Reader Sees Consumers More Brand Savvy

Reader Sees Consumers More Brand Savvy

Dear Janice:

I am writing in response to the DPH Perspectives column, which appeared in the July issue of Kitchen & Bath Design News.

In that story, Ken Goren made some broad-based assumptions about showrooms based on a survey he conducted in his showroom.

However, just because he found one thing to be true in his showroom does not mean this holds true for all showrooms. In my experience, customers today educate themselves by reading information on the Internet, watching HGTV, reading kitchen and bath magazines or just listening to word of mouth.

Ken made a point that less than 10% of customers ask for a product by name. I disagree. Consumers are savvy and know what manufacturer they want to buy from – they just need guidance on putting it together.

As far as designers only using products they are familiar with or that are easy to install, that is so far from the truth. Designers are not robots and do not automatically use the brands they used on their last project. Designers know the plumbing market and want to be educated about the various options in the plumbing industry. They don’t use the exact kind of fabrics and designs for each house they design, do they? Otherwise, everybody’s home would be exactly the same.

There are some valid points Ken made, however not everything written in the article holds true.

However, one thing I do agree with Ken about is that “Manufacturers need to realize that brick and mortar showrooms are the ones that truly define the market.”

Arlene Wolford
Showroom Manager
B & M Plumbing Supply
Woodridge, IL

Manufacturer Sees Partnerships as Key

Dear Eliot:

Thank you for the excellent Editorial you addressed to your readers in the June issue of Kitchen & Bath Design News. We felt it was timely and accurate. If you don’t mind, I have a little something to add.

Indeed, it is imperative to understand your customer and deliver great customer service in order to be successful. However, customer service should not begin and end with the showroom. Showroom personnel have the arduous task of representing a great variety of manufacturers, and it is impossible for them to be a experts in everything (nor are they expected to be). What is extremely important is for manufacturers like us to step up to the plate in this regard. Showroom personnel have to know where and how to access great resources, and when the manufacturers and their representatives provide that assistance, it is easier for the showroom to be successful.

Perhaps most importantly, the better the manufacturers’ customer service is, the better the showrooms look. Relationships between showrooms, reps and manufacturers should never be adversarial. The only way to support the end consumer is to establish relationships that foster a flow of information, understanding and cooperation.

As the recipient of the Decorative Plumbing & Hardware Association’s 2006 Customer Service Department of the Year award (in recognition of “outstanding business practices and extraordinary customer service”), we are glad to be in the position to help encourage our fellow manufacturers to become great resources, not only to the showrooms they supply, but also to the showroom’s customers. We pride ourselves on being an excellent resource on a difficult subject (which includes but is not limited to water quality and treatment, as well as all the questions, concerns and misinformation surrounding it).

When showroom clients call us, we are willing and happy to answer any questions they have. The showrooms we supply trust us to carry through with the service people expect, and that trusting relationship is becoming increasingly rare in today’s business world.

Howard Esbin
President & CEO
Environmental Water Systems
Las Vegas, NV

Reader Questions Validity Of Gender Wage Gap

Dear Janice: