Showroom?

JohnStokes

My mate started his own business recently selling kitchens, floors and decking as well as installing it. It's slow enough at times as he still needs to build up his name.

We were talking about it and he mentioned he'd like a showroom and believes that it will be of great benefit. His wife however believes he needs to try and sell more for awhile before considering it.

You as a client would you find him more trustworthy and serious if he has a showroom and more likely to buy from him than no showroom?

Thanks

DublinDilbert

JohnStokes wrote: »

My mate started his own business recently selling kitchens, floors and decking as well as installing it. It's slow enough at times as he still needs to build up his name.

We were talking about it and he mentioned he'd like a showroom and believes that it will be of great benefit. His wife however believes he needs to try and sell more for awhile before considering it.

You as a client would you find him more trustworthy and serious if he has a showroom and more likely to buy from him than no showroom?

Thanks

The cost of just getting a show room would be very high for a start up business.... thats why most seem to rent some sort of unit they can use for storage / manufacturing also, then use the front bit as a show room...

Also if people come in and see a company manufacturing say kitchen units in the background they will get a better feel... eg they aren't the only ones buying a kitchen from these people etc...

Also getting testimonials from people he has installed / worked for in the past will be key in this business... Also maybe a mini portfolio of his work, be it on the web or printed up, would also help.

AckwelFoley

Im with his wife on this one.

Your work isyour reputation. Do good work at reasonable price and you wont bel long gaining a good reputation.

antoinolachtnai

Depends on how he wants to scale up. If he gets a showroom, he will need to keep it staffed for it to be worth his while, which means a full-time salesperson. I would say that he would need to have two or three crews on the road installing kitchens to make this worthwhile.

It is worth doing other things to improve word of mouth, like putting a little sticker somewhere on the completed kitchen so the customer doesn't forget where they got it maybe?

Also worth seeing if there are any 'lists' you can get on, like the panelling centre or whatever.

I would say that this is not the time in the economic cycle to open a kitchen showroom.

Antoin.

DUBNY

JohnStokes wrote: »

My mate started his own business recently selling kitchens, floors and decking as well as installing it. It's slow enough at times as he still needs to build up his name.

We were talking about it and he mentioned he'd like a showroom and believes that it will be of great benefit. His wife however believes he needs to try and sell more for awhile before considering it.

You as a client would you find him more trustworthy and serious if he has a showroom and more likely to buy from him than no showroom?

Thanks

How about a website.....cheaper and less costly to maintain