7 Ways a Concierge Bathroom Products Supplier Can Help You Deliver an Exceptional Bathroom Remodel

Have you ever called a bathroom products supplier and immediately their tone on the phone made you feel like you (a potential customer) was ‘bothering’ them? Maybe your job was too small. Or you aren’t very knowledgeable. It was obvious they wanted to ‘punt’ you (and stop answering your long list of questions) ASAP! They had ‘bigger fish to fry’ – so to speak – and you weren’t feeling like an ‘important fish’ to them!

Often the bigger the supplier is, and the larger their market share, the more arrogant and less helpful they become (and that’s assuming you can get them to return your call or respond to an email at all).

And let’s face facts, the bathroom contracting and bathroom products supply industries are not thought of as providing the customer service experience of a Ritz Carlton hotel.

And in the title of this article where I talk about a ‘concierge bathroom products supplier,’ you may be asking, “What in the Sam Adams is that?”

Well – I have to come clean (and no, that bathroom pun wasn’t intended!) and tell you it’s a term I made up in preparation for a presentation I did recently for a group of home access remodeling contractors. I knew in this audience there were companies who were relatively new (or completely) new to bathroom remodeling. And the more I thought about it, the more I realized they need a ‘concierge bathroom products supplier’ because they were not ‘old hats’ in the industry. They would need someone to ‘shepherd them along’ in their projects, not just send them to a website or dealer portal and (basically) tell them to ‘fend for themselves.’

And if you’re fuzzy about what the word concierge means, it comes from the French word which means ‘keeper of the keys.’ In the olden days, a concierge was someone who attended to the needs of nobility. In today’s world, the largest number of concierges are employed at nicer hotels and are the ‘knowledge’ base not only about their hotel, but about the area it’s in as well. They make recommendations (about restaurants, attractions to visit). They’ll develop an itinerary (a schedule for their guests) and will help with even the wackiest requests or needs you have.

And I’ll argue an exceptional bathroom products supplier can also provide concierge level service to help you deliver a top-rate project for your customers – even if you’re not an old-pro about all things bathroom remodeling.

Let’s look at 7 ways you’ll benefit from finding a ‘concierge bathroom products supplier’ (and yes, I’ll admit it’s a goal of my business to be this type of supplier) even if you’re not an expert bath remodeler already.

#1 – A concierge bathroom products supplier will make recommendations

There’s 4 key components of a shower remodel.

First, your shower will start ‘at the bottom’ with 6 possible types of shower pans (or shower floors) you could use. And knowing which to choose is critical. You might say the base or floor is literally ‘foundational’ to the job.

Then there’s countless wall surround options. Should you recommend a grout free shower wall panel system or a tile surround? And if so, what type of wall surround system or tile pattern would be best?

Next, do you need a shower door, or will you go with a walk in shower with or without curtains.

Then look at shower accessories. Would your customer benefit from a fold down seat, grab bars, or niches for soap and shampoo. The list goes on and on.

And in this list of shower needs – we haven’t even talked about the rest of the bathroom including a vanity, toilet, or a bathtub if there’s enough room for a shower and a tub.

If the list of recommendations seems daunting to you, just imagine how your client feels.

And if you’re blown away by what to recommend this is where a concierge supplier can help. Begin by telling your supplier about the client’s needs. Discuss the size of the space, provide a floor plan, their budget, the location of existing plumbing. Since they’ve ‘been there, and done that,’ they can make recommendations to save you countless hours of research (and shopping).

#2 – A concierge bathroom products supplier will NOT make you feel like a P.I.A., even if you’re a ‘newbie.’ They’ll provide resources (blogs, videos, etc.) to get you up to speed fast.

It’s no fun being a ‘newbie.’ You don’t know what you don’t know. And you may not even be sure where to look to figure out what you don’t know. And this is where a bathroom products concierge can be of a ton of help.

They’ll lead you to specific blog posts, videos, people, and associations to help you understand how to select, sell, market, and install bath products. And they may even be the trainer themselves in these products. But most importantly they’ll be patient with you through the learning process.

#3 – A concierge bathroom products supplier will help with special requests.

Bathroom remodeling IS NOT a one size fits all proposition. If only all jobs were a (somewhat) straightforward 60” x 32” tub to shower conversion.

You may have a client who needs a roll in shower in a long narrow bathroom and you’re wondering what the heck you can use to make this work. Perhaps a one level wet room roll through shower could your answer.

Or you may have a client with an existing tile shower which is custom-size – who doesn’t have a big budget – and is hoping to use standard products to keep their costs reasonable. You may be asking, “How can this project be done with standard shower components?”

Or you may have a window smack dab in the middle of the shower, and don’t know how to trim it out so it’s watertight, or know what wall surround systems you can use to work around a window.

These are all examples where a bathroom products supplier will help you to work through product and installation solutions for the wackiness which all too frequently IS the world of bathroom remodeling.

#4 – A concierge bathroom products supplier will provide tools to help your customer FINALLY make up their mind!

Complexity (and selections) can bog down a bathroom remodeling job faster than you can say Mariano Mushmouth Pacetti eating a pizza (and for those of you who don’t know who Mariano was – for a laugh, watch the video below which is a tribute to this fast pizza eating champion. He was a favorite on Cleveland TV’s back in the 60’s and 70’s …and yes, I’m dating myself here!).

That’s why you need selection tools to help simplify the process. This could be a bathroom presentation program, a bathroom visualizer, and/or a sales case with product samples.



Having these tools in an in-home presentation speeds up the process much better than applying a headlock to the 75 year old grandma you’re looking to convince to purchase your products.

#5 – A concierge bathroom products supplier will work with you (and your client’s budget). They might even ‘tell you where to go,’…. but not in a nasty way!

Oh, those evil budgets! Not everyone has an Elon-Musk-sized budget. Ok, NOBODY has an Elon-Musk-sized budget. However, with that being said product recommendations should not only be made with an eye on ‘budget-friendly materials,’ but also the labor costs to install these materials. And as you know, cheaper materials usually take longer to install.

Concierge bathroom product suppliers have options for complete shower replacement kits (in standard or custom sizes) to save money. And even if their products are not affordable enough for your customers,’ they’ll be able to ‘tell you where to go’ (and it won’t be to H-E-double-hockey sticks). They’ll make connections for you even if it means referring you to their competitors.

#6 – A concierge bathroom products supplier will arrange for, and communicate about, transportation (and you won’t get the bad news about freight costs AFTER you’ve quoted the job!).

Let’s face facts, transportation costs aren’t cheap. And, in addition, with ‘trucking costs’ I’ve never seen a ‘fuel surcharge’ from a trucking company get removed from a bill. They only get larger, even when gas prices come down!

However, transportation costs are a necessary evil of selling bathroom products. However, with a concierge bathroom products supplier these costs are INCLUDED in their quotes. This way you don’t get hammered with high costs you have to eat AFTER you’ve quoted a job. In addition, they’ll provide tracking information so you can plan your installation schedule.

#7– A concierge bathroom products supplier will be there for you if the proverbial ‘crap hits the fan!’

In a perfect world everything goes perfect. However, in the real world of bathroom remodeling, not so much. And this is when you need your supplier more than ever.

A concierge bathroom supplier will first and foremost answer their phone when you’re calling and screaming for H-E-L-P! They respond to emails and texts promptly.

A concierge bathroom supplier will respond to problems with the materials and connect you with someone knowledgeable if your installation is going sideways. Because as all of us know, installations rarely are as simple as the installation demo video recorded in the studio!

So – would you like to work with a concierge bathroom products supplier? Would you like to know where to find one?

After reading this article – whether you’re a newer bathroom contractor – or an ‘established veteran’ wouldn’t you value from a concierge bathroom products supplier?

If so, we’d love to help if you’re a company who needs to source grout free wall panels, shower bases, glass doors, or shower accessories.  And here’s how:

• Call 888-467-7488 and ask to speak to Mike about our products and bathroom dealership
• Request free samples of wall panels or stone shower pans
• Fill out our become a dealer form.

Thanks for reading and putting up with my humor along the way. Me and my team look forward to ‘treating you like nobility’ (like the pioneers in the concierge trade) no matter what size bathroom project – or company – you have!

Mike.

Mike Foti,

President, Innovate Building Solutions

  ###

In addition, if you’d like to connect on LinkedIn, you’ll find me at

https://www.linkedin.com/in/mikefoti/