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...

SPIFs And Embarrassing Manufacturer Executive Meetings

It’s no secret that SPIFs are a deadly trap for you cabinet manufacturers.  While paying salespeople SPIFs directly for every cabinet they sell does create a strong motivator, SPIFs tend to become a permanent part of the landscape. Like that weird Facebook picture you...

Your Next Business Intelligence Hire

Manufacturers tend to mine data from disparate systems in order to make decisions about their products. You pull historical numbers in order to predict what may happen if you change something or decide to launch a new SKU. It truly is the stuff of crystal balls and...

Improve the Back End to Make Your Dealers Better

A business today can only be successful if it has efficient workflows and processes in place. If there is a hitch in the system, it will only lead to slowdowns, inefficiencies, and mistakes. This is true in any business, but especially for kitchen and bath dealers. If...

The Manufacturer Order Entry Crap Show

As cabinet manufacturers experience the first signs of increased orders, old problems still seem to haunt.  Incomplete orders, partial specifications and even the occasional missing specie or door style are par for the course as manufacturers continue the madness of...
Who Will Break the Paradigm?

Who Will Break the Paradigm?

Most cabinet manufacturers consider it a risky proposition to give the ability to see their line priced against their competitors to their dealers. The main line of thinking is that they’ll lose more business than they’ll gain.  We guess that the glass is half empty...
What Kind of Reps do you Staff?

What Kind of Reps do you Staff?

Most vendors’ have reps, but many do not have a clear definition of what their rep’s job function is. Is the candidate a sales rep or an account manager? Or, are they expected to be a hybrid of these very different things depending on the day? After all, account...
The Only Thing We Have To Fear Is Change Itself

The Only Thing We Have To Fear Is Change Itself

With apologies to FDR, we paraphrased his wartime comments and hijacked it for the cabinet industry. After all, change is not exactly something that’s embraced in our industry. For a business whose last big innovation was the roll-out tray, things pretty much hold the...
How to Hire Your Next Customer

How to Hire Your Next Customer

It may seem counter-intuitive to consider your next customer as a new hire. But, after all, this is the cabinet business. Your highly configurable product needs proper representation at the consumer level; and it’s not always easy to get. I need another line Some new...

JS International Update

JS International has updated three of their catalogs, and we have made them available for use. JSI updated their regular catalog, their Craftsman catalog and their Granite Tops catalog.

Showplace Catalog Update

Showplace has sent out an update to their catalog with the addition of new door styles and a change in the previous promotion they were running.

StarMark Catalog Update

StarMark Catalog Update

StarMark is publishing a new catalog that will include new products and finishes for the line.

Medallion Platinum – Catalog Information

Medallion Platinum – Catalog Information

Aurora has added another catalog to its database, the Platinum edition of Medallion. With the release of this catalog, users will see differences in options throughout the catalog.