Closet designers: Saying no is not a deal breaker
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Photo By Denise Butchko

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

3 -OWN YOUR “NO” IF YOU “KNOW” IT WON’T WORK
    
I realize that sounds counter intuitive to a sales process, so here’s what I mean and how you can use this particular “no” as a way to establish your expertise.

When the client presents you with some - let’s say “imaginative” -  solution for their closet space that they’ve seen on TV or had a vision about in the middle of the night, don’t hesitate to own your “no” if you “know” it won’t work.

Listen closely.

Jot down some notes.

Ask them to sketch it out. Let them get their idea out of their head.

As you review the idea and run it through your own filters of experience, don’t hesitate to share your expertise and explain what the challenges are to functionality and structural integrity.

And go right for price if you think that will be a factor. Who wants to spend hours figuring something out that they don’t believe in, determine that it’s going to be super costly and present it to the client only to have them say “Whoa. That’s way too much.”

Do all you can to address the price issue before you ever put pencil to paper. It’s an enormous saver of time and energy. More importantly, it adds to your “street cred” that you’ve designed a few closets in your career and know this is a solution that won’t fly.

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

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
 

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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.