The Kitchen & Bath Design + Industry Awards adds new awards at KBIS 2022.

By Dianne M. Pogoda

The Design + Industry Awards ceremony and elegant dinner that follows is always a highlight of KBIS. It’s where the industry gathers to honor the cream of design, showroom operations and new inductees into the K&B Hall of Fame.

This year, along with the Innovative Showroom Awards, which celebrate the industry’s premier sales operations for their creativity, engagement, overall environment and how they inform, inspire and educate their customers, NKBA has added two more honors in the sales realm: Best Sales Associate/Showroom Associate and Best Manufacturers Rep.

Sales and showroom associates are the rainmakers, the lifelines and the faces of any business. Their tireless efforts, expertise in product knowledge, performance and how the products stack up with the competition, and hours spent refining sales projections and resolving issues for designers, clients, remodelers make all the difference in any sales organization.  This is the go-to associate who closes the deal, makes the customers happy, follows through and is a role model and mentor. Nominees will be judged by a panel of sales professionals and must exhibit exceptional sales accomplishments (number of projects/products as well as volume of sales brought in; growth of sales per quarter/year; awards and recognitions achieved; continued growth and aspiration in the field of sales.

Independent brand representatives are the faces in the field, and play a vital role in the sales operations for manufacturers that do not have formal inside sales teams. They can also be hired when a manufacturer wants to explore a new market, has a new product to introduce, or when it is more cost-effective than using the company’s own employees. An extension of the

manufacturer’s own organization, reps reach out to customers and provide tremendous product knowledge to keep orders flowing and business expanding. Top reps truly stand out and make a huge impact on a company.

Best Manufacturer’s Representative will be judged on product knowledge, continued learning/training on products, sales growth, profitability of sales, close ratios, customer care and satisfaction, and innovative business techniques.

Innovative Showroom Awards honor existing showrooms in the kitchen and bath space that are doing an outstanding job of engagement, creating an unforgettable experience, and educating their customers. The categories include Brand Specific Non-Selling Experience Center; Traditional Independent Multi-brand/Product Showroom, large and medium; Kitchen & Bath Design Center, small and medium; Unique Showroom Application: traditional showroom (not brick and mortar); virtual, mobile, unique showroom solution; Multi-Location, Multi-Product Showroom.

Show your appreciation to the pros who keep the industry moving — nominate them for an NKBA Sales Award. Winners will be honored at KBIS 2022 in Orlando at the Design & Industry Awards on Feb. 7, the night before the Expo opens.

For details and to nominate a stellar showroom, click here, for sales professional, click here, and for manufacturer’s rep, click here.

Register for KBIS 2022 here.