BKBG Blog

Creating Remarkable Customer Experiences
February 11, 2021
Creating Remarkable Customer Experiences

COVID-19 has permanently changed the retail landscape. Being average, boring or unremarkable won’t cut it any more. Just look at the number of retail bankruptcies that occurred in the last year and that are expected  to occur this year. They include stalwarts such as J.C. Penny, Nieman Marcus, Men’s Warehouse, Ann Taylor, J. Crew, GNC, Brooks Brothers and others.  

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How to Change Someone's Mind
February 4, 2021
How to Change Someone's Mind

Changing someone’s mind is one of the most difficult task any owner, manager or sales professional faces. Imagine that you want to convince your team to change cabinet lines. This is never an easy decision. Your team may resist because they are familiar with the line. They like the rep. They don’t want to venture into the unknown of a new supplier. The reasons for resistance are many. How do you obtain buy-in? 

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How to Hold Prospects' Attention When Selling Virtually
January 21, 2021
How to Hold Prospects' Attention When Selling Virtually

How can you hold a prospect’s attention during a virtual sales call? First, recognize that you are potentially competing against multiple distractions such as your prospects multitasking, checking emails and instant messages and perform work while on the call.

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Bringing More Passion to the Showroom
January 14, 2021
Bringing More Passion to the Showroom

Many BKBG Shareholders are passionate about design and creating dream kitchens for their clients. Imagine your showroom's performance if every team member possessed the same passion? The Deloitte Center for the Edge has identified three attributes of passionate people. The first is the passion of an explorer who is constantly looking to improve his or her performance.

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New
January 7, 2021
Turning Weaknesses into Strengths

We all know our limitations. You may feel uncomfortable confronting conflict or criticizing a coworker or client. Almost everyone has habits that limit performance. The challenge we face is first to confront our weaknesses and then figure out how to overcome them. Change is hard. That's why it is not surprising that a recent survey found fewer than 10% of employees change habits or performance when advised to do so following a performance review.

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Building a Brand that Your Customers Trust
December 17, 2020
Building a Brand that Your Customers Trust

Deloitte Insights recently published Global Marketing Trends 2021 that identified top trends that will distinguish leading brands from two surveys of consumers and senior executives.

  1. The brands know their why. Most businesses can describe what they do and how they provide products and services, but few explain why they do what they do. The why for many showrooms is to make a positive difference in their clients' and customers' lives.
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Putting Off Until Tomorrow Things That You Should Do Today
December 10, 2020
Putting Off Until Tomorrow Things That You Should Do Today

When you put off something until tomorrow or the next day or the day after that, your decision comes at a cost. Procrastination is present daily in your showroom and most likely in your home. How can you avoid having to pay the piper? University of Pennsylvania professor and best-selling author Adam Grant offers guidance.

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Improve Your Communication Capabilities
December 3, 2020
Improve Your Communication Capabilities

Those who remember high school English and writing classes will recall teachers' admonitions to write in the active voice, use strong verbs and show don't tell, recalls author Bill Birchard in a recent HBR article. He challenges those rules and believes there is a better way to communicate and capture your audiences’ undivided attention. Write or speak in a way that causes your audience to release pleasing chemicals such as dopamine.

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Reasons Why Delegation Fail
November 19, 2020
Reasons Why Delegation Fail

One of the secrets J. Willard Marriott cited to his success as a CEO and leader was his commitment not to perform any task that someone else in the organization could do. His ability to effectively delegate freed up his time to create one of the world’s most successful corporations.

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Overcoming Negativity
November 12, 2020
Overcoming Negativity

One of the many challenges of responding to COVID-19 has been keeping team members, customers, subcontractors and others upbeat when there are few answers and an apparent no end to the challenges created by the global pandemic. On top of numerous uncertainties, we seem to be living in a time of toxicity. Just look at the recent presidential election and other political campaigns.

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