Having spent a very hot day at the Installer Show, I thought I’d feedback some cmdi.co.uk insights for merchants and manufacturers.
Overall a good buzz, but are manufacturers really listening to what installers want? My conversations pointed to installers wanting less ‘variation on a theme’ product launches and more problem solving solutions.
I want to shout out what a great job Tom Reynolds and the Bathroom Manufacturers Association team did with their in the round forum – a great example of active listening, yielding some golden insights.
So what is the way to the installer’s heart, other than a cheap easy install heat pump, a case of beer, or a beany hat? How should manufacturers respond to winning their loyalty and increasing their share of an ever competitive pocket?
- ‘Active listening’: Don’t just throw more well designed products at a market that’s become increasingly crowed and harder to compete in, do more research to address installers biggest pain points, beyond products.
- Become their ‘problem solving partner’: Help them navigate complexity and change… they are simply overwhelmed on a daily basis.
- Be a trusted ‘sustainability simplifier’: Tom Reynolds interview with Kevin McCloud yielded this key truth ‘Without legislation no one knows where they’re going’. Don’t talk sustainability, provide simple easy solutions.
- Talk installer language, be a ‘profit booster’: With the cost of living crisis massively impacting on demand – and margins, help them bridge the gap between quality and the demands of the hyper cost conscious consumer – provide value, not cheaper products.
I’d love to talk more on this subject – do get in touch if you’d like to discuss this more too.
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