If you want to see more of your products sold in the home improvement market, you have to create a compelling vision. If you sell products for decks or kitchens, for example, don’t look at your competition as just other deck or kitchen manufacturers. You’re also competing against a beach vacation, a new car or jewelry.
Homeowners only have so much disposable income available after they pay for housing, food and other necessities. For most people, the amount of disposable income they have is declining as the cost of living rises faster than their income. There also seem to be more “nice to have” items like cable, Internet and cell service that are now a necessity, further reducing disposable income.
Most manufacturers sit back and wait for the homeowner to choose a new kitchen over a deluxe vacation. Then they spend all their efforts competing with other kitchen manufacturers to get that business. Building material manufacturers should redefine their competition to include other uses of disposable income and not just their direct competitors.
Here’s how to inspire more home improvement sales.
1. Work through your dealers and contractors.
2. Give them sales and marketing programs where you feature the idea of the project, over your brand.
3. Help them find new methods, such as social media, to reach homeowners.
The support programs you develop should be focused on helping consumers imagine how much they will enjoy their new kitchen, bathroom, deck, etc. The vision you help them create needs to be more compelling than the thought of a vacation.
Notice how the travel industry sells consumers. They don’t tout their hotel or airline over another. They help people imagine how they will enjoy a destination first. They are then in the consumers’ minds as the best way to realize the enjoyment of that trip.
Building material manufacturers could and should learn a lot from the travel industry about capturing more of a homeowner’s disposable income for home improvement.
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