When the KBB Coins Drop

When the KBB Coins Drop

I don’t need to tell you that the KBB market is in pretty uncharted territory right now.

The pandemic’s created an unprecedented demand for home improvement, and when you add in the fact that there are loads of people sitting on cash they haven’t been able to spend on holidays, it’s fair to say this wave won’t run its course anytime soon.

Many independent kitchen retailers are used to having to work super exceptionally hard for every sale – sweating blood and tears to generate leads and convert them into clients.

Leads aren’t difficult to come by recently, though, which means a different problem for KBB retailers:

KBB marketing when the sun is shining

KBB marketing when the sun is shining

It was JFK who popularised the phrase, “The best time to repair the roof is when the sun is shining”

In other words, when things are going well, take the time to prepare for when things aren’t going quite so swimmingly.

These words should ring true for kitchen retailers right now, for the sun certainly seems to be shining.

Your Kitchen Market

Your Kitchen Market

Last week I mentioned a statistic I’d heard, suggesting that 85% of the kitchens sold in the UK each year are sold by the big brands – Wren, Magnet, B&Q, etc.

And I had some interesting feedback, with several people forthright in their views as to why the independents’ market share is so small.

However, there’s a second part to this story, which is even more interesting.

Your Kitchen Competitor?

Your Kitchen Competitor?

The other day I was talking to someone about kitchens.

No surprise there.

What was surprising were a couple of stats that came out of his mouth:

Give or take, there are a million kitchens sold in the UK every year.

Of those one million kitchens, 850,000 of them are sold by the big chains, like Wren and B&Q.

I have it on good authority that these stats are accurate. But, even if they’re a rough estimate, at 85%, that’s pretty shocking!

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KBB Designers - Selling Isn't Optional

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KBB Designers - Selling Isn't Optional

In this industry, ‘sales’ is still too often seen as a dirty word, with Designers preferring just to deliver the best designs they can and hope for the best.

But here’s the reality: however good you are at designing kitchens, bedrooms or bathrooms, if you can’t sell them (or you don’t have people on your team who can), you’re never going to achieve all the success you could.

And now, in this current climate, being able to sell is more important than ever.

KBB in the New World

KBB in the New World

I recently suggested that Lockdown 3 played into the hands of Home Specialists, thanks to a perfect storm that’s seen millions of people spend time at home, with heading outside not near as much appealing this time around.

And it’s definitely true – even more media is being consumed. Our clients are seeing more ads delivered, more clicks, and more conversations; all driven by this strange situation we again find ourselves in.

But the truth is, that the impact of the pandemic extends far beyond a few months cooped up at home.

Powering out of Lockdown 3

Powering out of Lockdown 3

So, here we are with the blockbuster threequel we’ve so eagerly been awaiting - Lockdown 3.🙄

But this lockdown is different – the end is in sight. With the confirmation of yet another vaccine to add to the arsenal, we know that life will be a lot better and a lot closer to the normality we all crave, sooner rather than later.

In the meantime, opportunity awaits.

Introducing Emily Halderthay

Introducing Emily Halderthay

Well, December hasn’t waited around for anyone, has it?!

Christmas is almost upon us, with Lockdown 2.0 nearly a distant memory and we’ve had the busiest end to any year we can remember, which is great.

We’ve got huge plans for next year, which means that we’ve needed to knuckle down and put a lot of the foundations in place this quarter.

Thankfully for us, one of our newer members of the team has been a vital and integral part of everything we’ve done this year, and we thought we’d take this opportunity to introduce her.

Three Steps to Kitchen Sales in 2021

Three Steps to Kitchen Sales in 2021

A few weeks ago, I gave some commentary about why – for kitchen retailers – now presents the opportunity of a generation to capitalise.

Most of your competitors are still sitting on their hands, waiting to see what next year will bring. That, teamed with the fact that the population continue to spend more time at home than ever before, means there’s never been a better opportunity to access your target customer, engage with them and plant seeds that’ll lead to sales in months to come.

The question now is ‘How?’

Website Development vs. Website Design

Website Development vs. Website Design

I don’t mean to brag, but when I look at a kitchen website, I can tell who designed it in under 10 seconds flat.

(That’s about the same the time it takes to make a first impression, btw.)

I won’t know who exactly put it together, but what I can immediately work out, is whether it’s been created by a Website Designer 
 or a Website Developer.

The Kitchen Retailer’s Lockdown Opportunity

The Kitchen Retailer’s Lockdown Opportunity

So here we are, living through Lockdown 2.0 - the national event as welcome as, well, a cough in an elevator.

Granted, this lockdown’s not the same as the last one: the world hasn’t stopped turning, and people are doing their best to get on with life.

But regardless, our freedoms are temporarily reduced, and – just like last time – we’ve got some additional time at our disposal.

The question is: How are you going to use your lockdown this time?

Staying Afloat or Missing the Boat?

Staying Afloat or Missing the Boat?

It’s happening again.

After a few months of relative calm from the media, we’re back in the place where lockdown is upon us, and bad news is being propagated on a daily basis.

And if you read my recent comments, you’ll know just how vital it is not to get bogged down in the hysteria.

What history tells us, quite plainly, is that fortune favours the brave in times of recession and economic uncertainty.

Klopp in the Kitchen

I’m in Denmark this week, working with the Radio ABC Group, helping many of their local advertisers to create the right marketing message.

It’s become a bit of an annual thing, and when I was here last year, the other main presenter was a guy called Thomas Gronnemark.

The name probably doesn’t mean anything to you, but if you’re a football fan, there’s a chance you’ve read something about him.

Here's Why Kitchen Prospects Won't Call You

Here's Why Kitchen Prospects Won't Call You

Here's a question you've probably asked yourself on many an occasion:

In a world full of media spin, fake news, rogue traders, scams and spam, how do you get your prospects to TRUST you?

It's a vital question.

You see, trust is perhaps the most vital commodity in 21st-century commerce. And in the KBB world where there's big money at stake, it's even more critical.

There's no one answer to the question, but one thing that's definitely a part of the solution


Beating Bogus Bargains in the KBB industry

Beating Bogus Bargains in the KBB industry

We had a question in a month ago from a really decent guy who runs a kitchen design company with his wife.

She’s an expert designer, with two decades of experience, loads of integrity, and a steady stream of glowing testimonials.

But they have a problem:

They’re losing business to ‘respected’ companies in their local market, promising the world, but delivering precious little.

Got a question?

Drop us an email. We’ll be delighted to help.