The Kitchen Sales Coach Issue #6 - Who is the Kitchen Sales Coach?
By Robert Foltz, CKD
Those who know me, understand that I think, live, and believe outside the box. I did it in design, management, and now in the rep field. I got tired of running around with catalogs and samples and being a "me too rep." I wanted to add value and create loyalty and dependability. So the Kitchen Sales Coach was born.
This industry has been very good to me, and I've met many friends, mentors and good competitors. I kept seeing good people throw their savings, mortgage their houses, and even borrow from their in-laws to start their own kitchen business. My experiences, both successful and unsuccessful, give me the qualification and even obligation to help others.
I train other in order to save business owners thousands of dollars. As a manufacturer's rep, you can never go into a dealership and presume you know what to do for that business. Dealership owners are entrepreneurs, often type A personalities. Never tell an entrepreneur how he should spend money on his business. Just don't do it. Concentrate on you and your sales technique. Trust me-been there, done that-I have the t-shirt. The Kitchen Sales Coach does not tell the owner what to do. If I'm asked to do sales training, or help evaluate a marketing campaign, then we focus on the task at hand together as a team.
At the moment, I'm working with two new companies on their development processes. They know that if they can set up their systems right the first time, then they'll avoid the mistakes that are costly and affect their first year's sales. I believe this industry needs to train and teach more. I think the NKBA is doing a great job with design, sales, and other training. My services are just more one on one and targeted.
My sales strategies are based on customer loyalty and long-term relationships. We need more partnerships between factories and dealerships. On both sides of the sale, loyalty needs to develop. Dealerships can buy their cabinets anywhere, as there are plenty of cabinet manufacturers for dealerships to choose from. It costs a lot for a factory to find new customers, and for a dealership to create displays of products that it doesn't sell anymore. At the end of the day, it's a people to people business with the rep being a linchpin in the relationship.
The Kitchen Sales Coach operates under the following four principles. Of the things we think, say or do:
- Is it the Truth?
- Is it fair to all concerned?
- Will it build goodwill and better friendships?
- Will it be beneficial to all concerned?
Stop Listening to the Noise
If you want to be successful, then you need a successful attitude! Don't let your success be tied to noise-the negative comments about business being down. Sure, business isn't what it was just a couple of years ago, but so what? The marketplace is like a hurricane, when slowdowns happen (which they always do), then the poorly built, unprepared, and undercapitalized business simply get blown away and disappears. It's the natural cycle of capitalism and business. Those who survive, learn and become stronger. Those businesses that are already thriving usually expand in these times because they want to be prepared for the next boom.
Don't listen to the negative comments about the housing sector in the media. Understand that it is just the market. The media only moves the market if to many sheep follow the shepherd. I don't know about you, but I'm not a sheep, I'm a tiger!
Understand normal business cycles and be prepared for the next downturn if you're not prepared for this one. Learn from your mistakes and profit from that knowledge. Like I said in the last issue, " Your opportunity is up. Take advantage of the time you have to retune and refine your business systems. The next time someone says to you, "How's business?" tell them, "Fantastic, I'm refining my business model." If they reply about how slow business has been for them, smile, wish them luck, and walk away. Don't hang around negative comments made by a negative attitude. You'll catch it.
Have you ever noticed your mentors or other very successful business owners? They're almost always smiling and happy. Why? Because they understand that a negative attitude will do nothing for them. So they simply reject it.
Take a piece of paper and write in big letters "I WANT MY BUSINESS TO…" Then write down whatever comes to mind in the next five minutes. Don't dwell on any one point, just write it. Then go look at what you've written. It will reflect how you're feeling about your business-good or bad. Your thoughts create your feelings and your feelings create your actions.
If you doubt this, look at any aspect of your business or personal life and ask yourself "How is this working for me?" If your business' bank account is empty and you keep saying, "Business is slow," there you have it. You're right, it is. However, you can change it by simply changing your thoughts, and then what happens is that your mind starts getting creative and you think of new ways to structure your business.
About Robert Foltz, CKD
Robert Foltz, CKD is experienced in all areas of the retail kitchen and bath business. As a manufacturers' representative, his experience and expertise can help improve your business. He also works as a sales trainer, consultant, and personal coach.
With 23 years of experience in every area of the kitchen business, he has personally experienced the most common mistakes all business owners and sales people make. He has used that experience to develop a formula that will help you avoid those common mistakes and to dramatically accelerate your success.
Robert can be reached at and his work can be seen on www.KitchenSalesCoach.com.