Kbbreview does a fantastic job with it's Shopping Around feature. Mysterious shoppers going deep undercover discovering the real truths behind the frontline service that retailers offer. What a shame that they can't go all the way through the process to see how the retailer presents to his customer. I say this is because I think he/she would be shocked at some of the results. Don't get me wrong; I know there are some fantastic retailers out there who give good presentation.

Spend time with a good interior designer and see how they fashion a style board for their clients. Absorb the logic of how they present their case to the customer, how this is all inclusive, fabrics, papers, paints and even furniture all discussed. When building the dream with the client this is supported with good samples, in the comfort of the clients lounge or a soft seating area at the designer's studios.

A good proportion of kitchen and bathroom retailers now use CAD but in an awful lot of cases it is simply not used to its best effect. Commonly, the retailer prints off a plan and maybe one colour perspective drawing (in low resolution because ink is soooo expensive) to show to the client whilst standing in the studio.

My utopia? An area within the studio specifically to present to the client, soft seating, coffee machine, subtle mood lighting maybe, flat screen to present your design ideas. By creating such an atmosphere, the task of achieving the sale becomes a completely different proposition. Correctly done, even the simplest presentation could have a dramatically positive effect.
I can hear the argument immediately "I haven't got room for that" In some cases I am sure that is true but if you had to remove one display to fit something like this into your studio I am pretty sure you would find that the increase in your conversion rate would prove it a worthwhile investment.

Colin Seaton, CRS Agencies

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