Simplify Your Ordering System

As a manufacturer you’re in the unique position of having contact with your clients on a nearly-daily basis through your ordering system. Dealers quote your brands to consumers, and once they have made the sale, they enter the order information into your system. Your...
7 Ways to Be a Better Leader

7 Ways to Be a Better Leader

As leaders, we try to do our best – but sometimes we get too set in our ways and need something to help us pick up our game…

How to Fix the Funk Your Team is In

How to Fix the Funk Your Team is In

By understanding the four cornerstones of a successful team, you can avoid making knee-jerk reactions to a drop in team performance, and keep your team running smoothly.

The Most Toxic Phrase in Customer Relations

The Most Toxic Phrase in Customer Relations

“That’s not my responsibility.”  It’s the worst phrase you, or any of your employees, can ever say to a customer. No matter what department you work in within your company, and no matter if the statement is true or not, you should never tell a customer...
Why You Need Balance Between Big Game and Small Rabbits

Why You Need Balance Between Big Game and Small Rabbits

Everyone dreams of bringing in that one HUGE deal that will set your company for a lifetime. It’s the kind of deal that can make you a name in the industry or bring financial security like you’ve never had before. For cabinet dealers in our industry, that could mean...
Improve Profits by Picking Up the Phone

Improve Profits by Picking Up the Phone

As a business owner it can be extremely frustrating to lose a new sales opportunity, but I bet you’d agree that it’s even more frustrating to lose an existing customer. Customer turnover can be one of the biggest headaches of running a business, and many people fail...
Push vs. Pull: Marketing in a Digital Age

Push vs. Pull: Marketing in a Digital Age

It used to be that marketing your company or product consisted of buying a few newspaper ads, putting some radio ads in rotation, and making the occasional 30-second TV ad. Consumers would then see and/or hear these ads and bring their business through your doors....
When Success can lead to Failure

When Success can lead to Failure

As a small business owner it seems like every day is a struggle to survive and that financial success is always in the distant future. But what do you do when that day finally comes – your business truly is successful? There are dangerous situations that can derail...
What Employees Really Think – Part 2

What Employees Really Think – Part 2

Take a moment to think about the last few times you thought something but didn’t say it.  Sometimes it seems best to just bite your tongue, right? But, that doesn’t mean what you wanted to say wasn’t worthwhile.  In part 1 of this article, we went over some of the...
What Your Employees Really Think – Part 1

What Your Employees Really Think – Part 1

As a kitchen and bath or remodeling business owner you want to believe that your employees give you nothing but honest communication. If you asked them something they’d answer truthfully, right? Even your best, most loyal employees have certain thoughts on occasion...
Are Decisions Hurting Your Business?

Are Decisions Hurting Your Business?

If decisions were buildings, then commitments would be their foundation; without them the buildings would crumble. That’s why, in successful businesses, all decisions that are made should be followed up by firm commitments to act. Intentions vs accountability When...
4 Steps to Self-Improvement with a Business Process Review

4 Steps to Self-Improvement with a Business Process Review

No matter how well businesses are preforming, they can always improve in one way or another, and that extra efficiency can usually be found by improving one or more processes within the operation. This is true of practically every business, whether it’s a cabinet...