Over the last few months, we have been working together to create a strategy that will build your brand a strong network of plumbers, builders and designers that will increase your showrooms’ market presence, and fuel your business. Now let’s explore how to reach outside your business’s walls and spread your brand’s story all over your market’s designer showroom world.

While a plumber heavily relies on their local supply house and showroom, the remaining two-thirds of your targeted showroom market—namely, builders and designers—only turn their attention to decorative plumbing showrooms when they have the opportunity to design and specify for kitchens and bathrooms. In their day-to-day grind, designers are consistently shaping all they spaces make up an elegant home. They meticulously specify every element that make these rooms unique and elegant. Pause for a moment to contemplate the intricacies involved in curating an exquisite living room, where every detail, from flooring to lighting and every item adorning the walls and tables, falls under the discerning eye of a designer. Faced with such broad demands, the question arises: how does your brand not only continually capture their attention but also heighten their perception of your showroom as the quintessential decorative plumbing resource?

Regardless of how amazing your showroom team educated and supported them in your last collaboration, you cannot sit idly by and wait for them to stroll in ready to start the next job. Your outside salesperson has made great strides bringing them to the table, but now, now, when they are not even thinking about elegant plumbing fixtures, that you can win a long-term contract for your brand into starting lineup.

One approach involves attempting to capture their attention through an elaborate and time-intensive social media campaign, but let's face it, that's so pre-COVID. Instead, why not take a more hands-on approach—shadowing them as they explore and make decisions in their preferred showrooms? Picture being right by their side as they delve into the world of fabric, flooring, and furniture showrooms. Can you imagine the impact?

The question is, are you prepared to take the leap and invest the time to propel your brand beyond the confines of your showrooms?

Imagine your client stepping into an elegant wall covering showroom. As they enter, they are immediately greeted by a stunning vignette—a captivating scene featuring an amazing hand decorated wallpaper, an elegant cabinet, a mirror, and a show-stopping faucet. And with a display card on the bath vanity noting that all plumbing fixtures have been supplied by your showroom. Miles outside of your showroom walls, your brand is talking.

Granted, this is a dream product placement but far from impossible. In fact, if you create an intertwined network for fine home furnishing showrooms, these types of out-of-showroom statements will become quite simple.

“In retail, being remembered is the first step towards being preferred."

— unknown

Yes, this is about weaving together a network of elegant furnishing showrooms that will understand how collaborating with fellow designer showrooms will boost all players collective standing in the marketplace. Picture this – your showroom's vignettes jazzed up with elegant furnishings sourced from various fine furnishing showrooms and your branded fixtures are standing next to your clients in non-plumbing showrooms. Nothing catches a designer's eye quite like a show-stopping power room. Even if it is in a lighting showroom.

Imagine this scenario: lend a pedestal, faucet, and mirror to a leather showroom, and watch the magic happen – they'll reciprocate with an elegant material to complement your new vignette. This collaborative spirit isn't confined to one element; it spans from furniture to lighting and beyond. Traditional methods like social media, email, or direct mail might have their challenges in reaching designers, but here's the kicker – if you know a targeted customer will be browsing a popular local furniture showroom, your product collaboration is perfectly poised for the spotlight.

These well-coordinated displays are a vivid reminder to designers of the magic that happens when their creativity blends with the talents of your showroom team, resulting in bathrooms and kitchens that are nothing short of marvelous. Reach out to those non-plumbing showrooms, and you'll likely stumble upon other design maestros itching for partnerships to extend their brand's influence beyond the showroom walls.

Even if a smaller showroom can't spare room for a full-blown vanity presentation, a finish ring from a top vendor, boldly tagged with your brand, becomes a game-changer. Every time their clients seeks to reference a metal finish, those savvy salespeople reach for your finish ring, putting your brand front and center in the designer's choices. That's the power of strategic collaboration!

To get this rolling, select one of your outside salespeople that enjoys learning and expanding their knowledge. They do not need to be deeply interested in the design world. I have found that a knowledge hungry person is your best missionary into a new opportunity, they will see with a wider lens and carry back more information that you and your team to learn and build on.

Adding a new network to compliment your trusted networks of supportive and profitable vendors, design appreciative plumbers and builders with luxury home designers is another step to removing the limitations of being labeled Decorative Plumbing Showroom and complimenting it with a leading member of the design community.

This article completes the journey we started in the October issue discussing how to build a strong, diverse network foundation to support your showroom in its growth to reach and remain the top destination for fine plumbing fixtures in your targeted markets.

Best of luck to you in 2024 and please reach out if you would like to kick these processes around.