Follow Fridays

Sometimes I just nod my head in agreement when reading a fellow Designer's blog post. So with no further ado, I divert your attention from my blog to go read what Kelly is talking about in her blog Kitchen Sync. 

Managing Stealth Costs

Very well said Kelly! Thank you so much for pointing out the obvious to us but not so obvious to first time remodel types.

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Playing poker with your cabinet estimate: "How much is it gonna cost ?"

I am not a betting person but sometimes I wonder if I should take up poker since some client's like to play it with me. Poker it seems is a game of not revealing your cards and is a game of chance, skill and never revealing your moves.

The problem with playing poker in remodeling is that it just doesn't work this way if you want me to plan an estimate for you. "How much is it gonna cost me?" "How much do you want to spend?" I could bluff but that just wastes both your time and mine, doesn't it? You can't build your budget on a game of Texas Hold-em and I can't plan a design for you unless I know your budget, pardner. Case in point: You want to buy cabinets from me and you want to know how much it's gonna cost. You look at my corner 10 x 10 display and you ask how much would something like this cost in my kitchen? Well that's like asking how much is a bag of groceries!

Estimating is time intensive and if you really want to know the truth, if you think you are getting a deal with getting someone to come out and give you a "free estimate" you just lost the game. Anytime someone says it's a "free estimate" is playing poker with you. Chances are he is factoring his time into the cost of the project without revealing to you that the time to estimate, the drive time, the payroll expense to pay someone to layout the plans for your "free design" just upped the ante for him. He has to factor his time and labor into your cost. But not just your estimate, you are also paying for everyone else who asked for a free estimate with over all higher prices. Time is money, my friend, and no one is driving around town, spending time with each customer that calls for a free estimate and not building his costs into your estimate. If he isn't, he won't be in business  for long.

Do I want to play poker with clients? Nope, I am a straight shooter. I don't like gambling with my customer's time or money. I can provide you the option of a free estimate if you bring me your measurements and I can do a take off with preliminary numbers to get you in the ball park of price ranges. A free estimate won't be accurate to the penny because I have not verified the dimensions my self. It will remain a ballpark range within 10-15% until the dimensions can be verified and the details of your "wish list" versus "must have" list" clarified by you.

If you are not comfortable with measuring your own kitchen, I can do that for you but I charge a measure fee for my time to come out to your house and take accurate measurements of the space and you will get accurate pricing. This is rebated back to you when you purchase my cabinets, which is a fair deal. If you don't want to buy from me, you get a few rendered concept views and those are for you to keep.

All this makes sense until the customer who wants to have a Mexican Stand Off enters the picture. She wants a price, but won't bring in dimensions of the kitchen and she won't pay a measure fee for preliminary plans. She won't pay the fee because she doesn't know if she will like what she gets. It does not pay to play poker with a client because I cannot guess how much your kitchen is going to cost until we discuss what it is exactly you want in your kitchen and until I price it out. I cannot presume to know your taste and style without at least having a conversation with you. I have to see it or at the very least be provided pictures of kitchens you like and dimensions to estimate from.

Come on folks, this is like going to see your Cosmetic Surgeon and telling her you want your face to look younger but you are not willing to reveal what part of the face you want worked on and how much you want to spend. A brow lift, a facial peel, a face lift, remove the bags under your eyes, remove the jowels, it all adds up. What do you want to do?

Likewise you can't go to a Realtor and say "I want to buy a house" and escorted to several homes for sale without knowing what your price range is.  Kitchens, like houses, like cars, like anything you want to buy are available in several different prices ranges. If you cannot reveal honestly what your investment can be, your service provider will not be able to provide you the best service or the best value for the money without these basic facts to work from. Mostly, I want to provide my clients a project and a product they are satisfied with. To do this well, communication is essential and this is no place for a game of poker with your wants and needs.

Also, if a client tells me she doesn't need a design, she just needs to order cabinets, you can't place an order for cabinets without a plan. A plan involves a design, a design involves exact dimensions, dimensions require accuracy and if I am responsible for your order, I need to be the one measuring for those cabinets. I suppose you can simply go to your local big box store and place your order with the order takers, but then you are responsible for your dimensions. I prefer not to be an order taker.  

Getting an accurate design and paying a Professional Kitchen Designer will save you money in the long run. You can retain a Kitchen Designer to provide you a space plan so that you can get competitive bids from contractors or you may get a great price from that Kitchen Designer and buy from her. Whichever the case may be for you, working with a Kitchen Designer will add value to your project. Contractors will thank you for having detailed plans to bid from, as this saves them time knowing what the details are for your project in advance. There are too many details in cabinet design for a contractor to keep up with or even care about. Most contractors will advise clients to get their cabinets planned out and provide them a copy of the plans. A kitchen designer will be able to best advise on cabinetry, counter tops, lighting, flooring, best use of space layout, seating arrangements, appliances, storage solutions and so much more. Furthermore, an experienced designer that specializes in Kitchen Design will save you from the headaches of not pre-planning the details and not having the materials on the job when the contractor needs them. You can find a Professional Kitchen Designer by searching the National Kitchen and Bath Association website, NKBA.org.

How much is it going to cost? Moreover, how much will you save by retaining expert advice? 

photo credit1: http://flickr.com/photos/latitudes/66492870/in/set-1442169/
photo credit2:   Clint Eastwood, The Man With No Name

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Managing Design Expectations: The Client -Designer Relationship

The Kitchen Designer: Hello, this is Laurie. How may I help you?

Client: Oh Hello, before you come out to my house to take measurements, I have one other request for my kitchen design. At our first meeting you asked us if there was one primary cook or two and if we had any special needs we want you to take into consideration.

The Kitchen Designer: Yes?

Client: Well, yes, we thought about your question and realize we do have a family member that uses the kitchen quite frequently and we think we need to take his special needs into consideration.

The Kitchen Designer: Oh?

Client: Yes, you see we have a cat that won't drink from his bowl. He drinks from the kitchen faucet. Actually, our cat is very fond of water. The only problem we have with this is that he can't turn the faucet off when he's finished. We need you to help us with this. Can you specify a sensor into the faucet that will turn off when there is no motion?

The Kitchen Designer: Well... sensor faucets are on the market and they are becoming more popular...I would have to check specs to see how we could make this work...I suppose...can I get back to you with an answer?

Client: Sure, that would be fine. Here is a video we took of our cat, perhaps it would be easier if we could just show you what we mean. If you can just review this, and maybe if you can also show this around to your vendors to get the best deal, we want the faucet to be triggered by a sensor...our water bill is getting pretty high with the faucet on all day. Can you show us all the best possible options to help us out?


This is a hypothetical story, of course, using a very funny cat video submitted on line by Kim Tasky at You Tube. (She is neither a client nor the person in the above scenario.) I use this very amusing cat story to make a "tongue in cheek" point about a universal problem regarding the client-designer relationship.

The point is this:
There are some clients working under the impression that Kitchen Designers should spend time on your project researching, sourcing, evaluating, planning the best possible options to incorporate a client's every last desire on the wish list before paying for services. There are no professions that work for free. So why do people expect to be dazzled with a design before paying for it?

You can call a plumber for a service call and he will charge you $75.00 just for the trip charge before he pulls out his plumber's wrench.

You wouldn't call your attorney and ask him to review your lease agreement

without expecting a bill would you?

And you wouldn't tell your attorney "I want to see what ideas you can come up with first and then I will let you know if I will hire you."

Perry Mason

Kitchen Designers receive a myriad of special requests for a remodel project. Some details more complex then the next to specify and execute. And most every time, the client is on a deadline because they did not budget the time to allow for the design details to be fleshed out. All projects, no matter the size, require thought and research before recommendations can be made. Here in lies the problem. How do you value your designer's time?

How much free design do you think you are owed before paying a retainer?

Solving Design Problems: What is this service worth to you?
There is a perception problem about what a design is worth to the client. Here is the issue Designers are continually facing: a prospective client has a design problem they want their Kitchen Designer to solve for them. Designers expect a prospective client to interview with two or three designers before making a final selection. Qualified designers expect to be interviewed and are able and ready to prove their qualifications to prospective clients. But ask a Designer to pull out the "dog and pony show" for you and you may get a polite response declining your request. Internally the dialogue going through that Designer's head may be something to the effect of "I have been doing this for 30 years, I don't need any more practice to prove I can design."

Ask a Kitchen Designer their opinion about "HGTV" type shows where three designers are trotted out for the client to compare three fully detailed designs and you will get very opinionated answers.

"Ideas are free but designs must be paid for." Laurie Burke

Home improvement shows have done a disservice to the design community and have built up unrealistic expectations for clients. You would be surprised to know that a majority of potential clients expect that several design options be presented in detail before paying a retainer to contract for design services. It happens at all ends of the spectrum from the high end client to the budget minded client.

A fully detailed dimensioned design plan with elevations and renderings, before a retainer is paid is just not a workable business model for designers as it involves time without money, and giving ideas away with the ‘hope’ of getting the business is just bad business.

Charles Schulz

Hiring your Kitchen Designer should be based on several factors, creativity being one if them. Secondly, the ability to complete projects in a timely manner and within budget. Third, the ability to communicate with you, your architect, your engineer, your GC or subs throughout the job as needed. Fourth, the ability to manage obstacles as they arise, and lastly the ability to see a project to it's completion.

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A Renovation Check List

Getting ready to remodel? I will point my readers in the direction of a "MUST READ" article posted by my friend Paul Anater of Kitchen and Residential Design about renovation expectations. I too have received the phone calls from clients who are in a state of panic over the tile going up, the color of the cabinets, the floor, the paint and so forth. Paul has made sane points, so with no further ado, I point you to Ready To Renovate? Take A Moment And Breathe First.

I highly recommend you print out these "10 Points of Reason " when you feel like you are going to loose your mind. Print it, post it where you can see it, your bathroom mirror, outside the plastic wall of your remodel zone, your check book.

Remind yourself that long after the remodel is over with, the dust and muss is gone, what remains is a beautiful space. And above all else, remind yourself to breathe! Thanks Paul!

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Save the Date: Professional Designers Host 4th Annual Tour of Kitchens

Ventura County, CA (October 18, 2009)- While the weather is "hot, hot, hot" in September, mark your calendars in October when balmy temperatures return that make living here in Southern California so desirable. A perfect time to attend the 4th Annual Tour of Kitchens to be held on Sunday, October 18, 2009 - 10 am to 5 pm, organized by the local chapter of the National Kitchen and Bath Association. The Tour of Kitchens will be twice as fun in 2009 because we're going to double our territory. This year will be TWO tours- One in Santa Clarita Valley and the other in Ventura County.

So how does one experience a home tour? Ronni Fryman, Chairperson of this year’s tour advises, “I always like to gather my favorite pals into a carpool to make a day of it. We start at one house and work our way through each and every one – stopping for a nice lunch in the middle. We always have a vote at the end of the day for which home was our favorite, which one we could move right into and which had the most innovative features.” Other people may enjoy meeting the designers, artists and contractors who planned and built the projects. “I guarantee everyone will walk away with several new ideas that they will want to incorporate into their own homes.” Unlike reading a magazine for ideas, the best part about attending our tour is you will see architectural styles that are likely to be similar to your home.

The Tour of Kitchens’ projects may be reviewed on the NKBA-ccv website and tickets for
the event may also be ordered online. Tickets are $20 for advance sales and $25 on the day of
the tour. For more information, please go to www.NKBAccv.org.

The Tour of Kitchens is a charitable event benefiting Big Brothers Big Sisters of Ventura County and Michael Hoefflin Foundation for Children's Cancer. The 2009 tour will be held on Sunday, October 18 from 10 am to 5 pm.

About the National Kitchen & Bath Association
The National Kitchen & Bath Association (NKBA) is a non-profit trade association that has educated and led the kitchen and bath industry for more than 45 years. With over 40,000 members and growing, the NKBA owns the Kitchen/Bath Industry Show & Conference (K/BIS®). The mission of the NKBA is to enhance member success and excellence, promote professionalism and ethical business practices, and provide leadership and direction for the kitchen and bath industry. For more information, visit www.NKBA.org

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Asking for a discount:: How not to do it.

Kelly at KitchenSync posted this first, and she found it at another site. Spreading fast through the internet; I had to revisit this You Tube Video again for grins. Haven't we all been there with clients? There are better ways to negotiate price. This video is a prime example of what not to do.

There are ways to save money so be up front about it. Your service provider will appreciate your honesty if you are up front about your budget and be able to look for ways to save you money. Looking for angles to get a discount after the fact is just bad behavior.

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Sunday Designer Blog Stroll.

What's been on everyone's mind this week in design? Below are slices of conversation from my blog favorites from the past week as well as my own commentary on an unusual experience that prompted me to get on top of my Sunday soap box for a good old fashioned rant. One thing you will notice about these fine people and fellow bloggers is their passion for their profession. No matter what you want to call us, your designer, your decorator, that kitchen lady, that cabinet guy, whatever, it doesn't really matter to us, as long as you call us and hire us.

What does matter, and what you should know is that we are very dedicated to our profession. Some of us who have blogs have made them an extension of our daily work. (I mean, you have to be a little bit obsessed to spend your off hours to blog about, what else, work!) I know there are others, regardless of having a blog or not, that are just as obsessed as me, that bring spec books home, attend seminars or research new materials at home as an extension of our work life. It's a 24/7 profession. The spec sheets and nitty-gritty research we pore over will never really make it as a blog item because you would be bored to tears. So blog fodder is limited to fun stories, factoids and cool new items we find. Interested in hiring a designer, decorator, whatever you want to call us? Ask us what else we do to further our professional goals. What seminars we took in the last 6 months, what books we read, what professional organizations we belong to, and how we are active in our community. It will be evident when you talk to us. We care about what we do and have a passion for sharing our observations and knowledge with you.

Kitchen and Residential Design.
Paul Anater is spreading the word about The 3/50 Project. A nationwide, grass-roots effort to save independent businesses that were already reeling from the incursions of the Wall Marts and the Home Depots of the world before the bottom fell out of the economy. This is an effort we can all get behind and support.

Kitchen Sync
Kelly Morriseau has posted a hilarious but sadly familiar spoof on bargaining. Click here to watch it there.

KitchAnn Style
Ann Porter had Jaime Goldberg, from Gold Notes, drop in as guest blogger, providing great coverage on 2009 KBIS Product Showcase. Toto introductions knocked my socks off. Unbelievably cool new products for Toto.

And you must check out the island design made out of one massive chunk of Carrara Marble designed by Patrick Jouin and partner Sanjit Manku, a Kenyan-born Canadian architect.

The Kitchen Designer
Susan Serra, always one to show new ways of thinking about kitchen design, discusses alternate options for the backsplash, thinking beyond tile in her post, Creative Backsplash Inspiration.

I caught a glimpse of a similar idea using alternate backsplash materials in my own post earlier this week when I introduced Teo Jasmin to my readers.

Appliance Notes

Peggy Deras has posted a safety recall notice “GE Recalls Ranges Due to Fire and Burn Hazards”. And over at her other Blog, Kitchen Exchange, she has profiled a new product. Scotch Brite Slashes Paper Towel Use.

I would love it if I could cut back on my paper towel use. I may have to give Scotch Brite's new absorbent cloth a try.

Retro Renovation
Pam has posted a great item coming from Woman's Day, Life In the 50's through Today
Did you know that the average house size in the 50s was 983 s.f. — and that today, it’s 2,349 s.f.?

No Design Legislation

Wendy Hoechstetter puts forth an exemplary essay critiqing ASID's hypocrisy in their report: Consumers Very Satisfied Working with Interior Designers. Which is it ASID? Sounds like more double talk. Is the public satisfied with Interior Designers or does the public need more regulation to protect them from unlicensed designers.

Patricia Gray| Interior Design
Patricia has a beautiful pictorial posting entitled, Passion- That is the Key. This is an excerpt taken from the book: INEX by Wolterinck, featuring the interiors of homes and shows how the surrounding gardens have been designed to complement the interiors, creating a total lifestyle concept. Just beautiful!

What's in a title really?
A TALE of FLUTES and RIDGES; or the response to the Inquiring Professor.
I had a disappointing experience with one "professional" designer this past week solidifying my position that a title after your name is not worth the paper upon which it is printed if you cannot live up to the standards upon which the credentials are based. Maybe she has a "flair" for design, I don't know, but competency and preparedness was surely lacking. This designer is in need of a refresher course on the three E's.

Meanwhile this week the "professor" at Kansas State with a lot of time on his hands sends me an email wanting to know if I consider myself a professional interior designer. Er, let's put it this way, apparently he is on a one man mission to, em, here is how he puts it: "...as long as you and your decorator cronies continue to include the education, experience and examination model for professional development in your deprofessionalization effort I will continue to call you on your collective fallacious propaganda." Excuse me while I stop to laugh a little here. ....;-)

HELP ME HELP YOU
Back to my story trying to help the "professional interior designer" looking for her vessel sink.
ME: "You say you recall the vessel has flutes?" (I pull open my Kohler catalog the size of two Bibles and one Koran stacked on top). THUD. Is the design located inside the bowl or on the outside?
PID: No, the design is on the outside. It's white and it has this vertical fluting on it.
ME: Is it this one?
PID: No. I'll know it when I see it.
ME: Do you remember the manufacturer or the name of the sink?
(More catalogs opened, flipping pages in search for fluting. Fluting. Fluting? I started to question what I was doing looking for fluting? A fluted sink? Does this even exist?)
ME: Can you call your client to see if he has a copy of the spec sheet you gave him?
PID: No, I gave him the print out and he lost it. That was my only copy.
ME: Oh, I see. And you say you need to order it right away? (A sea of catalogs between us in search of fluting on a vessel sink.)
How about this one? Or that one?
PID: No. No. It's the vertical fluting that wraps around the bowl.
(She holds her hand horizontally as the word comes out of her mouth: "fluting".)
ME: Oh, I see! You need a ridged detail.
(Hand gestures are the international language of common sense.)
PID: Yes, that is what I have been telling you! Didn't I say ridged? You know, I am in a hurry; I have to go, if you can just call be with the information that would be great.

Having never worked with this designer before, I saw that the title after her name on her business card reads ASID Interior Designer. I was anticipating a pleasant exchange with a "design professional". After all, ASID is the sign that a professional interior designer is qualified by:

"Education, experience and examination to enhance the function, safety and quality of interior spaces to the benefit of the occupants of such spaces." Source: ASID's Position Statement. www.asid.org/events/CLC/clc07/interiordesignregistration.htm

Further, ASID's position statement pulled from their website says:

"ASID advocates that the interior design profession is a single profession, regardless of specialty, and that the National Council for Interior Design Qualification (NCIDQ) examination (including all its parts) is the basis for testing minimum competency for interior designers."

Based on my short exchange with a "professional interior designer" who sent me on a wild goose chase looking for a fluted vessel sink, when she really meant a ridged design on the vessel sink. Of course, she was on a time crunch too and flounced off. Meanwhile, I have this professor emailing me wanting to know if I think I am entitled by birthright to call myself an interior designer. I have been holding back a belly laugh all week! Oh gee, thanks, this is comic relief. I have to scratch my head and wonder aloud the following:

1. Regardless of your specialty, shouldn't a qualified "professional interior designer" know the difference between a flute and a ridge?
2. ASID beats their drum about "education, experience and examination". Who cares if you passed the examination but cannot practice it in everyday practical exams when your clients order is on the line?
3. In case you were wondering: The definition of a flute: Fluting in architecture refers to the shallow grooves running vertically along a surface. source: wordnet.princeton.edu
4. The definition of a ridge: a long narrow natural elevation or striation. Any long raised strip. source: wordnet.princeton.edu
5. Why would you hand off a tear sheet to your customer and not keep a copy for yourself?
6. If your clients are entrusting their design details to you for purchasing, wouldn't it make sense to keep a record of all specifications in a project binder or file or on your computer?
7. Why wait till the last minute to source out your products on a job?

ASID would like to have the public believe that the only ones who are qualified to design interior spaces are registered interior designers, and represent themselves as having the qualifications to do so.

Oh really? Being ill prepared to order a sink, not knowing the manufacture name of the sink, or even able to describe key features has me wondering what else can go wrong for that unsuspecting client if we are already having problems with just a sink? So what's the point of differentiating a "professional" from a "non-professional" with an arbitrary NCIDQ exam that is supposed to prove competency? Don't start writing to me, I am certain there are competent licensed designers, so do not accuse me of painting all licensed designers with the same broad brush stroke. I have nothing but admiration and respect for those who pursue their accreditation, if that is their goal.

What I am protesting is the broad brush stroke used to portray non-licensed designers, (me included), as nothing more than those with a flair for decorating and get our decorating advise from HGTV. Drawing assumptions or forming stereotypes related to a designer not pursuing a license, or that it means lack of professionalism about his or her career is no better than assigning other equally offensive stereotypes to various groups. Ageism, sexism, racism, decorator-ism. It is discriminatory and divisive.

It would be pretty silly for me to tell my clients I am a kitchen and bath decorator. I am not against education, I am against useless legislation. Although the Professor at Kansas State, who continues to pester me with his rude, patronizing emails would rather I put decorator on my business card than describe what I really do, is really huffing and puffing a lot of hot air at best. I do not decorate kitchens. I design them. And I certainly do not need to pass the NCIDQ exam to prove I know the difference between a flute and a ridge. This is about the ASID thirty year battle forcing others out of the business that will not play along with their rules. The lack of acceptance of other forms of professional achievement, education and experience is elitist. Fix the one-size fits-all requirement to pass the NCIDQ exam and then you will gain my interest. I would rather not have anything to do with the ASID and would rather spend my hard earned money and precious time becoming certified in everything else offered, and perhaps pursue a license that has more teeth to it such as a contractor’s license or an architect’s license. To pay dues and belong to the ridiculous ASID organization and waste my money on the arbitrary NCIDQ testing, I think I would rather live in Europe and do better things with my time.

Set aside the commercial interior design work for a moment. The reality is that people do not really care one way or the other about your credentials as a designer or decorator. Most people use the term interchangeably anyhow. The public will determine who is good enough to work on their project. And in this economy, homeowners are doing it alone or using their contractor to "design" the project while the design community continues to argue over what they can call themselves.

As long as the ASID Coalition continues to push our legislators to pass new laws that prevent people from earning a living in the occupation of their choice, the majority of opposed groups, furniture dealers, lighting designers, restaurant equipment designers, and the majority voice coming from interior designers/decorators will continue to push back this unconstitutional legislation on all fronts. Look at Florida's witch hunt. It is discriminatory, it restricts the public freedom to choose competent design services from interior designers of their choice and it is bad for the economy. “This law is absolutely riddled with constitutional problems that prevent people from earning a living in the occupation of their choice and we’re going to get rid of that law by challenging in court,” said Clark Neily, Senior Attorney for the Institute for Justice, referring to the lawsuit filed Tuesday, May 26, 2009 in the U.S. District Court for the Northern District of Florida in Tallahassee, challenging Florida’s interior design law.

The following statement comes from their own website: source:

"ASID believes that, in the interest of the public good, the professional responsibilities of interior designers warrant state regulation."

http://www.asid.org/events/CLC/clc07/interiordesignregistration.htm

ASID will continue to waste our legislator’s time with new attempts to pass unnecessary legislation. And who pays the millions of dollars spent to push for this legislation? Membership dues paid by students, other allied members and professional members. In the long run, ASID stands to hurt the public more protect than protect the public by imposing new legislative "practice act" barriers preventing the public access to professional design help, licensed or not. If it is good enough for the White House, it is good enough for the rest of us.

Join organizations that are Against Interior Design Legislation.

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Lead times: How soon do you need it?

There are times when I scratch my head in disbelief when do-it yourself remodeling types do not plan out the project details. Here is my "fly-on-the-wall" experience with a moral at the end of the story.

This weekend I was in a plumbing store with a client, helping with her plumbing selections for an upcoming project. What happened next placed me in a suspended state of disbelief.

A lovely woman walked into the store and explained she needed a lavatory sink and faucet and another faucet for the kitchen. Nothing too unusual about that.
The sales person proceeded to ask the customer the usual questions:
S: Are you looking for a self-rimming sink or under-mount?
C: Self-rimming.

S: Ok. Do you have a preference for wide-spread faucet or single faucet mounted on the deck of the sink or on the counter?" Do you know what your new counter surface will be yet?

C: New granite top. White self-rimming sink. Single hole faucet style mounted on the sink

S: Ok, great we have several options we can look at."

S: Next, is this for new cabinetry or are you replacing an existing sink and counter and keeping the cabinets?

C: Existing.

S: Alright, do you know what are the existing sink dimensions?

S: "'What's that? your existing cabinet is 15 1/2" front to back?" What's that? Oh, It's for your boat?
Oh, I see. Hmm, would you mind if I made a suggestion for an undermount with the single faucet mounted on the rear left or right and not centered. Or we could look at some stainless steel bar sinks that could work. Self rimming sinks with a faucet mounted on the porcelain are just not made that small. We can check the catalogs, but I am pretty sure it is a tall order to fill, I can think of two or three small sinks that may work.

C: No, no, we have that style now, and I really don't like it at all. I really want to change the style.

S: "How soon do you need it?"

C: "I am running out of time, I have the granite fabricator coming this Monday and need to get this done today."

When the customer said she needed it by Monday, the salesperson could have been a deer struck in headlights. That was Saturday with a customer looking for a specialty item she could take with her or have by Monday.


There was a line of people needing help and this customer insisted on going through all the catalogs to prove to herself that the salesperson indeed did not have a sink in stock that met her requirements.

Ideally, when planning a remodel, the cardinal rule is to plan in advance to have all the components on site or in stock ready to ship to you.

Lead times: Not all plumbing stores stock inventory. The specialty plumbing stores carry thousands of models from the plumbing manufacturers they buy from and most will have a lead time from as short as two weeks and as long as 6 weeks for special order items. Chances are, unless you walk into a big box store with product on the shelf ready to buy, there is little chance you will be able to walk away with it the same day.

Check ahead: Not all competing stores carry the same stock. One store may stock Kohler and another down the street may stock Grohe. Call in advance, save yourself the aggravation and wasting gas and time driving all over town. Ask the store manager or head of the dept. what brands they stock or that you can get within the week. Sales people should be able to help you over the phone with these basic questions. Check with your plumber where he buys from. Industry insiders are the best people to ask.

Getting the best service: Don't abuse a salesperson's time on the phone. Yes, that's right. To get the best service and best price keep your questions over the phone, simple and direct. Most will not be able to quote prices, but will be able to take care of your general questions. Ask your salesperson what's the best time to come in. They want your business, but if you need more handholding in product selection and need to look at every catalog and get a price on multiple styles, showing up during prime time hours means they have to hustle to take care of several customers and cannot focus on you alone. Most salespeople are knowledgeable and want to help. If you find yourself in a busy showroom, write down model #'s. Tell the salesperson you are working on a large project and have several things you need to order. Ask if they can fax or email a quote back to you. If you are willing to be flexible, you can get a lot more in the way of service and probably a better price.

Unfortunately, waiting till the final hour before the plumber arrives, can lead to some very unhappy compromises in your selections.

Better idea yet, if your request is for the unusual and your taste is very selective, your best value is hiring a designer to begin with. A designer has the capability of sourcing out custom features and will be able to recommend the best showrooms to find product. In addition, a designer may be able to recommend a much more efficient floor plan, so that you are not at the mercy of unusual dimensions.

There was more delays in her selection process. Most all the faucets had a red and blue dot indicating hot and cold and she needed one that did not have that. A few more customers came and went, not able to stick it out waiting for service. While the salesperson, (poor chap- he did the best he could in the limited amount of time he had), went off to assist another customer, I felt a little sorry for this lady's predicament. I whispered quietly to the lady looking for the unusual sink, "that is a very uncommon sink, have you tried a specialty plumbing supplier that carries sinks for marine and rv equipment?"

Answer: "Oh, I didn't think of that! I had no idea it would be so difficult."

Moral of the story: When you fail to plan, plan to fail.

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Expectations

At times I am at a loss for words when I encounter rude and demanding "potential" clients.
Working with a designer on a kitchen project entails a relationship that can last for months. It is so much nicer to work with people who are more communicative than demanding. With that in mind, the interview process is a two way street. In as much as the client is interviewing the designer, so too is the designer evaluating the client.

Please keep in mind the following:
1. Appointments are recommended and appreciated. If you walk in, I will be friendly and accommodating to answer your questions. If I am in the middle of working with another client, I will be happy to schedule an appointment so that we may have the proper time to evaluate your project needs.
2. If we have an appointment, I will be on time and will call you the day before to remind you. Please arrive on time or call me to let me know you are delayed.
3. If you have drawings and want me to price out your job , please do not ask me to put your quote ahead of other clients. Every client gets equal time. If I say that my lead time is two- weeks out, please do not call me back one week later upset that you have not heard from me. If I can accommodate you sooner, I certainly will try.
4. I will get back to you in a timely manner with your project quote. If I don't here from you, I have no way of knowing if you received my message, if you hired another company, or you are too busy to call back. Please contact me either way so that I may have a way of knowing where I stand with your quote.

As for the obnoxious overbearing bullies of the world there is absolutely no rule that says I have to be your designer.

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