Life in the Showroom from a Newbie

I joined the SDS Showroom team 6 months ago with an interior design background but very limited knowledge of ironmongery. I had a week of product training and passed the Guild Of Architectural Ironmongers Foundation in Hardware course, but with such a vast range of products the real learning happened dealing with customers daily. Every enquiry is different, and it pushes you to come up with new solutions and options for the customer to choose from. Working in a Showroom means there are not two days alike.

Face to face service helps giving a more personal approach to the problem and a better understanding of the issue the customer is trying to solve. Such a niche terminology can make the customer’s journey an unpleasant experience, and being able to express yourself through drawings, gestures and examples that go beyond words is a relief. Besides, customers appreciate feeling and seeing the products in the flesh before making a purchase, and quality products sell themselves. The covid pandemic has made face to face customer service a challenge, but SDS has successfully adapted to the current situation, keeping a solid customer base, and even welcoming new customers every day.

We can observe from dealing with customers directly that there is a higher focus on the aesthetic side of products, and the harmony between the elements in a common space which makes customers more and more appreciative of the beauty of their home’s hardware. We commonly get enquiries from our customers who come with an idea of how they want their spaces to look like and we will be the ones giving all the technical details and provide the best alternative for their vision to be carried out. They bring a fresh perspective to a sector that has been centred in function rather than visuals.

I would say, being the face of the company has a downside, especially within the ironmongery world. Being a woman in a predominantly masculine field can seem intimidating, but the world has been experiencing an ever-growing crowd of female professionals in Interior Design and Architectural roles through the last few decades. Despite some people still finding it surprising how our Showroom is mainly composed by women in their 20s, we are a very well-trained team with years of experience in the field that will go the extra mile to help our customers and put them at ease that they are in good hands.

Lucia