Why Great Sales People Are Rarely Great Designers
- kitchen-finder
- Apr 6
- 4 min read
Why Separating These Functions Drives Better Results in the Kitchen Industry
In the world of kitchens, the line between design and sales often blurs. It is not uncommon to find sales consultants juggling lead generation, site meetings, client meetings, and detailed kitchen design presentations and more. While this multitasking might seem efficient on the surface, it can be counterproductive and costly.
The truth is simple: Great sales people are not necessarily great designers, and great designers are rarely great sales people. Trying to wear both hats can lead to mediocre results in both areas. Instead, kitchen businesses should focus on building clear, optimized processes between the two roles or outsource the design work to professional service providers like kitchen-finder.com.
In this article, we will explore the reasons behind this functional divide, and why embracing it can transform your kitchen business to new heights.
1. Sales And Design Functions Require Fundamentally Different Skill Sets
Sales: It is About People, Emotion, And Persuasion
A good sales person thrives on human interaction. Their strengths lie in building relationships, reading people, and influencing their decisions. They listen actively, empathize, and present solutions in a way that inspires confidence, solves problems, and drives conversions. Timing, communication, and psychology are key ingredients of their daily success.
Design: It is About Logic, Precision, Technical Knowledge, And Aesthetic Intelligence
A good designer, on the other hand, operates in a different realm. Their focus is on measurements, functionality, technical feasibility as well as aesthetics. They translate ideas into spatial solutions, working within constraints like walkways, accessibility, storage, plumbing, ventilation, appliance specifications, and worktop specifications – all while maintaining a strong sense of style and detail.
These are not opposing skills, but they are rarely found in the same person at a high level. When someone attempts to master both, one area tends to suffer.
2. Multitasking Dilutes Expertise
In the kitchen industry, just like in every other industry, time is money – and wasting it on overlapping tasks costs more than you think.
A sales person handling design might:
Rush through measurements and miss important details to close a sale faster
Copy and paste existing designs instead of tailoring them to the client’s needs
Miss key technical details which lead to costly replacements during installation
Spend hours on the design software instead of generating and qualifying new leads
Likewise, a designer forced into a sales role might:
Avoid upselling opportunities or closing conversations due to discomfort
Undervalue their design work and offer discounts prematurely
Struggle with client’s objection handling and client follow-ups
Become stressed and demotivated, affecting design quality
The result? Longer closing times, lower revenue, and potentially, unhappy customers.
3. Role Confusion Affects Customer Experience
When one person handles both, sales and design, the experience becomes inconsistent. A customer may enjoy the sales pitch going through the showroom tour and discovery, but feel disappointed with the design presentation. Or, they may be impressed by the design presentation but feel neglected in terms of the consultation and follow-up service. Sales needs to be fast, dynamic, and customer-centric. Design needs to be calm, thoughtful, and detail-oriented.
Trying to deliver both in a single client interaction is like switching between being a sprinter and a chess player. It rarely works well – and clients notice the cracks.
4. Good Design Takes Time – And Time Kills Sales Momentum
Clients usually want quick answers, quick designs, quick prices, and overall quick and seamless service. However, quality design takes time. It involves translating the measurements into accurate and feasible floor plans, finding the perfect combination within thousands of different product and article codes that meet the filtered (budget) requirements, setting the perfect lighting and decoration for best possible and realistic renders, and producing the required deliverables for initial client presentations. In addition to possible revisions that may be required.
Sales people under pressure often shortcut the design process to keep momentum which can lead to:
Inaccuracy of the floor plans when it comes to measurements.
Lack of brand-specific flexibility when it comes to cabinetry options.
Mediocre render quality of the perspectives generated.
Quotes that do not match the client’s budget expectations.
Post-sale frustration when results do not match expectations.
By decoupling sales and design, your team can deliver fast, client-focused sales service while ensuring the design is handled with the precision it deserves.
5. Collaboration Creates Better Outcomes
Rather than forcing your team to be generalists, why not build a system that allows experts to focus on what they do best?
Here is how that might look:
Sales people focus on generating leads, qualifying leads, and converting leads.
Designers receive well-structured briefs and translate them into ready-to-finalize design package with accurate layouts, accurate technical details, and ‘wow-factor’ renders.
Both roles are connected through clearly defined workflows, feedback loops, and milestones.
This approach enhances the speed, quality, and profitability of each client interaction, and it prevents your best people from burning out.
6. Outsourcing Design = Flexibility Without Compromise
For many German kitchen retailers, building a full in-house design team is not practical. It requires hiring, training, software investments, and constant workflow management. That is where service providers like kitchen-finder.com come in.
By outsourcing your kitchen and other room design requirements, you get:
✅ Access to experts trained in leading German kitchens brands
✅ Brand-specific and ready-to-finalize design packages on demand
✅ Fast, reliable, and high-quality service all year-round and worldwide
✅ Guaranteed cost-savings when compared to in-house design resources
✅ Inspiring designs that lead to quicker decisions and higher sales conversions
You gain flexibility while maintaining the high standards of a premium showroom.
Conclusion: Stick To What You Are Best At – And Build Strong Processes
Not every great sales person can design, and not every great designer can sell. And that is not a flaw – It is a strength when recognized and structured correctly. By separating the sales and design functions, and creating robust workflows between them, you empower your team to:
Deliver more professional client experiences
Scale without burnout and / or compromises
Improve sales conversions and design quality
Grow your business with less frictions
Whether you build an internal system or outsource your design requirements to professional service providers like kitchen-finder.com, the message is clear:
Let your sales people sell. Let your designers design. Let your business thrive.
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