Sell and Design with the Next Step in Mind
Because homeowners are more inclined nowadays to remain in their homes as they age, it’s important to incorporate universal design elements that meet current needs–and what clients may need years later. The same holds true for families: Homeowners who may have previously moved into larger quarters as their families grew are now apt to stay put and remodel.
From a business standpoint, this long-term thinking opens up two key sales and marketing opportunities:
- to cross-sell clients on transitional design components that they may not yet have in mind, and
- to offer renovation services for other rooms in the home.
To increase sales, designers and remodelers need to plan beyond clients’ initial remodel requests. Oftentimes, clients think about what they need now and not so much about what they’ll require as they age or their lifestyles change. Proposing additional remodeling options that clients perhaps haven’t considered, either as an all-at-once job or as part of a multi-year roadmap for rooms other than the kitchen in question, can lead to more work.
Drury Design in Glen Ellyn, Ill., reports that multi-room renovations are becoming more common. Terry Kenney, a Drury designer, worked recently with a family that didn’t just want to upgrade their tired, outdated kitchen, but the entire first floor, to make the entire space more inviting for entertaining multiple generations. With an eye on these multiple rooms, Kenney ensured that the design decor worked for the kitchen, as well as the adjoining dining room, laundry room and powder room.
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