What Would It Take to Sell Projects?

There's an interesting and opportunistic shift taking place in the way large and small businesses go to market. DPHA members may view their role as creating new baths and kitchens for their clients. Their tasks may include designing the space, specifying and selling products, and performing quality control. Showrooms sell both products and services, and retail gurus are advising showrooms and other brick-and-mortar retailers to sell experiences and solve the needs and aspirations of their customers. When a showroom creates a new space in the customer's home, they can focus on experiences by relating how warm and fuzzy their clients will feel with the daily ability to wash away the stresses of the day in their in-home spa.

 

Most good companies are focusing on experiences. Then there are others that are adding value by selling projects. What's the difference between selling a project and an experience? If you are Nike, the product it might sell is a pair of running shoes. An experience they may deliver is a membership to a running club. A solution might mean providing guidance to help the customer reach a weight goal. If Nike took the project-based approach, it would concentrate on a goal that is focused and tangible such as helping the buyer to run a marathon, and would include running gear, training regiments, diet plan, a coach and a monitoring system that would prepare the customer to achieve that goal.

 

Companies ranging from Microsoft to Philips are now taking project-based approaches to increase revenue streams while becoming more important and valuable to their customers. Airbnb started food delivery and plans to offer small tour projects. How would a project approach work in a kitchen and bath showroom? Showrooms would focus on how the kitchen is used and the complementary products that are commonly found in kitchens, such as cookware, cutlery, storage containers, organizational guidance, meal plans, dietary information, plates, care and maintenance plans, cooking classes, etc. Does that mean you would have all of those products on display? Not necessarily, but it would mean that you would curate all of the items for a new kitchen not just cabinets, appliances, tile, sinks, faucets and countertops. For repeat builder clients, taking a project approach may mean setting up a design center in their office or at the project, staging kitchens and baths on their behalves, producing sales literature and website and social media, conducting cooking classes and becoming part of the sales team.