Your Horse Is Slowing Down.

Your Strategy Is to Cheer Louder?

Two cabinet manufacturers are at the racetrack.

“How are your dealers doing?”

“Slowing down. Lost a few.”

“What are you doing?”

“Looking for faster dealers.”

“Helping the ones you have?”

“We’re focused internally.”

“So you’re sitting here?”

“Strategically.”

“What about working with them? Helping them change how they do business?”

“We’re discussing that.”

“With the dealers?”

“No. Internally.”

And there it is.

Too many manufacturer-dealer relationships still run on the same arrangement: here’s the product, here’s the price, call your rep.

Then everyone acts surprised when a business model built 30 years ago struggles to deliver next year’s growth.

“What’s your transformation plan?”

“New door this fall.”

“For the business?”

“No. Shaker.”

The opportunity is a different kind of partnership.

Sit down with your dealers. Have an actual business conversation. Understand where they want to go. Bring ideas. Listen to theirs. Put AI, tools and expertise to work together.

Both businesses need to evolve. Neither benefits from the manufacturer spending another year admiring its own operation while waiting for dealers to figure everything out.

I wouldn’t be surprised to see some of the mammoth sized manufacturers lose 20% of their business over the next three years to competitors willing to build that partnership. That’s about 1 billion in stock and semi-custom cabinets that could be in play. Maybe more…That’s my gut feeling, not a forecast.

Smaller and mid-sized manufacturers have an opening—but they have to earn it! Help dealers build stronger businesses, and you give them a better chance to win customers. Their success becomes your growth.

Keep replacing slower horses without helping their team improve, and eventually the Purse money gets smaller and smaller.

“Should we go talk to our dealers?”

“After the race?”

Screw transactional. Embrace transformational.

Your next growth strategy might start with pulling up a chair at your dealer’s business. Find directions there on your phone.

Preferably before your competitor does.

Let’s get to work! Thad

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