It’s that time of year when half the industry seems to be running a promotion – and truth be told, a lot of our own clients are doing exactly that.
We’ve encouraged it.
Because January is noisy. Offers are flying. Everyone wants attention, and a well-positioned promotion can help you stand out just enough to start a conversation.
But here’s the part that’s often overlooked:
A promotion has the most impact when the customer already knows who you are.
It’s not that people won’t respond to a deal – they will. Especially if they’re a price-driven buyer, someone who’s comparing numbers and hunting for value in the most literal sense. For those customers, a strong offer might be enough to tip the scales.
But that’s not everyone.
And it’s certainly not how many premium kitchen customers make decisions.
Because in this market – particularly at the higher end – people aren’t just buying a kitchen. They’re buying a vision. An experience. A feeling of trust. And those things don’t come from a discount – they come from familiarity.
Most people don’t make these choices from scratch. They’ve been paying attention for months, even years. Not always actively, but subconsciously. They’ve noticed a name on Instagram, passed the same showroom every day, or heard a friend mention a designer they rated. Little moments that build into something bigger.
They’ve been forming a shortlist in their minds of who might be right to supply their new kitchen when the time comes.
And once that shortlist exists, it becomes challenging for anyone outside of it to break in – no matter how strong the promotion.
So, while your offer might help nudge someone into making a decision, it’s harder for it to create the interest from nowhere. That interest comes from everything you’ve done beforehand – the visibility, the consistency, the sense of trust built up over time.
Promotions can help you close the sale. But being remembered is what gets you into the conversation in the first place.
So yes, make some noise. Run the offer. Do what you need to do to stay visible this month.
Just don’t lose sight of the longer game.
Because if your name isn’t already in their head when the decision becomes real, you’re not just trying to win the business – you’re trying to get noticed in the first place.
And in this industry, that’s what takes the real work.