The Fire Time Podcast Kenneth Walker - 5 Principles for a Winning Showroom
"The purpose of your showroom is to sell the in-home visit."
This week, Tim welcomes Kenneth Walker, independent sales rep for Fire Walker Sales covering nine states, to break down the five principles every winning fireplace showroom needs. Kenneth has seen hundreds of showrooms—from thriving retail operations to struggling chimney service companies trying to break into retail—and shares exactly what separates success from failure.
In this episode, Tim and Kenneth discuss:
- Why marketing your showroom is step one: Most customers don't randomly walk into hearth stores—they're destination shopping, which means if you don't tell them you exist with clear CTAs, QR codes on trucks, and explicit messaging, they'll never find you.
- Simple and thoughtful always beats big and fancy: A tight 20x20 showroom with strategic product placement will outsell a massive space with 40 wood stoves and 17 brands where customers get lost and salespeople can't become experts on anything.
- Product positioning is your secret weapon: Stop trying to show everything from every brand and instead build a clear price ladder using each vendor's strengths—like the taco truck with beef, chicken, and fish tacos, not 45 varieties of beef.
- Signage and pricing eliminate customer anxiety: Posting average installed price ranges shows customers the full ladder from $4,000 to $9,500, takes price off the table as an objection, and naturally wins the sit-down estimate without awkward budget conversations.
- In-home appointments are where you actually sell fireplaces: The showroom sells the home visit, the home visit sells the fireplace—and charging customers $250 to come measure means you're tripping over hundred dollar bills trying to pick up pennies.
Don't miss this tactical guide to building a showroom that creates buying experiences instead of browsing experiences.
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