What Are You Really Selling? Part 2

John Gallagher
Jul 30
3 min read

Same Clothes, Different Closet

(Why Brand Positioning—and Sales Confidence—Make All the Difference)

In my career, I’ve worked for two very different types of closet companies.

One positioned itself as high-end—leading with full-service design, premium materials, and a showroom experience that made you feel like you were stepping into a lifestyle catalog.

The other focused on affordability and flexibility—showing streamlined designs, starting with simple options, and giving clients the power to add upgrades based on their needs and budget.

And here’s the thing:

Both approaches worked.

Both attracted clients.

Both closed deals.

Both had raving fans.

But the client experience—and the way I felt as a designer—was profoundly different.

💸 Framing the Conversation

At the more budget-conscious company, the strategy was to show a clean, simplified design first. The core offering. The essentials. Then, if clients were interested, they could “go shopping” for the extras—like drawers, accessories, and upgrades.

This worked well in many cases. It made clients feel in control of their investment. It gave them the flexibility to build their system piece by piece, in a way that felt financially approachable.

But occasionally, it created confusion. If a client mentioned needing drawers, and those weren’t included in the initial proposal, it could feel like something was missed—or worse, like their needs weren’t being heard.

That wasn’t the intention, of course. But the structure of the sales presentation shaped the perception.

🛍️ Showing the Full Picture

At the more premium company, designers were encouraged to include everything the client asked for—sometimes even adding thoughtful upgrades they hadn’t considered yet.

The result? A higher upfront price tag, yes. But also a complete, ready-to-go solution that felt polished and inspiring.

It made clients feel taken care of. Like everything had been anticipated and wrapped in a bow.

Still, that approach had its challenges too—especially when clients went price shopping and didn’t realize they were comparing a fully loaded system to a starting point. Without context, that comparison can be misleading.

🧠 The Real Lesson: Differentiators Drive Decisions

What I came to realize is this:

There is no “right” or “wrong” sales strategy—only a mismatch between the brand message and the buyer’s expectations.

Some clients want to start simple and build their system slowly. Others want the white-glove treatment and to be wowed from the start.

As long as the offering aligns with the message—and the experience matches the promise—both models work.

But if you don’t clearly communicate the difference, then price becomes the default deciding factor. And that’s when companies start losing deals they should have won.

💬 One of My Favorite Sales Quotes

“Price will always be the deciding factor when buyers don’t perceive meaningful differentiation.”

— Lee Salz, Sales Differentiation

Let that sink in.

If your team isn’t trained to clearly and confidently explain what makes your product and process different—whether that’s price flexibility, service levels, construction details, timeline, or overall vibe—then price becomes the only lens the client sees through.

That’s not a price problem. It’s a clarity problem.

🛠️ Tips to Help Your Designers Sell with Confidence

Rather than avoiding the price conversation, empower your sales team to reframe it:

“What’s most important in your decision: cost, customization, timeline, design, or ease of working with us?”
“Do you always buy the cheapest option when shopping for clothes, cars, or houses? If not, why?”
“Let me walk you through what’s included in our proposal—then we can compare apples to apples with other bids.”

These aren’t pressure tactics. They’re trust-building conversations. They invite the client to make an informed decision, and they take the pressure off the designer to “defend” the price.