If you want to grow your home improvement product sales, you need your dealers and contractors to go where the customers are. A great place to find homeowners is shopping malls.
I have seen dealers and contractors in malls selling closets, windows, doors, siding, decks, room additions, flooring and more. I have also seen realtors with storefront offices in malls – and if you can sell a whole house in a mall, you can easily sell an improvement.
Most people in the home improvement business incorrectly think their competition is another contractor or brand. This is thinking small. This is thinking the size of the market for your product is already determined, and job is to take business from a competitor.
A smarter way to grow your business is to get more people interested in your home improvement product. Homeowners only have so much of their income available for home improvement. The money they have is also for shopping at the mall.
When they see your product at the mall, you are bringing your product to them. By setting up your product in their sights you create a connection between your product and their home. You are growing the market for your product. Consumers come to malls to see what’s new and get inspired- use this to your advantage.
When they see your product, you give them a reason to think about whether they would enjoy that new pair of boots or improving the value or comfort of their home. I know the cost of a pair of boots won’t do much to improve a home, but you may get your product on their shopping list. And once it’s on that list, they start to investigate the project and to think about what they might do without to pay for it.
Building product manufacturers should recognize this opportunity and get involved. The best way to do this is usually not to be in malls themselves. Instead, get local dealers and contractors in the malls with a display and people to set in-home selling appointments.
Two Ways Building Materials Companies Can Grow Sales of Their Home Improvement Products:
1. Encourage
Pull together the information about why having a display in a mall is a good idea for dealers and contractors. The mall management can provide you with much of the information you need. They sell this space like magazines sell ads. Also, remember that this doesn’t have to be a year-round commitment. A contractor can try it for a month or so in peak selling times or as a test.
2. Make it easy
Develop a professional display design that the contractor can either purchase or even build himself and add your signage. You should already have in-home selling aids for contractors, which may be all the contractor needs to use, or handout at the mall.
Building material manufacturers who sell home improvement products should not just sell their products to their dealer and contractor customers. They should proactively help them grow, and be more successful by growing the market for their product. It doesn’t take a big ad campaign. It just takes focus.
Bottom Line: Make It Easier For Contractors To Sell More Of Your Products.
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