAGER Tim Steingraber OPERATIONS MANAGER Marie Snow PROJECTS MANAGER Heidi Riedl Copyright © 2016 by SOLA Group Inc. All rights reserved. No part of this magazine may be produced in any form, including electronically, without written permission from the publisher of Kitchen & Bath Design News . ELIOT SEFRIN PUBLISHER EMERITUS