As the K&B World Turns: The AI Plot Twist is Getting Good
So we meet again… in that same shadowy coffee shop we call Darkbucks…. Filled with secrets and doughnuts with sprinkles…
Maybe we should call this one “As the K&B World Turns,” because lately this industry has more plot twists than a soap opera filmed inside a cabinet showroom about a Kermit green door sample that wasn’t signed out.. Grab the pitchforks!!
Time is flying. One minute I’m filling up my car for less than $70. The next minute I’m trying to decide which internal organ has the best resale value just to fill it up again.
Hopefully somebody gets that mess figured out soon, because I am running out of spare parts.
But while the gas pump is busy committing tiny financial crimes, something much more exciting is happening in the Kitchen & Bath industry.
We recently had an amazing meeting with 14 cabinet manufacturing reps from four different agencies who have started their AI Rep Program.
That is a big deal!
These reps are not waiting around for someone else to hand them the future in a binder. They are not sitting back hoping their manufacturers eventually roll out AI training sometime between a price update and a discontinued door style notice.
In fact, one of the questions that came up was pretty simple:
“Do we think our manufacturers are going to provide AI training for us?”
After the laughter died down, they made the smart decision.
They decided to take control of their own future.
That is what leaders do.
They learn before they are forced to learn. They move before the crowd moves. They ask better questions before the market starts handing out painful answers.
At some point, every rep, dealer, manufacturer, and industry partner is going to have to ask themselves the same question:
Do I start learning about AI now, or do I defer it until later?
This group seemed to answer that question pretty clearly:
“Defer learning? My ass!”
Maybe that was not officially entered into the meeting minutes, but it should have been.
And honestly, congratulations to them.
They are setting the right example. They are picking up the ball and running with it. Not because AI is a magic wand, but because they understand that the industry is changing, and the people who learn how to use these tools will become more valuable to the dealers and manufacturers they serve.
We are also starting to see a couple larger manufacturers enter the conversation in a more serious way. That is encouraging. AI is not going to be some tiny side project sitting in the corner with a name badge. It is going to become part of how this industry sells, designs, quotes, orders, trains, tracks, supports, and communicates.
And dealers are starting to move too.
We are seeing more dealers join the Elevate Program, but this is not really about one program. It is about something bigger. It is about people recognizing that standing still is getting more expensive.
Whether dealers learn with us, with someone else, or through their own efforts, the important thing is that they start.
Because five years from now, the Kitchen & Bath industry is going to look different.
The businesses that learn, test, apply, and improve now will have a real advantage. They will have better systems, better data, better customer experiences, and teams that are more confident using new tools.
The ones that watch and wait may eventually decide to jump in.
But catching up later is going to be a whole lot harder.
So yes, the K&B world is turning.
And this latest plot twist is a good one.
The reps are learning. The dealers are moving. The manufacturers are starting to pay attention.
That is worth celebrating.
And next, we are going to talk about one of the hidden places where this all starts to matter fast: closing ratios.
Because when dealers realize how much time and money is being burned on quotes that never close, the conversation about AI, referrals, customer experience, and better systems gets very real, very quickly.
That math is coming.
And spoiler alert: the cheap lead is not always cheap.
Ready to Start Learning?
One thing became very clear after our recent rep meetings:
The people who start learning now are going to have a major advantage over the next few years.
That’s exactly why we created the AI Training Program for Cabinet Sales Representatives.
It’s designed specifically for reps who want practical, real-world ways to use AI in their daily workflow — not generic tech theory.
The reps who learn these tools now will show up:
more prepared
more strategic
more organized
and more valuable to the dealers they support.
The technology is changing quickly.
The opportunity is deciding to start.
Just get involved wherever — but it all starts with action…. That first step.
Have a great Memorial Day weekend! thad
