You’re hiring for your showroom and two candidates stand out.

One has years of decorative plumbing experience. They know the manufacturers, understand the products and could step onto the showroom floor with very little training.

The other comes with less industry experience but has a strong sales background. They listen well, ask good questions, connect easily with customers and know how to guide a conversation toward a decision without making it feel like a sales pitch.

Who gets the job?

Our industry understandably puts a lot of value on product knowledge. Decorative plumbing can be complicated, and customers and trade professionals expect expertise.

But product knowledge can be taught.

The ability to listen, build trust, understand what matters to a customer and confidently guide a sale can be much harder to develop.

That doesn’t mean sales ability alone is enough. Someone has to be curious, willing to learn and motivated to develop the technical knowledge the job requires. The best hire may not be the candidate who checks every box on day one, but the one who has the qualities that are hardest to teach—and the ability to learn the rest.

That’s why this is about more than experience versus sales skills. It’s about the kind of team—and the kind of showroom—you’re trying to build.

The people you hire shape your customer experience. They influence how your showroom is perceived, whether customers come back, whether trade professionals want to work with you and ultimately how successfully your business grows.

So perhaps the question isn’t only, Who has the experience we need today?

It’s also:

Who has the potential to help us become the showroom we want to be tomorrow?

Northpoint Perspective

At Northpoint & Co., we believe independent luxury kitchen and bath showrooms thrive when leadership, strategy, and organizational excellence work together. Through Northpoint Perspective, we share ideas, observations, and practical insights to help leaders build stronger businesses and prepare for the future.

Looking for a Fresh Perspective?

Northpoint & Co. works with independent luxury kitchen and bath showrooms to strengthen leadership, strategy, and performance.

Schedule a complimentary consultation to start the conversation.