Kitchen plans: Hastily drawn plans usually equates to hastily conceived ideas. Image Copyright Dan Kitchens Australia.
I’m often asked by potential customers “why does Dan Kitchens Australia charge a kitchen design fee and not simply provide free measure and quotes like the rest of the industry?”. It can be hard for some customers to understand, so I’ve written a short explanation on why paying for the design can be the better alternative, helping you make a more informed decision. Please read on below.
How some in the industry operate.
I won’t go into all of the tactics used by some in kitchen industry, but I think it is very important for customers to learn about the more popular “free pitch” tactic.
Let’s say you contact a kitchen company asking for a design and a quote, they will send out a commission-paid salesperson to your home, measure the room, and ask you what layout you want. The salesperson will then draw up a rudimentary design and quote (often hastily on the spot), and hand it over free of charge, often with a “today only” discount offer on the price of the kitchen. This is known as free pitching.
From the customer’s perspective free pitching may sound appealing – after all you are getting something for nothing – what the customer doesn’t realise is very little effort has gone into solving your problems. The salesperson is more interested in applying pressure on you to buy so they can to get their commission. The practice of free pitching rewards good salespeople often with little or no formal design training and de-emphasises the role that design plays in achieving a better kitchen for you.
Using a qualified kitchen designer.
How does a consumer with a challenging brief avoid the free pitched design and quote tactic? You approach a reputable kitchen company who charge for their design expertise. Doing so removes the pressure situation and puts you as the customer squarely in the driver’s seat. It is now up to the designer to fully satisfy your brief – after all you are paying for the service. As far as knowing which kitchen company to approach for design, it is always best to refer to the experience of family or friends. When in doubt, read customer reviews on trustworthy 3rd party sites like Google and Houzz and hear about the customer experiences on notgoodenough.org.
You should expect to see high quality 3D images like this one when using a paid kitchen design service. Image Copyright Dan Kitchens Australia.
Benefits of using a paid design service.
In short, below are the reasons why many customers prefer a paid design service over free pitching:
- No pressure selling: Where once you had someone pressuring you to buy, the pressure is now on the Kitchen Designer to meet your brief – no matter how challenging.
- Be heard and not spoken to: In order for the designer to formulate a design brief, they must listen to you and learn about your needs and desires for the kitchen.
- More creative solutions: The designer is able to explore more avenues and put more thought into solving what can often be difficult and time-consuming problems.
- A thorough presentation: When it comes to discussing the proposed design, your kitchen designer will arrange a presentation with you. During the presentation, they can dedicate far more time with you to explain the details.
- Better documentation: Expect to see detailed plans, photo-realistic images and complete costings of the proposed kitchen design. No more hastily conceived plans drawn on the back of brochures or looking over a shoulder at a laptop.
- Better outcomes: Problems are thought about and dealt with at the beginning, limiting mistakes from being carried through to manufacture and installation. There is nothing worse for a customer than to find something doesn’t quite work with their kitchen after it is completed.
- Qualified designers: Working with qualified kitchen designers who have undergone industry backed training and education. You will have peace of mind knowing the person designing your kitchen knows what they are doing and isn’t simply a salesperson chasing a commission.
Photo realistic 3D images are great because they are so revealing. Image Copyright Dan Kitchens Australia.
What is Dan Kitchens approach to kitchen design?
For the record, the design team at Dan Kitchens Australia are qualified in-house designers employed within the company on a salary basis, they are not commission-paid nor are they sub-contracted. All cabinetry, joinery and door fronts are made by the Dan Kitchens manufacturing facility and installed by their own cabinet makers – a rarity in this industry.
For a modest fee, Dan Kitchens offer a design service focused on collaborating with you to deliver a comprehensive kitchen design. It is a cooperative process involving our qualified designers and design team working with you. The service concludes only when you are completely satisfied with the kitchen being proposed. This approach rightly puts design at the forefront. In 2015 Dan Kitchens became Practice Members of the Design Institute of Australia, in recognition of this methodology – the only kitchen company in Sydney to do so.
Should you wish to learn more about the Design Service offered by Dan Kitchens Australia, you are most welcome to meet with the design team at the showroom or simply call on (02) 9624 2344.