For kitchen and bath designers, you may have noticed that business has begun to slow down. Many economic experts are saying that our economy is slowing down and that we may be heading into a recession. With interest rates at their highest level in well over a decade and the housing market peaking, all indicators are that they are right. What will you be doing during this last quarter of the year and next year to retain your prospects?

As a designer, it will be more important than ever to acquire and retain all the prospects you can to keep your pipeline full so you can close sales and still be profitable. About 1-1/2 years ago, if you are like most designers, you were probably seeing more prospects than your business could even handle. One designer I spoke with said that it was like “…people are throwing their checkbooks at me.” That won’t be happening again any time soon and you will need to fight to keep every prospect that walks in your door or contacts you by phone. You and your competitors will be vying for an increasingly smaller pool of buyers.

Differentiating yourself from your competition is the primary way you will be able to maintain market share and be able to stay in business, but how do you do that in a market where from the customer’s point of view, most cabinets, countertops, flooring, and many products like these are readily available anywhere they choose to go?

One of the best ways to differentiate yourself and compel your prospect to want to work with you is to show them that you care about them and their needs. In fact, you will probably have an even smaller window of time to be able to accomplish this before your buyer tunes out, and decides to go elsewhere, even though they are still in your presence. Communicating this to your client is going to be even more critical than ever. Remember that this is all about them, not what you or your business can do, what you have done for clients in the past, or what products or services you offer.

Engage your prospect using proper discovery questions to show that you care about them and their situation and also to learn more about how you can help them to achieve their goals and dreams for their space. Stop talking, and ask better questions.

For example, most designers are good at asking their prospects how long they have lived in their home but only the very successful ones follow that up with smarter questions like: “Where were you living prior to that?”, What inspired you to move to that area?”, or “Wow, that’s a long time in one place, have you ever re-done this space before, why now?” Then another proper follow-up such as: “That’s interesting, can you tell me more about that?”

If you are genuinely curious about your buyer and their story and you show this by inquiring and going a little deeper into your prospect’s motivation for redoing their space, you will be showing empathy for your client and proving to them that they are important and so are their ideas and needs.

This is going to be critical in the upcoming year to show how you are different from your competitors who are boring their prospects by going on about how they are a “full-service” design center and can provide for all their needs in a project and how they have been in business for over 50 years and have the latest trendy products available. Buyers will not care about any of this. What they want to know is how they and their needs are special and unique and how this person can partner with them to achieve their dream or vision.

The upcoming year is going to be more challenging to sell projects than it has been in a long time and it is time to fine-tune your skills to be ready. Now is the time to re-evaluate your process, self-assess your interactions and ask yourself, “Did I ask the proper questions?”, “Am I showing my prospect that they are important?” Role-play with your co-workers, and practice your methods and processes so that they are natural. Prepare for the questions that you inevitably know your prospect is going to ask.

As a well-known author on sales and selling, Jeb Blount has been saying, winter is coming. Are you fully prepared?

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My name is Duane Becker and I educate Kitchen Designers on key ideas to design and sales techniques to help them present their designs and motivate their clients to purchase. I have held design and sales seminars for the NKBA, KBIS, Lowe’s, and consulted for private dealers, individuals, and showrooms.

When I started my first selling job our team was always interested in the latest methods and techniques that would help us to get better leads, qualify our prospects better, and close more sales. We got to know each other’s strengths and weaknesses and tried to lift each other up through challenging times.

Fast forward about 1-2 years later. My company hired a new salesperson whom I will call Gregg. Gregg dove head-first into the position and plowed forward. Within a couple of months, he was outselling everyone on the team, myself included. The funny thing about it was that even after a year of being with the company and being the top-selling person nearly every month, Gregg was still telling his clients that he was kind of new to the job.

I don’t know if Gregg was saying this to try and convince his prospects he was new or if he was working to keep his mindset in the “newby” mentality. Either way, it worked and he continued to be one of the company’s top sellers.

So why am I telling you this story, and what did I take away from this experience?

Have you ever noticed that many new hires who don’t know much about what they are doing seem to be really successful? Frequently, over time that success seems to taper off and they fall in with the rest of the team with average performance.

Why do you suppose that is? What are they doing differently than everyone else on your team is doing?

As a team, we were fully aware of what Gregg was doing. By staying in the “newby” mindset, he kept on with the basics of selling our products because he knew that the basics worked. Gregg was persistent and consistent, never stopped and in the end, was very successful.

This is something we all noticed and learned from and something that in my sales career now, I try to remind myself. Gregg was successful because he did not skip the necessary steps to the sale. Tirelessly, he performed the steps that he knew were needed, EVERY. SINGLE. TIME. Keep up with the basics, keep up with what works, and be consistent.

It is easy to listen to the voices in your head that are telling you sales lies every day. Lies like:

• “This prospect is not really interested”
• “Cold calls and cold emails don’t work”
• “Our products (or services) are too expensive”
• “They are just price shopping”
• “I’m too busy maintaining my current accounts to waste time with this prospect.”

If you wanted to succeed like Gregg, turn off the lies your brain is telling you, the lies that are keeping you from being successful. Your brain is telling you a story that is holding you back from doing your job the way you know how to do it.

Stop thinking too much about it, and just do it!

Go back to the basics of what works.

If you need some inspiration, Read some good books on sales and selling, and view some online tutorials on selling and prospecting to help you get back on track. If you are like me, you will rediscover selling practices that work well that you have always known about and you will sometimes say to yourself: “I used to do that all the time, and it worked, why have I stopped?”

Maybe it is time to reinvest in yourself and develop yourself a little further. There are many different approaches to proven ideas. Find an author, trainer, or mentor that resonates with you, and you can breathe new life into what has been proven to work.

Stop overthinking the steps before you do them, and just do them!

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I want to know your thoughts and reactions, please comment!

My name is Duane Becker and I educate Kitchen Designers on key ideas to design and sales techniques to help them present their designs and motivate their clients to purchase. I have held design and sales seminars for the NKBA, KBIS, Lowe’s, and consulted for private dealers, individuals, and showrooms.

When I was in college, one of my professors gave long lectures covering very important information, and we knew as students that his tests were going to ask specific questions that included important dates, names, and locations.

Have you ever found yourself listening to a presentation where the presenter was moving so quickly that it is difficult to grasp all the important information?  If you are like me, questions pop into my head quickly, but I find myself having to write them down because, in the process of listening to the presenter’s next idea or thought, I have since forgotten the question.

If the topic being presented is useful and interesting, you can easily find yourself frantically taking notes, to capture the most relevant and important information.

When this happens, audience members sometimes ask the presenter, if there is time, to review something again.  Frequently though, the pace of the presentation doesn’t allow for this to happen until a Q&A session at the end.  If you have forgotten to take a note of your question or there was not enough time for you to ask your question, you might find that it was never answered, and you are a little lost.

As an interior designer, your client may be in the same situation where they feel like they are being hit with a fire hose of information.  There is a lot of information that is important for your client to know when you are reviewing their project with them. 

Most of the information is completely new to your client in that these may be things that they have never considered before, or you may be using new terminology that they need to fully understand.

It is for these reasons that it is very important to include in your presentation strategic pauses that allow your client time to understand what you are describing, and the opportunity to ask the sorts of questions that pop into their mind on the spot.

My college professor was thankfully good at this in that when finishing his idea or thought, he would pause for a few moments before moving to the next idea, giving us time to make notes, or ask questions.

If you really want a point to sink in with your client, especially if it has to do with expectations, timeline, etc., take a few moments to breathe when you are done and give your client time to absorb what you have said and to ask a question if needed.  This will also help to emphasize the importance of the information you are conveying.

Another time when pausing is critical is after asking a question.  If you allow for a pause not only right after your question but also after your client’s answer to your question.  You may find that with a little thought, your client will elaborate on their answer.  The example I like to give is after you discover that your client has previously been shopping at a competitor, you may ask “So what brings you here, instead?”

The client’s first answer will most likely be a sort of knee-jerk reaction but given a few more moments to think about it, may tell you even more information.  You may hear a response to this question to be something like “I wanted to see if the price was competitive.”  <pause>, <pause>, <pause>, “…and I also didn’t feel like this designer was listening to what I wanted.”, or something to this effect.  Strategically allowing the silence to be present, your client will frequently feel obligated to fill that silence gap.

This is also very useful when you are presenting the final price for a project.  If you pause for a few moments after you present the price, your client has time to take in the whole picture, and possibly ask questions that pertain to justifying the price or express their emotional reaction to what you have presented.

Customers who have been shopping for a kitchen or bath remodel have frequently stated that they feel overwhelmed by not only the many decisions that need to be made but also the vast amount of information that is poured their way.

By pausing strategically throughout all your presentations, your client will feel less overwhelmed, and you will give them the time they need to fully comprehend what you need them to know.

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It has been a while, readers and something has been nagging me. So many companies claim to be the best at what they do. This, or they claim to be different, unique or claim to value their customers and many other claims like this.

To be truly successful in most businesses, you must differentiate yourself. If you are unsuccessful at doing this, your product or service will be reduced to merely a commodity where the only thing that matters is price. Remember that in the absence of differentiation, all that remains is price.

It is very important to stand out from the crowd, to not get lost in the “sea of sameness”, to quote Larry Levine. Research your competition to see what they are doing and discover how you can do it differently, and hopefully better.

I suggest that you take an hour or two to brainstorm about what your prospect is feeling, and thinking and what will get their attention when they first meet you. It is time to seriously think out of the box with regard to how you can set yourself apart. (Sorry for the cabinetry pun).

There is a point I am getting at with this thought. I am sure you have all seen advertising where individuals or companies state that they “…truly care about our customers.” or, “We offer a very unique purchasing experience.”, or “For one of a kind service”.

Actions speak far louder than words.

My belief is that if you are actually offering your customers something special and unique, you don’t need to advertise it and much of the time, maybe should not be advertising it. If you have managed to create a unique experience for your clients, word will get out about it and your actions will carry far and wide from your client’s testimonials much better than any publicity will.

When General Motors launched their Saturn dealerships, one-price shopping and a complete tour of the vehicle and how it was made was a very new thing in the car industry. They did not have to advertise how their process set them apart. They let word of mouth do most of their speaking for them. Through this, they were able to help their Saturn cars (in my opinion, a car that was very so-so), sell incredibly well because of their customer’s overall experience.

Tiffany and Co. does not state anywhere in their advertising or website what your purchasing experience will be like. They never say anything like “We value all our clients”, or “Our customers deserve the best”, or anything such as this. They don’t have to because their reputation has spread about the amazing experience they offer when you make an appointment to shop with them. They do talk about the services they offer, but they never state how these might be different from their competitors. Sure, they offer some of the best and most unique merchandise (and very expensive), but the shopping experience has gained a reputation for being top-notch and truly special.

When I see or hear of any company that states “for a truly unique experience”, or anything like this, I am immediately skeptical. If the overall experience is unique, they wouldn’t have to say so.

It has been determined through surveys that more than half of consumers based their decision to buy not because of the product or service offered, not because of the perceived value-to-price ratio, but because of their overall buying experience.

For that reason, you must be different and if you are, in your client’s view, you will be successful.

Please don’t advertise it, just DO IT!

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If you have kids or have a close friend or relative who does, you probably know that a young person needs to hear a request multiple times to remember it or to have it “sink in”. Why is that? Well, a young one has so many things in their world that are important to them, they probably have no idea why something is important to you, and subconsciously tune it out. You may have even said something like “..I have told you a thousand times …”, right?

Similarly, people who study advertising have said that it takes many times for the average person to see an ad for them to act on it, or to truly think about it and it may go something like this:

• The first 4 times you see an advertisement, you hardly notice it.
• The fifth time you see it, you read it.
• The 6th – 8th times it appears, it starts to bother you.
• By the 9th time, you start to wonder if there’s something to it..
• Views 10-12 prompt you to casually think about it. Maybe you ask a friend about it or do a quick scan through their website.
• By the 13th time you see an advertisement, the product or service might be worth something.
• In views 14-19 you slowly convince yourself to make a purchase and start saving for it.
• By the 20th time you see the same advertisement, you are sold.

Data provided by Red Crow Marketing

What is my point with all this? Well, you as a Kitchen and Bath designer are reviewing so much information with your client that it is nearly impossible for them to remember all that you are saying, especially since most of the time, the project or process is something they have never been involved with before. Your client will remember the things you say that are only important to them, not necessarily the things that are important for you to have them remember.

If there are critical elements to the project that your client must be aware of, there are only two things you can do to help your client to remember them:

1. Put it in Writing
2. Repeat, Repeat, Repeat.

Then when you are done, Repeat it… AGAIN!

I am sure that you have had clients that did not remember some very important things about their project even when you HAVE repeated them. This has been confirmed by many others in our industry.

Obviously, there are many things to review when there is a large project in the works, and it is important that your client is aware of some very important things, but expecting them to remember what you have said when you have been feeding them information with a firehose for the last 30 minutes just is not realistic. They have never done this before, or, most likely, not with you, so this is all new to them.

Treat them as though they are a 5-year-old, or like you are an advertisement. If you want them to understand the importance of an instruction, or a procedure, repeat, repeat, repeat,…

then repeat some more.

What do YOU do to be sure your client remembers what you say? Tell me in the comments below!

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As always, your comments and thoughts are welcome!

I was having a great discussion with an aspiring designer at KBIS this year who is finishing up his last year in college. We were talking about his goals, aspirations, etc. and I thought he had a really good head on his shoulders, and the fact that he was at KBIS and was connecting with others in the field to help learn the ins and outs of the trade spoke volumes.

Towards the end of the conversation, he asked me what advice I might be able to offer him as a new designer. I thought for a minute because really, where do you start with a question like that? Then it occurred to me, the one thing that a designer needs to know to be successful and I delivered my answer. “Learn how to sell your work”, I said, “in any number of ways, starting with seeking out books on selling”.

A successful sales professional will actively seek out current techniques on how to sell, and also learn as much as they can about the product or service they are selling. There is a lot of focus in the interior design and kitchen and bath design industry on product and design, as there should be, but to be a successful designer, shouldn’t you also focus on how to successfully present and sell your work?

When I began my Voices From the Industry session this year, I asked how many people have received or sought out training on kitchen design and nearly everyone raised their hand. I then asked how many people have received similar training on selling their projects and only one person raised their hand. Do you see the problem here?

It is important, of course, to receive training and expert advice on all of the many elements of design if you are to be successful. Just some of these are balance, light, color, texture, form, functionality, and so on. Also important is being able to express these elements of a design to your client.

Wouldn’t you agree, though that it is also important to receive training on elements of selling and presenting your work? This would include things such as prospecting, discovery, setting expectations, communication, how to negotiate, and finally, how to sell the project.

You can be a brilliant and talented designer, but if you can’t manage to overcome some of the hurdles in order to sell your work, you will not succeed.

My advice: Learn how to sell, using up-to-date methods, sourcing material, and mentors that are using modern methods that are proven effective with today’s savvy clientele. This can prove to be invaluable in learning how to effectively present and sell your work. A great starting point would be some good books on sales and selling. These do not have to be specifically written for the interior design industry since most presentational and selling methods can be applied to practically every industry.

The reality is you, as a designer are a salesperson also, and if you aren’t selling, you aren’t making money. Last time I checked, this is kind of necessary if you want to succeed. This does NOT mean you have to practice out-of-date “salesy” methods that make most people cringe. It means that you are guiding your prospect through a series of choices to help them achieve their goal: a newly designed space.

Since I have been in the kitchen and bath industry, I have been working with designers on how to present and sell their work with great success. I developed my coaching agency, SaPré, Sales and presentation training for designers and artistic professionals, to help them succeed.

Tell me what you have done to help sell your work.

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If you are in the Kitchen and Bath industry, you most likely know that KBIS (The Kitchen and Bath Industry Show) is the event to attend every year if you want to stay completely up to date on what the newest trends are, what the consumers will be looking for in their spaces this year, and what the newest available products are.

By now, you have most likely seen many photos from the show this year on products and designs that showed off their innovative ideas and looks. It really was very exciting this year to see everyone together again since last year, everything for the show was done virtually and the excitement this year was fantastic!

I have done presentations as part of the Voices From the Industry Series (VFTI) for the past 4 years running and have been very grateful to have this opportunity to help guide designers through this forum. During this, I have the benefit of attending many of my colleagues’ presentations and I thought I would touch on some of the most common talking points that I heard this year.

The presentations and workshops at VFTI covered the topics we typically see such as Living in Place, Wellness, Color in Design, and Materials. The overwhelmingly common topic though was on how to manage all aspects of your business, how to market yourself, and how to best communicate with your clients.

The feeling I got from this was that there are so many digital solutions to marketing and managing your business that many independent owners are feeling overwhelmed and not sure of the most effective methods and tools.

As a presenter, I am always reassured when my talking points are consistent with other presenters. This lets me know that I am on the right track with my ideas with regard to providing information that people are craving, and also that my material is not outdated. This year was no different, and I thoroughly enjoyed discussing my thoughts with others.

In all of the VFTI presentations, there were two ideas that were very prevalent. The first was about identifying your target client and marketing to that specific person. You will not be a perfect fit for everyone, so don’t try to be. If you spend the time to focus your marketing and business plan around a specific clientele, you will see a far better return on your marketing investment and effort.

The second very prevalent recommendation was to make all of your targeting, and branding consistent across your marketing efforts, and platforms. This includes your social media accounts and your website. If your branding is consistent wherever your prospect finds you, they will know what your company is about, who you are targeting, and you will be more recognizable.

One common discussion throughout the show this year also was social media marketing, how to use it effectively, and what platforms to use. The biggest takeaway that I got from this is not to try and use every platform just because you can. It is best to identify which platforms your target client uses the most and focus on those only.

It was great to see everyone this year, catch up with old colleagues, and make connections with new people in the industry. If you were there, I am sure you thoroughly enjoyed it as much as I did. If you did not make it, I highly suggest you check out KBIS next year, 2023 in Las Vegas!

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As always, your comments and thoughts are welcome!

By Duane Becker

I like going to Starbucks when on the road. Go ahead and think what you want, but I had a very unexpected experience there a while back.

I had placed an order at one of their locations using the mobile app. Simple enough, right? When I arrived at the location that I have been to many, many times I discovered my coffee wasn’t ready yet. The person behind the counter asked my name for the order and said they did not have an order for me. She asked to see a record of the order and when I showed her a record of it on my phone, she pointed out that I had ordered it from the wrong location. There is another Starbucks down the street indoors that I had placed the order through, NOT the location where I had planned to pick it up.

The woman said that this happens a lot and that this will not be a problem, but to just go to the person at the checkout, explain what happened, and they could place an order for my coffee at no charge. Wow, I hadn’t expected that, and I did just that.

This shop happened to be very busy on this particular morning, and because of this, it was taking a little longer than usual for them to get to my order. After about 10 minutes of waiting, someone asked me the order I was waiting for and they got me my coffee quickly. Right about the time this person was handing me my drink, another employee who I am guessing was a manager approached me, apologized that I had waited so long for my order, and handed me a $10 gift card for my inconvenience. This was all due to something that was originally my fault and my error!

This is the kind of excellent service that keeps people as loyal customers. Do you think I will keep supporting this company, and especially this location? Absolutely!

When you are meeting with your prospect, and courting them to become your client, what are you doing to not only provide value but also provide unexpected value?

If you are a kitchen and bath designer, keep in mind that the value item does not necessarily need to be something of monetary value. It could be a service, a welcome package, how you treat them, a gracious gesture, a way of doing business, a referral program.

The important thing is that this is perceived as valuable to your prospect. What you provide them of unexpected value might be different from one person to another. I would suggest you create a selection list of added value items that you can pick from, depending on what would be best for your client. Of course, you may do something completely different for a specific client but it would provide a starting point.

These are the small efforts that not only create loyal clients but also will generate referrals for years to come!

Please comment on what you currently do to provide your clients with unexpected value.

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By Duane Becker

When you are designing a kitchen for a client, there is one all-important measurement that is critical and if incorrect, could make things very challenging when installation time comes around.

What is the ceiling height?

Sometimes, when you ask this of a client (assuming you are not taking this measurement yourself), you can get answers like, “Oh, it’s a standard 8’ ceiling.”, or, “It’s whatever most ceilings are.”  We as designers know that neither of these answers is nearly accurate enough.  If a client says their ceiling is 8’, is it exactly?  My guess is that it is not, but actually a little different like 95-1/2” or maybe 94-1/4”, but it is probably not exactly 96”.

For what are seemingly obvious reasons, it is important to get this measurement correct.  It is also important to discover if they have what I like to call a “wonky” ceiling.  Maybe this is 94-1/2” high at one point, but at another point, 20” away, it is 94-1/8” high.  If it is off this much, you know that the ceiling is not even close to consistent in height and must take this into consideration when planning for the upper cabinets.

This is a critical element when planning for a number of different reasons:

1. Do you have enough clearance to stand up that tall utility cabinet you have designed for them?  

• Some cabinet manufacturer’s Spec. Books will tell you how much overall height is needed to accomplish this, but if they don’t, it is time to remember your geometry from high school.  Remember that for a right triangle, A² + B² = C².  Remember that?  OK, so if A = the height of the cabinet, and B = the depth of the cabinet, then C will equal the minimum ceiling height needed to stand the cabinet up.  (The diagonal line from the top of the front corner to the bottom of the opposite corner.). If your cabinet height is 96” (A), and your cabinet depth is 24” (B), then the minimum ceiling height needed to stand this up would be 98.95” (C).  So, in this case, I would need approximately 3” of added height to stand this up.  This assumes that your ceiling and floor are not wonky.  An added 4” would be safer.

• I have been on job sites where the installer was forced to cut off the toe kick of the cabinet, or yes, cut a hole in the ceiling to stand the tall cabinet up.

2. The readily thought of reason to know the ceiling height is, of course, so that you know how tall the wall cabinets can be in the space, and how high they should be hanging.  

• There should be 18” of clearance between the countertops and the upper cabinets, and the last thing you need is a client complaining because their new fancy blender doesn’t fit underneath their wall cabinets.  You also need to consider whether your client wants cabinets to go all the way to the ceiling (frequently with crown molding, but not always), or if they want them shy of the ceiling.  This will also determine how high the wall cabinets can be.

3. Perhaps the last, and possibly the most critical reason to know accurate ceiling heights is when you are planning for the cabinets to go to the ceiling, either with or without, decorative crown molding.

• I once witnessed a situation where the client chose to hang their wall cabinets right up to the ceiling.  This worked out fine in their condominium since their ceiling was almost perfectly level.  They and the designer however, did not take into account the recessed lighting in the ceiling that had a trim ring just thick enough that the full overlay doors on their cabinets would not clear them and did not open all the way.

If you are trimming the upper cabinets with crown molding and this is to go to the ceiling, there really are only two options to make sure this can be installed properly.  One is to provide a facia piece, either with fillers or with starter molding so the crown can “float” up and down on it as needed to accommodate an uneven ceiling.  The other is to not actually go all the way to the ceiling, but allow the crown to fall just shy of it and create a “shadow line” which will vary in height with a varying ceiling.

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In the kitchen and bath design world which is a B2C selling atmosphere, clients will often cross-shop. Frequently, a prospect will come into a big box home store or an independent studio stating that they have been elsewhere and would like to get a quote for comparison.

Sometimes, I am there during their visit and I will frequently ask this prospect a particular question and I would encourage you to do the same. I will tell you exactly what the question is in a moment.

Occasionally the brand of cabinetry they are considering, for example, is sold at this new place also and the designer gets excited that they carry the same product and goes to work replicating the same design. There is a problem here. In all likelihood, the price, of course, is going to be different than the price quoted at the previous retailer. This newer price may be lower and it also may be higher. The problem is that the price will seem very arbitrary and it kind of is. There are many variables that go into determining the final retail price. You as a designer are taking a chance that your price is going to be better and when it is not, you lose.

Wouldn’t it would make more sense to create a new design for the project in a different brand than the first quote? This way, when the price does come out to be different, whether it is lower or higher, it is easily justified since it is a completely different brand. This different brand may also be a better choice for this prospect that they may not have had at the other location or a brand that the previous designer did not mention.

If your prospect has been shopping, always ask this question.

So given the situation, what do you think is the question I like to ask? Here it is:

“You obviously spent some time with this other designer to create a kitchen plan with them so can I ask you a question? Why didn’t you buy it?”

Initially, you will likely get a response about the price such as, “I wanted to get a competitive quote.”, or “The price seemed a little high.”, or something to that effect. This is the perfect time to pause and wait. Don’t comment immediately. Frequently your prospect will follow up their comment with something like “..also, the designer (insert dissatisfied comment here). Most of the time, your prospect will give you the information you need to make them happy and want to buy from you. If they say for example, that they felt the other designer wasn’t listening to them, then make it obvious that you are, and that what they have to say, and their ideas are important.

If your prospect came to you after shopping elsewhere, chances are that they are not looking for a better price, even though they will frequently say so. They want a better emotional experience and a better-perceived value. They want a better experience. They may be looking for a designer who will listen to them when they discuss their needs. I guarantee you that if your prospect shopped elsewhere previously, there was something about the overall experience there that they felt uncomfortable with and it probably wasn’t the price. They were uncomfortable enough that they felt compelled to explore options elsewhere.

Your prospect wants an enjoyable experience and great perceived value.

I use the term “perceived value” because what is considered valuable to one client may be different from what a different client sees as valuable. Your prospect may say it is about the price, but usually what they really mean is that it is about the value. It is up to you as a salesperson to figure out what the hot buttons of your individual client are and what they perceive as being valuable to them.

Let’s face it, if it was always all about price, we would all be buying the lowest priced clothes, the lowest priced cars, the lowest priced furniture, etc. Ralph Lauren, Mercedes, and Restoration Hardware would be out of business. These companies, though are all doing very well because, with certain segments of people, it is more than about the price. Sure, many times it is about the status symbol also, but these retailers also offer red carpet treatment for their clients and unique overall buying experiences.

Sometimes it maybe isn’t even about the product, but the overall experience. I frequently travel for work and in one town where I stay, I frequent one particular establishment. This particular place has decent food, but not great food, and they don’t even have what I prefer when it comes to beer choices. (I usually enjoy a beer with my dinner). I return there repeatedly simply because the bartender remembers my name, even though months will pass between visits, and he remembers my drink request. He has created an experience where I feel important and special which is why I return.

This is the sort of atmosphere you should strive to cultivate for your clients, and if you do, it will never be about the price for them.

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As always, your comments and thoughts are welcome!