Closet designers: Don't offer your clients the world
Denise-Butchko-newheadshot.jpeg

In my eternal quest to share valuable information and package it into bite size pieces, here's the second of a series of my most valuable, time tested advice on things to do to make your closet designs as successful as possible.

#2 - DON’T OFFER THEM THE WORLD

When I started designing closets for a company that offered custom options, I embraced it and utilized it as a sales tool.

I'd be super excited with clients as I shared that we could create anything they've seen or dreamed of. It gave me confidence to know I wasn't limited by 5 or 10 colors and 6 or 7 profile choices.

I had a unique position in the marketplace. And all this designing was fun.
Until it wasn't fun.

And it would turn to the point of "not being fun" when the client couldn't make a decision. They were overwhelmed by the endless options and were consuming an endless amount of time.

So I learned to be very careful in making the statement "we can do anything" to clients because it can be so overwhelming. Plus, they're hiring me to help them with design, not confuse them.

It's not that I only design within parameters of ten colors and six door profiles. It's that I glean what I need from the client in terms of style. Then I edit those options down to ones I feel are best suited to them.

Technology has allowed most of us the ability to offer almost anything.

That doesn't mean you should do that.

Sometimes the price points will be prohibitive for your client. Other times, the build is really beyond the scope of your team's skill set. And sometimes it just confuses people.

I find it best to think of yourself as a curator.

You bring the experience to the table.

You guide the process. You don't offer them the world.

And that's just the kind of thing I'm covering when I teach "Closet Design 101" this month.

This is the first time I'm teaching this topic "live" in over four years. People have been taking it "on demand", but not with an actual live group and live teacher.

So May is the time. There's no better way to learn and grow than to participate in something, interact with a group, ask questions and share info.

This is also an incredible opportunity to get the best foundational elements of good closet design and sales and I'd love to have you join in. Here’s a link for all the details about the course: https://butchkoandcompany.leadpages.co/closet-design-101-live/

And to make the decision even easier for you, use the link below to get a special Woodworking Reader discount. Use the code “Wood100”. https://app.ruzuku.com/courses/14577/enroll?coupon_code=Wood100

 

Have something to say? Share your thoughts with us in the comments below.

Profile picture for user denisebutchko
About the author
Denise Butchko

Denise Butchko is a design and marketing expert who teaches these concepts with the intention of helping people grow their businesses (particularly those in the design/build industries). She’s been a contributor to Closets magazine since 2003 and is a judge for the closet industries “Top Shelf” Design Competition. She's also a member of the first graduating class of Registered Storage Designers. Her design work has been featured in national publications like “Better Homes & Gardens” and The Chicago Tribune and she works with some of the top interior design firms in the country. She’s helped cabinet companies launch closet product lines and trained sales professionals in both design and marketing, including ways to leverage social media and design to increase opportunities and brand themselves as the “go to expert”. If you want to have fun while you learn and bring your “A” game to your business, Denise is the one to partner with to make that happen. You can find her at denisebutchko.com or at the above links.