Consultative Selling Tactics That Customers Actually Love with Merchandise Manager Abeer Saeed

The best dealers in the building industry are not just stocking product. They are guiding people toward the home they actually want. In this conversation, I talk with Abeer Saeed, Merchandise Manager at Do it Best, about how consultative selling helps customers land on exactly what they want while believing it was their idea all along. Abeer came up through interior design and retail at JCPenney and Ashley Furniture before joining Do it Best, and she brings a rare blend of design instinct and merchandising strategy to the millwork and cabinets category.

We start with her core philosophy: sell the vibe, not the product. Buyers do not care about technical specs nearly as much as they care about how a space will make them feel. Abeer shares how to uncover a customer’s real pain point, ask the right follow-up questions, and naturally upsell into drawers, bar areas, and organization solutions without ever pushing. It is one of the clearest breakdowns of customer experience I have heard on the show.

From there, we get tactical on showroom design. Abeer walks through the small, affordable upgrades that make the biggest difference, from refreshing tired flooring and swapping in easy-to-change vignettes to fixing lighting and clearing clutter so samples look like the showpieces they are. We also dig into virtual reality kitchen design and how tools like Studio 695 and Roomvo let dealers render a full kitchen, walk a customer through it, and close more building materials retail sales without a massive showroom investment.

We close with a look at why creativity and emotion belong in this industry, how women drive most design decisions, and what it really takes to make a space feel special. Whether you run a lumberyard, a hardware store, or a design center, this episode will help you turn visibility and great customer experience into growth. Stay unmistakable.

What you'll take away today:

Consultative selling starts with the customer’s pain point, not the product, so you solve the real problem and upsell naturally.

Selling the vibe instead of specs turns how a space feels into the reason customers buy, which is the heart of great customer experience.

Virtual reality kitchen design lets you render and walk a customer through their space, closing more sales without a huge showroom investment.

Showroom design wins come from small, affordable upgrades like fresh flooring, easy-to-swap vignettes, smart lighting, and clutter-free samples.

Building materials retail grows when millwork and cabinets are merchandised as design experiences, not just boxes on a shelf.

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Stefanie Couch is the founder of Grit Blueprint and a third-generation building industry professional.

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Transcript

[00:00]  The Consultative Selling Approach That Wins Customers

Abeer Saeed  00:00

You're selling the cabinet. You want cabinets? All right, cool, come look at the cabinets that I have. You failed right there. I think the first thing you need to know is why do you want a new kitchen? Understand the issue first and then try to fix that. My kitchen's too small, it's too old, it's this. Understand their pain point and then try to fix the pain point. Understanding the issue and going, okay, I really love to entertain and I don't have that space. Okay, fine. That means maybe a bar area or something like that. That's what you're looking for. Well, what else do you like? I have a lot of pots and pans. Okay, maybe drawers. Have you thought about that? And right there, you've already upsold.

Stefanie Couch  00:34

Consultative selling is the only way to give people exactly what they want with it being their idea. They'll tell you everything. They'll tell you exactly what they want. Even if they don't realize what they want, they'll tell you about it.

[00:48]  Welcome To The Grit Blueprint Podcast

Stefanie Couch  00:48

Welcome to the Grit Blueprint Podcast. I'm your host, Stefanie Couch. This is the spot where leaders talk about the stories, strategies, and systems that win in the building industry. We unpack how leaders and brands build their reputations and become unmistakable. Welcome to the Grit Blueprint Podcast.

[00:58]  Meet Abeer Saeed Of Do it Best Millwork And Cabinets

Stefanie Couch  00:58

I'm your host, Stefanie Couch, coming to you today live from Denver with my guest from Do it Best. You are an amazing member of the Do it Best team, but also my friend, Abeer Saeed. Welcome to the show.

Abeer Saeed  01:20

Thank you.

Stefanie Couch  01:21

And you are a merchandise manager at Do it Best in the millwork category. You have cabinets, interior solutions, flooring, all of the beautiful things that Do it Best sells. We are here on the market floor, and you've been selling lots of stuff this weekend, showing beautiful things to a lot of people. What's the buzz like around here?

Abeer Saeed  01:43

It's been really great. We've had a lot of really great feedback, especially with the VR experiences and things like that, and all the new things that are coming in the cabinets and flooring. It's just like you said, it's a beautiful category, and people are attracted to something creative and fun.

Stefanie Couch  01:58

It's different than the rest of the industry. Hardware is fun too, but I always look at those pretty things as kind of a jewelry that goes on the top of the cake of the foundation and the lumber and all those things.

Abeer Saeed  02:10

It's the foundation for your home outside of the wood part of it. So it sets the tone for your house.

[02:15]  How Virtual Reality Kitchen Design Works In Your Store

Stefanie Couch  02:15

I want to talk virtual reality. Right beside me is the Studio 695, which you've done for a few years. It's a layout here on the floor. But instead of this year doing a really big layout in real life, you are showing what could happen with virtual reality. So tell me about that. What is actually being used to do that, and how does it work if someone wanted to do it in their store?

Abeer Saeed  02:38

Yeah, so we're actually showing it two ways. We've got the VR cardboard goggles, which are like five dollars on Amazon. So you don't have to have the full Oculus, the actual immersive experience. You can use your phone. You just scan a QR code after you've designed it with your customer and render it. It takes about 20 or 30 minutes, depending on your internet speed. And then you can actually walk through it, put your finishes on it, see the flooring, your countertop, your cabinets, even appliances. All the major brands are on there, from Sharp to Whirlpool. They're all integrated in it, so you don't have to do the investment of trying to build the design part of it. All you have to do is have the program, whether it's Cyncly, 2020, Pro Kitchen, any of them. They all have this experience. All you need to do is learn how to do it. And we're actually going to be doing something at the design school coming up here in Chicago and talking about how you can bring that visualization piece into your designs.

[03:20]  Inside The Do it Best Design School In Chicago

Stefanie Couch  03:20

Tell me more about the design school. When is it? What is it? How do you get in?

Abeer Saeed  03:25

So it's going to be June 10th to the 12th. More details are coming soon, but it's going to be in Chicago, which I'm really excited about because I feel like Chicago is kind of the design hub of places. We're going to be doing virtual tours with some of the vendors. We're going to be going to the Whirlpool showroom as well as NeoCon, which, if you're not familiar with it, is kind of like the furniture and design mart of places. So we've got lots of things going on at the Merchandise Mart, but sign-ups are coming up soon. June 10th to the 12th.

[03:59]  Why Creative People Make This Industry Better

Stefanie Couch  03:59

Do you need a plus one to come help you film some design school activities?

Abeer Saeed  04:04

Always.

Stefanie Couch  04:05

Especially if she comes with the pink cap. I feel like I know someone that may be interested in the job. Well, I want to start a little bit more about you. You have a lot of passions, and we've talked over many dinners. We both love music, and you specifically love Broadway. So I'm going to ask you a question that might be the hardest question of this whole thing. You've got to pick one show, one show for the rest of your life. What Broadway show are you picking and why?

Abeer Saeed  04:33

Oh my gosh. Okay, I think I have one, for two very different reasons. It's going to be Lion King. So I love Disney, and that was one of the first Broadway shows I had actually seen. And then I saw a few after. While they had the magic of all the theatrics that everyone else does, there was something so magical and creative about the costume design that I just fell in love with how they came up with the process of the giraffes and the animals and stuff. It was stunning. And I love bringing a cultural aspect to it too. They actually honed in more on the Swahili side, so it was a really interesting mix, more so than the movies were.

Stefanie Couch  05:15

So that was the first movie I ever saw in theater, so I have a soft spot for that as well. And I have not seen the Broadway show, so I guess I need to go check it out.

Abeer Saeed  05:23

You need to go, and sit on an aisle if you can, because the animals come down the aisles.

Stefanie Couch  05:27

Oh, that's really cool. It's really magical, people doing creative stuff. I think it's interesting how you and I are both really creative people by nature, musical people. I think there's something to that. So I see things and hear things differently than a lot of people in this industry. We're both women, obviously, so there's a different spin there. But I think that creative people have a different layer that can help this industry maybe be a little bit brighter and different. A lot of our customers that are buying these beautiful things for their houses are women, they are creators, and I think it's helpful to have that side of the business. How do you use that design, that music, all those things in your day-to-day?

[06:06]  Why Women Drive Most Design And Buying Decisions

Abeer Saeed  06:06

That's a really great question. Like you said, women are the ones typically making the decisions. Whether or not men think they're the ones making the decision, it's not true. They're behind the scenes. Bringing the design element, bringing something softer, bringing something prettier is going to get the women in the store, and the men go, okay, I see what you're seeing. But with the men, the issue is being able to visualize it. So you have to hone into their whole visualization process, showing them. Whereas women can be like, hey, I could do a black wall with this, this, and this. So it's a little easier on that side. And I think with millwork and interior solutions at Do it Best, people have this mindset of, oh, it's just hardware. That's one of the reasons that I brought Studio 695 in, to show people that we can do everything from flooring, the foundation, the interior, the exterior, the windows, the doors. Do it Best and True Value can do it all for you.

Stefanie Couch  07:02

It's cool because you guys have the design side, that pretty side. I was actually talking to someone the other day about how many things you're offering, and y'all are constantly bringing in more products. A lot of these things you have in the warehouse, so people don't have to stock a ton of them. They can just buy them right from your warehouse and bring it into their store by the job, or however much they want, one at a time. Vanities, doors, windows, like you said, a lot of different things, tile, all the stuff. I love it. And I love pretty things.

Abeer Saeed  07:30

Agreed.

[07:31]  From JCPenney And Ashley Furniture To Building Materials

Stefanie Couch  07:31

I want to talk about how you got started in this, though, because you actually were a designer and a merchandise manager. You worked at JCPenney. I love your style. And Ashley Furniture. You walked customers through space, you saw how they make decisions, how people buy. That buying behavior, that retail behavior, is very different. How did that train you for what you're doing right now?

Abeer Saeed  07:52

Oh my goodness. So I was always attracted to architecture, design, the pretty stuff. What I liked about retail spaces is when you walk into a space, you feel a certain way and you're inclined to buy. Starting to understand some of the emotional piece of why people buy is kind of why I got into design. Walking into a space, I'm like, oh, what do I want it to feel like? So I got into architecture, and I was like, oh, math is not my strong suit, I don't like that. So interior design was the close second. I got into that, whizzed through school, and got an internship at a commercial interior design space. I did that for like four and a half years, got into sales. One of the things that I always say is sell the vibe, not the product. Sure, the product's great, but what does 20-mil wear layer mean to a normal person? They're just hearing it constantly. Sell the vibe. What do you want your home to feel like? I want it to feel warm. I want it to feel inviting. Okay, what does that translate to in product? It's warm tones, more of that wood feel, more graining, things like that. So that's what I transitioned into. When I started working with Do it Best as the furniture designer, I just loved the culture and what they were pushing for. Bringing into the new space, they wanted to attract younger people. So what did that translate to in furniture? Having those hydrogen desks, those warmer tones, bigger windows, bringing in that sunlight. I'm like, I would work for a place like this. I wasn't looking to leave, but they brought me in and I just loved it. The category that we were in was actually called millwork, flooring, major appliances, mattresses. And I'm like, that's too much, that's way too much. Let's first of all rename things, let's make it a little approachable, and then restart some of the categories and refresh.

Stefanie Couch  09:50

How cool that you designed the space you're now working in.

Abeer Saeed  09:53

I know, it's kind of nice. It's like, okay, I know this furniture, I like this furniture. Now I get to live in it again.

[09:55]  Why People Stay: The Do it Best Co-op Culture

Stefanie Couch  09:55

I think that's one of the coolest parts of your story. You were in the environment there, and then it was like, hey, could this be for me? And you walk through the open door of opportunity, which I want to touch on a little bit. Careers now are not like they used to be, where people went somewhere for 40 or 50 years and stayed there. But a lot of people in our industry still have a lot of longevity, and Do it Best has a lot of tenured people. What is it about their culture, this place, that makes people love it so much? What do you love about it?

Abeer Saeed  10:23

It's the people. I honestly did not know anything about the co-op model until I really learned about Do it Best and how we work for the members. They have direct access to us. They come over here, they become like family. They're like, hey, it was so great to see you. And I was like, I haven't seen you since last market. So it's that actual personal feel, getting to know who you're selling to. With JCPenney, sure, there were some regulars, but I loved walking around with them almost like a personal shopper. And that's what I feel like with them here. So if you tell me you need blue vanities, I'm going to seriously look at blue vanities and be like, you're right, we're missing the boat on it. Let's look into it and add some in, maybe just for your warehouse or for everybody else, because somebody else is thinking it. They're just not asking.

Stefanie Couch  11:05

I love that you're customizing so much.

Stefanie Couch  11:08

This episode of the Grit Blueprint Podcast was sponsored by Do it Best Group. Do it Best Group is the largest co-op in the world, and they help independent hardware and lumber yards all over North America win. Do it Best offers services, products, and people that can help you win long term. They are the champion of independence.

[11:33]  What Great Showroom Design Gets Right And Wrong

Stefanie Couch  11:33

I want to ask you about store design a little bit, because lumberyards historically — now there are some really amazing lumberyards and beautiful showrooms — but they haven't really been designed to have a look of, hey, this is functional for beauty and for style. It's more about operations and driven by what's in the store and what contractors need. When you're walking through stores, what are the first few things you notice, good or bad? We're not calling out anybody specifically, but what are things that store owners maybe haven't thought of? They're eye-blind to it. What are they missing that you see a lot?

Abeer Saeed  12:13

I think they forget about the flooring aspect of it, even in their design area. That's the first thing that's setting the tone. People are looking on their phones or looking down, and you always see the old vinyl floor or a concrete brush floor or something dated. I think upgrading your floor, having a nice neutral base, can set the tone for your store. And then what showrooms forget is that it's an add-on. They don't upgrade it, and they're like, oh, why isn't it selling? Really, you honed in on, let's say, a kitchen designer. You bought this giant kitchen area space and your designer's working in it. You spend a lot of money putting together a kitchen space that somebody's working in. It's not really functional. I think having a showroom space that actually shows vignettes of different types of kitchens is more important than having a design space designed for one designer that's going to sit there and not really be functional. So those are the two things that I look at.

Stefanie Couch  13:15

And you've got to be able to change it out easily. If it's one smaller vignette that is out of style now, you can change that one little thing and it changes the whole place, not having to rip out these huge entire walls.

Abeer Saeed  13:26

Exactly. So make it easy for yourself to be able to replace something, and often, too, versus one giant thing.

[13:33]  The Clutter And Lighting Mistakes Hurting Your Sales

Stefanie Couch  13:33

One of the things that drives me crazy is clutter. You have kitchens, countertops, and listen, most humans have clutter on their countertops, but when you're shopping for that, you don't want that. So keep the samples and all those things clean, dust it, clean it like you would a showpiece if someone was coming in every day to buy something. Oh wait, they are. You've got to be thinking about that. But it's easy, we get busy and we forget these things.

Abeer Saeed  13:58

And the other thing too is lighting. Lighting in a retail space is very different than a home space. So have additional samples hidden away for them to take home, and give them the direction to try it in different lights too. Oftentimes people will go home and be like, this isn't the same blue. And I go, it's because the lighting is so much harsher here. So even having different lighting elements in different spaces, whether it's under-lighting that's warm or that you can adjust, will help too.

Stefanie Couch  14:25

I see that a lot in paint stores, and I think that is a really great tip. You buy a paint color or a vanity color and you go put it in a dark bathroom in the basement with no light, and it's not the same anymore. So you've got to test it in the space. Great advice.

[14:39]  Small Showroom Upgrades That Make A Big Difference

Stefanie Couch  14:39

I want to talk about what really can change with a small amount of effort in a retail store, because a lot of people don't have hundreds of thousands of dollars to redesign a giant showroom. What are some small things that you've seen people do that work, that make a big difference, maybe without a giant overhaul?

Abeer Saeed  14:56

Yeah, I would say creating the experience between your products. You'll see small retail stores like Target, what they've done with their home decor area. They always have a small little vignette with pillows or something. Do that with your product. Sure, you have a garage piece. Instead of just having a picture of a garage, have a piece of it, have the physical sample of it, and show people what it can look and feel like. So whatever product you have, give them an opportunity to see what it will look like in their homes. And even adding in the QR codes. They're everywhere, everyone has one. I talked about it earlier with some vendors like Roomvo and the VR experiences. Let them see it, let them visualize it, and show them a tactile version of it in a small way.

[15:42]  Will Virtual Reality Replace The Showroom?

Stefanie Couch  15:42

Do you think that the VR thing is going to make it where people don't have showrooms, or maybe that it's less likely to have showrooms? What are you seeing? What are the trends showing you? I know it's a hot topic right now.

Abeer Saeed  15:53

I think a showroom is essential, because people are going to want that tactile piece to it. For me, when I'm shopping, I go online and research the product, I'll look at what's going to look good in my space, but ultimately I'd rather go to the store and buy it myself.

Stefanie Couch  16:10

Especially if you're sitting on it or walking on it, or it's really going to be an aesthetic. Furniture is hard to buy without touching it and feeling it. Just like these chairs, they're pretty deep. You might not know that until you sit in them, and then you know immediately.

Abeer Saeed  16:24

Exactly.

[16:26]  Winning Customer Experience On Big-Ticket Purchases

Stefanie Couch  16:26

I want to talk more about customer experience and some of the things that you see that are working or maybe not working. Millwork, cabinets, flooring — they're not impulse buys. They're not the thing sitting on the counter that you buy like candy at the end of the day because you walked by and saw it and you were hungry. You're thinking about these purchases. They're expensive, a lot of times timely to put into your home, and very personal. So what does a store need to do to make that customer experience top-notch? Where do you see people winning with that, and where do you see people failing with that?

[16:55]  Consultative Selling That Upsells The Customer Naturally

Abeer Saeed  16:55

Failing with that, a really low-hanging fruit, would be: you're selling the cabinet. You want cabinets? All right, cool, come look at the cabinets that I have. You failed right there, right then and there. I think the first thing you need to know is why do you want a new kitchen? Understand the issue first and then try to fix that. My kitchen's too small, it's too old, it's this. Understand their pain point and then try to fix the pain point. Because if you just walk toward the product, you're not fixing anything. You're just putting some lipstick on a pig and calling it good. Versus understanding the issue and going, okay, I really love to entertain and I don't have that space. Okay, fine. That means maybe a bar area, maybe a wine area, something like that. That's what you're looking for. Well, what else do you like? I have a lot of pots and pans. Okay, maybe drawers. Have you thought about that? Or the pullout. And right there, you've already upsold.

Stefanie Couch  17:47

Yep. Consultative selling is the only way to give people exactly what they want with it being their idea. They'll tell you that's the thing — people will tell you everything. They'll tell you every qualm, every problem, they'll tell you exactly what they want, even if they don't realize what they want. Like you said, you've got too many pots and pans, there's lids laying everywhere, stuff is not organized. How do we make that organization? Maybe it's spices, whatever it is that your problem child is, they'll tell you about it.

[18:19]  The Showroom Experience That Blew Her Mind

Stefanie Couch  18:19

I want to ask you about showroom experiences that you've loved. Give me one member. We're going to put you on the spot a little bit. What's a great showroom you've walked into recently?

Abeer Saeed  18:31

Oh my gosh. I would say probably one of the first members I went to was Heartville Hardware. They blew my mind. First of all, you walk into this great open space, they've got the retail stuff, but then your eye is drawn to the middle where they built a house.

Stefanie Couch  18:45

Oh wow.

Abeer Saeed  18:46

It is the most stunning. It's like something out of Architectural Digest.

Stefanie Couch  18:50

Where is this at?

Abeer Saeed  18:51

In Hartville, Ohio. It's incredible. Same concept with Studio 695. I was excited for this before I knew this was a thing, and that just put it into perspective. People were like, wow. I didn't realize how many more people will buy more things because they got to see it.

[19:09]  How One Special Room Can Transform A Home

Stefanie Couch  19:09

Absolutely. That's the thing. These upgraded products, they sound cool, but once you see them and you love it, it's pretty hard to not want to upgrade and pay that money if it's an important space in your house, especially if it's a highlight area. If it's one room that you want to feel really special, that you want to be the moment — I feel like we need little moments in houses, even in lower price point houses. If it's one little room with molding, one room, one door that's special, it can really make things stand out. And something small can be not even that expensive with paint, and it just really makes it nice.

Abeer Saeed  19:44

Paint and peel-and-stick wallpaper.

Stefanie Couch  19:46

I love that.

[19:47]  Lightning Round: Languages, Design Trends, And Grit

Stefanie Couch  19:47

I want to finish out with a final question, but first we're going to go to the lightning round. Are you ready for this?

Abeer Saeed  19:55

Okay, I'm ready.

Stefanie Couch  19:56

You are actually trilingual.

Abeer Saeed  19:59

No, four.

Stefanie Couch  20:00

Four. I don't know how to say that. Quadrilingual. So what languages do you speak?

Abeer Saeed  20:06

English, Arabic, Urdu, and Gujarati.

Stefanie Couch  20:08

What is one word or phrase in one of those four languages you speak — humble brag on your part —

Abeer Saeed  20:14

No, because it's so true.

Stefanie Couch  20:16

What is there no good English translation for that you wish you had an English translation for?

Abeer Saeed  20:22

Oh my gosh. It's a swear word. Okay, it's not bad. It's a swear word in the Indian language. It's Uluka Pata, which means a son of an owl. Which in English doesn't make sense to anybody, but that's because owls in English or in American culture are wise, whereas in Indian culture, they're bad luck.

Stefanie Couch  20:47

Really? I love that. You son of an owl. That's a good one. I might use that one. I may be calling them that, especially when I can't use the real thing. Okay, what is one design trend that you wish would die and never come back?

Abeer Saeed  21:04

Oh god. Gray floors. Gray floors gotta go. I have gray walls, but anything gray anymore, really.

Stefanie Couch  21:13

What is one design trend that you want to put everywhere?

Abeer Saeed  21:17

Wallpaper. I want wallpaper everywhere. The more maximalist, the better.

Stefanie Couch  21:22

Mine, it's ridiculous, it's obviously got pink in it. Or dogs. I like dog wallpaper. There's some we've got a bird one that people are loving. I saw something the other day that had hats and boots on it. I'm like, this was literally drawn for me. Okay, what is something that people would be surprised to know about you?

Abeer Saeed  21:40

Married for 10 years.

Stefanie Couch  21:42

Your husband is lovely, and you have a beautiful baby girl. Tell me just a little bit. They're not here this time?

Abeer Saeed  21:48

No, not this time. They're usually at market, so I'll see them in September, hopefully.

Stefanie Couch  21:52

It'll be your birthday then.

Abeer Saeed  21:54

Oh yes. And she's going to be two years old.

Stefanie Couch  21:57

How is that possible? She's amazing. All right, last question. Fill in this blank. To you, grit means blank.

Abeer Saeed  22:05

Ooh. Passion.

Stefanie Couch  22:07

Passion. You've got a lot of it, girlfriend, and I love it. I'm here for it. You are a bright light, and I'm always glad to see you coming. Thank you so much for coming on the Grit Blueprint, and we will see you on the next episode. Thank you for listening to the Grit Blueprint Podcast. If this episode helped you think a little differently about how to show up, share it with someone in your building world who needs it. If you're ready to turn visibility into growth, then head to gritblueprint.com to learn more and book a call to talk to us about your growth strategy. Until next time, stay unmistakable.

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