Hank darlington consulting company

Hank Darlington: Does your company have a business plan?

A plumbing contractor's showroom success story

I'm like most of you … I love a great success story! This story is about how a friend of mine, who was also a good customer of mine, became a competitor and remained a good friend.

My first career was managing a large plumbing/HVAC wholesale business.

In the late 1970s and early 1980s I recognized the need for showrooms to show and sell some of the great-looking, higher-end plumbing products that Kohler, American Standard, Eljer, Delta, Moen and others were coming out with. My first thought was that the plumbing contractors who specialized in residential/custom homes should be the folks who develop these showrooms.

I worked very hard trying to convince plumbing contractors in northern California into building out a showroom.

It just made sense to me that a contractor could show the products up front and run the install trucks out the back door, offering a turnkey job. I’m a darn good salesman, but had zero success i Hank Darlington | Plumbing & Mechanical - SUGON