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Building Your Brand Begins Off-Line…

No matter what profession you are in we can all agree that building your personal brand should be at the top of your “To-Do” list.

I can hear you yelling at the computer – of course it is, but how do I start?  What should I be doing?  I don’t have time for all of that extra work…

Building your brand is easier than you think… Every satisfied customer gets you one step closer to fame and fortune… Ok maybe not movie star fame and fortune, but you could be known as the best closet designer in NY or the best cabinet builder in PA.

Be the best that you can be and people will begin to notice.

I didn’t become the Mayor of Hardware overnight… 10 years ago I became a student of the closet industry.  Learning as much as I could about hardware, whether I sold it or not.  You want to build a loyal customer, tell him that your competitor has exactly the item that he needs.

The 10 years of studying was the ground work for my brand.  It wasn’t the last two years on Facebook, Twitter or LinkedIn.  Social media is an outlet to help me expand my brand, so of course I think that everyone should at least have a LinkedIn profile.

Enough about me… What are your thoughts about building a brand?  Is there a difference between your personal brand and your business brand?

I help individuals and organizations to be successful… If you would like to discuss branding, social media or hardware, please contact me at 347-723-7433 or you can email me at richdemarco@optonline.net.

Filed Under: Closet Hardware, Closets, Hardware, Personal Branding, Social Media, Twitter Tagged With: , , Leave a Comment

Your Hardware Tip – Ask these 3 questions before you purchase those slides…

At this point we all agree that your customers want soft close slides in their closets.  We can also agree that using a side-mount full extension is much easier than using an under-mount.

Every manufacturer of full extension slides has introduced a soft close version and believe me not all are created equal…

In an effort to prevent those dreaded service calls I came up with a list of 3 questions that you should ask before you make that purchase…

  1. Is it ½” side clearance?  There are many slides on the market that require an extra 1/16” for proper installation.  Yes, if you don’t account for that 1/16” your drawer will bind.
  2. How wide and how deep of a drawer has the slide been tested on?   If a slide is tested, typically it’s for a standard kitchen drawer – 24” wide X 4” high X 22” deep.  Will it work for your hutch drawer that is 30” wide X 10” high X 18” deep?  How much will it cost you to be the guinea pig?
  3. Is it really a full extension slide?  To fit the soft close mechanism some slide manufacturers have shorted the drawer member making the slide more of a ¾” extension.  This presents a problem on all of those 12” and 14” slides that you use.

Bonus question – is there a 12” available?  Many of the manufacturers have not figured out how to make a 12” slide yet… A real problem if you are making a 12” deep closet…

Your turn, what has been your experience with soft close slides?

I help individuals and organizations to be successful… For more information about soft close slides feel free to contact me at 347-723-7433 or you can email me at richdemarco@optonline.net.

Filed Under: Closet Hardware, Closets, Hardware Tagged With: , , , , , Leave a Comment