You understand what it means to be an independent kitchen retailer, so you’ve experienced first-hand just how frustrating it is when someone chooses one of the big sheds instead.
Because - and let’s be brutally honest here - you know they could have made a better decision.
You know…
you’re competitive on price
you offer a higher quality product
the service you provide is vastly superior (including the opportunity to deal directly with the owner of the business)
the importance of buying local
your buyer’s deposit can be paid risk-free
…which makes it even more galling when your ideal prospective customer decides to go with Wren or B&Q instead of committing their project to your business.
As we’ve touched on before, this is a hugely complicated, difficult issue to combat, and there’s no way I’m going to give you a definitive answer right here.
But, what I am going to do is ask you two questions, which I ask you to answer very honestly.
Firstly, how sure are you that your prospective customers are aware of all the reasons why they should choose YOU rather than one of the big sheds, with the big marketing budgets?
Because if you’re not sure, then they’re definitely not sure either!
You see, the reality is that you DO have to work harder than the big nationals. It’s a challenge, but that’s just the way it is.
You’ve got no choice but to go out of your way and spell out all of the reasons why you’re a better choice than the Wren branch down the road.
There’s comfort in familiarity, and thanks to the multi-million pound marketing budgets of the big guys, people are very familiar with their brands, which means that whether they deserve it or not, they’re viewed as the trustworthy suppliers.
Unless you bend over backwards to achieve similar positioning in your local area, you’re potentially going to be seen as a more expensive, and maybe even a riskier option.
So, how do you achieve that positioning?
Well, one place to start is with your marketing – making it bigger, better and more effective in terms of how it positions you.
I’m of the increasing belief this can be achieved more effectively than it has been … which leads me to my second question.
As ‘a sea of voices,’ how well have the 3,000 independent kitchen retailers in the UK pulled together to highlight their strengths to the buying public?
Exactly.
So, with that in mind, we’re going to tackle that question in earnest on The Big KBB Marketing Call this Friday.
As we home in on answers to that question, I’m delighted to have Richard Hibbert, Chair of the KBSA join us to share the details on a coordinated marketing initiative planned for their members.
Richard’s a well-connected and knowledgeable guy, with some great ideas, so I know you won’t want to miss this call.
It’s content, conversation and community and it’s on Zoom this Friday, 11am-12pm. You can register for free by clicking here now.
Hope to see you there, and as always, feel free to forward this invitation to anyone you think could benefit from attending the call.
