Increasing Your Average Sale – Part IV

The easiest way to increase your average sale is to sell a more expensive product –  

Sounds simple right?

We have touched on this the last couple of weeks with items like flip up doors, under mount slides and oversized handles. 

But what about your panels? 

White is far and away the most popular color in our industry, yet according to Better Homes and Garden white isn’t even top 5 when it comes to kitchen cabinets. 

“We’re seeing a move away from the all-white kitchen in favor of cabinets that are bold and adventurous.”

According the BH&G – the top 5 kitchen cabinet colors for 2022 are 

  1. Nature-Inspired Greens
  2. Bold Black
  3. Warmed Up Grays
  4. Sunny Yellows
  5. Rich Earth tones

We all know that the trends that you see in kitchens eventually flow into closets, so why do we sell so much white?  

Even if your customers are asking for white, could you offer a white woodgrain or linen?  

Don’t want to bust the budget – a couple of accent doors and drawer fronts look great and won’t be much more than white fronts. 

For example – Here are a couple of colors that are getting a lot of traction – 

Richelieu offers a wide variety of premium panels from Italy and Spain.  We also stock Egger and Tafisa in different regions across the US and Canada.

No matter what material you pick, we have the matching banding.

Your turn – what percentage of your installs are white?

Besides white – What are you top 3 colors? 

As always if you have any questions please don’t hesitate to reach out to me at RDeMarco@Richelieu.com

Thank you for reading.

The Winner IS…

For those of you that have missed it, there has been an interesting debate going on in the ACSP Facebook group.

Wendy Scott – ACSP President, bet Eric Marshall – President Elect, that valet rods were most popular closet accessory.  Eric argued the tilt out hamper.

Coming from a profitability standpoint, if you have the room it makes the most sense to include at least one hamper in every closet you design.  Besides selling a more expensive accessory, you are also adding a door.

If you are looking at ease of installation, and an accessory that fits in every closet – valet rod is the clear winner.

I created a TiK ToK video and posted it on Instagram and Facebook.

In case you missed it – let me know what you think.

 

It came right down to the wire.

Valet rods took an early lead and I think that Eric might have stuffed the ballot but ultimately hampers ended up the winner!

I think that you should be offering both accessories as often as possible.

Increasing your average sale is the easiest way to be more profitable.

Also a quick FYI –

The ACSP has start doing Zoom Topic Tuesdays.  It’s basically a virtual round table giving everyone an opportunity to network in place and share ideas.

  • The first one was “Home Offices from Design to Install”
  • This week we discussed “What Are YOU Doing Today That Will Help YOU Succeed Tomorrow”

Next week is all about marketing.  “What’s working, what’s not.”  Attendees will share some of their best tips.  Here’s a link to the Facebook invite.

Also, I just want to remind everyone that I am still scheduling virtual sales meetings with design teams, if I can help you keep your designers engaged please let me know.

Stay safe and I look forward to “Zooming” with you soon.

What’s Trending 2020 – Part III

I hope you have enjoyed my first two “What’s Trending” posts.

This week I wanted to discuss a product that has been popular in kitchens for years, and is now showing up in closets.

Aluminum frame doors and drawer faces.

No these aren’t the type of aluminum framed doors that you are getting from Home Depot or Lowes.

These are high end scratch resistant doors that come in a variety of profiles, insert options and pre-drilled for ease of installation.

Don’t like the aluminum finish? We have color options!

If you have been following along with my posts, you know the hottest finish right now is  Matte Black.

There are a lot of customers using the invisible aluminum profiles (#RIC-658FL or RIC-15) with back painted glass for a totally different look.  Check out all of these color options –

These doors are available up to 94” high so no problem using as a sliding or bi-folding door and all hardware is pre-drilled!

This is a great option for mirror doors in a walk-in or upgrading any reach in closet with by-passing doors.

The best part of all of this is that these doors are very easy to order on our website.

Here is a link to our configurator –

Click the category of the door or drawer face you plan to order, pick you frame, insert etc.  Add your dimensions and you will have a price and order placed in minutes.

We also sell a great display kit that shows all of the profiles and color options.

As the awareness and our industry grows, homeowners are spending more money in their closets.  You might not use these doors on every job, but if you have a customer looking for bells and whistles, aluminum framed doors are a great option.

If you need any additional info please don’t hesitate to reach out to your local Richelieu rep or – email me anytime at RDeMarco@Richelieu.com

Thx for reading!

Successful Closet Companies Are Doing This… Are You?

Qualities of a Successful Closet Companies

Recently I presented to 60 independent closet companies ways that I see them missing out on profits. I discussed product offerings that large independents or franchises offer to their customers making them more profitable.

I work with all sizes and types of closet companies – I do what I can to help them succeed and make more money. Hopefully you can take a few of these products, create a program and put them into action in your company.

Under Mount Slides –

About 10 years ago we saw our industry go from white epoxy slides to ball bearing. We are experiencing another transition with under mount slides. Some customers have already made a full conversion and the only reason there hasn’t been more is nobody had the right size under mount and the drawer construction.

I have solved both problems. I sell a fully assembled dovetail box prepped for under mounts and I also have an under mount that comes every 2 inches and will mount on a 14” vertical.   Even if you don’t want to offer this as a standard yet – you can offer as an upgrade and order on a per job basis.   If you have a customer willing to pay more for your drawer box, why not give them what they want?

Freshen Up Your Color Pallet –

If you are still pushing summerflame and candlelight you are losing jobs. Yes I know that 80% of what you sell is white – but why lose out on the other 20%. Many customers are offering high-end textured panels.

I sell melamine from Italy that looks so good you would think it was real wood. The grain in the paper matches the texture in the panel. You can purchase by the sheet, you can get it cut to size or you can buy doors and drawers fronts.

Decorative Hardware –

Some of you may have read my blog post last week. Many of you sell an inexpensive chrome knob or wire pull and if you want to be fancy you give them an upgrade – the bar pull.

Then you say “if you don’t like these make sure your handle is here at time of install we will put them on.” So your guys are still taking the time to install the handles and you’re not making any money for that time.

About a third of the room raised their hands when I asked if they credit back when a customer supplies their own handles. Not having a decent decorative hardware program is costing you thousands of dollars per year. Below is my new closet hardware board.

Closet Hardware Boards

Lighting –

Three years ago I remember meeting with the lighting suppliers and telling them they were crazy – no closet guys were going to sell lights. Boy was I wrong – I currently have customers averaging $3000 per month in lights!!

I know the wires are an issue and many of you reading think lighting isn’t worth it. If you put in a system and create a program – you will sell it. Even if it means you only offer battery operated or rechargeable lighting.

New technology and wireless remote control switches are a game changer. You don’t have to worry about turning lights on and off or wiring a switch. All you need is an outlet.

The above products only work if you have a program. When a client asks you for lighting you need to be prepared with your offering, just like you are with your melamine samples. Same goes for decorative hardware and under mounts.

If you have to get back to them or seem unsure customers will pay more to go with the company they feel confident with. Think about your own shopping habits.

I know you are busy, and building a program might take a little work, but it is well worth it once you look at the numbers over a year – it really starts to add up.

If I can help please leave a comment or send me an email.

Stay tuned for the Part II of my presentation.

Answers to Common Closet Questions

Answers to Common Closet Hardware Questions

Click here to download.

In the following E-Book you will find answers to questions that I am constantly being asked.  Included are links to installation videos, pics and best practices that I have picked up along the way.

If you find value in these tips please forward them to a friend, if not deposit in your circular file.

Thank you!