Customer story · Bath remodeling
How Bath Concepts gets reps ready for the kitchen table
Bath Concepts builds bath remodeling systems and trains the reps who sell them through its dealer network. Their CRO, Mark Zokle, and their training lead, Brad Dimick, explain why they chose AmpUp for Home Services, what they expect it to change, and how their dealers reacted when they saw it.
| Company | Bath Concepts, a manufacturer of bath remodeling systems sold through a dealer network |
|---|---|
| Who it's for | Reps across the dealer network, new hires and 20-year veterans alike |
| What they needed | Feedback on every practice attempt the moment it happens, for every rep in the network |
| Status | Rolling out to dealers now |
Why a manufacturer can't afford a failed launch
When a manufacturer rolls a program out to its dealers, it gets one shot. Mark has been in the business for 39 years and has watched what a failed program does to the next one.
“…the last thing you want to do is introduce a program out to them. And then it fails because you really get egg on your face.”
Mark Zokle, CRO (full interview)
So Bath Concepts did its due diligence before anything reached a dealer. For Mark, the system was only half of it.
“…it's just not about the system. It's the people behind the system.”
Mark Zokle, CRO (full interview)
The problem: practice that took days to grade
Bath Concepts already trained its reps. Reps worked through training modules and uploaded a video for each assignment, and a coach graded each one before passing the rep to the next module. Reps took to it quickly. But every piece of feedback went through a person.
“…somebody could submit an assignment on a Tuesday. I'm sometimes not able to get back to them until Wednesday or Thursday or even later when we get heavy traffic. And that's just a non-starter.”
Brad Dimick, Sr. Training Content Specialist (full interview)
Mark saw the cost on the other end. By the time a rep was good at step five of the presentation, step one was days old.
“It's a little cumbersome. We grade them and then pass them off to the next module. So the timeline gets stretched out.”
Mark Zokle, CRO (full interview)
Why it matters at the kitchen table
In Bath Concepts' methodology, the appointment is won by the rep who shows up most prepared.
“…our methodology is first one in wins and whoever tells the best story and who's the most prepared … there's a direct reflection back to the consumer.”
Mark Zokle, CRO (full interview)
Leads are expensive, and a rep who walks into a home half-ready is practicing on one the company already paid for.
“You don't want him learning on your leads. You want him coming out of the classroom, super dynamic…”
Mark Zokle, CRO (full interview)
What they looked for
Brad's test was simple. The feedback had to come the moment the rep finished, and it had to work for every rep in the network, not just the ones a coach had time for.
“When you're trying to develop skills, you want that feedback to be as immediate to the event as possible if you really want to get traction with the learning transfer. So the beauty of this is the fact that it's immediate and it is 100% scalable. That was the number one feature we looked for with this platform.”
Brad Dimick, Sr. Training Content Specialist
Mark wanted something else as well: a partner that would stay after the contract was signed.
“One of the most important things for us was to make sure we got the right partners. Someone that really cares about the customer is going to work one-on-one with us…”
Mark Zokle, CRO
Built around how they sell, not a template
Bath Concepts looked at larger, established vendors too. What decided it was fit. AmpUp builds the role plays and the coaching from the company's own presentation and its own customers, so reps practice the way Bath Concepts actually sells.
“…I felt like I was the person that they were serving as opposed to me serving the big players that, you know, we had to fit into their cookie-cutter mold.”
Brad Dimick, Sr. Training Content Specialist
Not just for new reps
Reps with 20 years in the field rarely give training their full attention. Brad's answer for coaching veterans is a harder role play.
“Spend a little time with the AI coach and we'll take you up to a level two or a level three type of prospect situation and see how you handle yourself then. We have immediate teachability. All of a sudden, they're like, oh, I still have something to learn here.”
Brad Dimick, Sr. Training Content Specialist (full interview)
What they expect it to change
Mark's view is that most reps learn the presentation only part of the way. Their goal for AmpUp is to close that gap before a rep reaches a customer's home.
“…it's all about their confidence, their bounce and their step…”
Mark Zokle, CRO (full interview)
How the dealers reacted
Bath Concepts showed AmpUp to its dealers on a group call. The phones started ringing.
“The dealers were just blowing our phones up, calling all of my business development managers. When do we get it? When do we get it? We love it. We love it.”
Mark Zokle, CRO
Bath Concepts walked dealers through exactly how it works on a live webinar, and opened sign-ups on a first-come, first-served basis. Mark's advice to other manufacturers is to do the same.
“I think a key to it is really to get it introduced to your dealers, get them to sign up, let them know the first ones that are going to sign up are going to get the most attention as we go to market and launch this thing.”
Mark Zokle, CRO (full interview)
What's next
Bath Concepts is rolling AmpUp out to its dealers now, starting with the reps. Brad sees a possible next step: the people who set the appointments in the first place.
“…there's a lot that goes into the pipeline feeding those appointments to those reps. And that's the first point of contact we have is through our event demonstrators and the call center people.”
Brad Dimick, Sr. Training Content Specialist (full interview)
This page covers why they chose AmpUp. We'll add results once they have them.
“I think the results are going to speak for themselves.”
Brad Dimick, Sr. Training Content Specialist
Transcripts
Quotes marked “full interview” come from the complete recorded conversation with Mark and Brad, with repeated words and filler removed; ellipses mark omissions. The transcripts below cover the three videos on this page.
Show the video transcripts+
Bath Concepts on AmpUp: why they chose it
Rahul (AmpUp): What made you think that AmpUp was the right choice for you?
Mark Zokle: One of the most important things for us was to make sure we got the right partner, someone that we know that is going to not only have a viable system that works, but also someone that really cares about the customer is going to work one-on-one with us.
Brad Dimick: When we were doing our search, AmpUp wasn't the only company we looked at. I had interactions with a couple of large players, well-established companies. And the one difference that stood out to me from the start was that I felt like I was the person that they were serving as opposed to me serving the big players that, you know, we had to fit into their cookie-cutter mold.
Rahul (AmpUp): How do you see AI changing the way companies like yours train and coach their reps?
Brad Dimick: When you're trying to develop skills, you want that feedback to be as immediate to the event as possible if you really want to get traction with the learning transfer. So the beauty of this is the fact that it's immediate and it is 100% scalable. That was the number one feature we looked for with this platform.
Rahul (AmpUp): If another home-improvement company asked about AmpUp, how would you describe AmpUp?
Mark Zokle: If you're potentially thinking about bringing AI into your company, I will promise you that AmpUp is going to be the right fit. I highly recommend it.
Brad Dimick on AmpUp
Brad Dimick: When we were doing our search, AmpUp wasn't the only company we looked at. And the one difference that stood out to me from the start was that I felt like I was the person that they were serving, as opposed to me serving the big players. When we worked with Connor and Amit and the team, they were so responsive. So flexible. I could tell that they took the time to study up on us and to really learn our model.
Brad Dimick: And when you're trying to develop skills, you want that feedback to be as immediate to the event as possible if you really want to get traction with the learning transfer. So the beauty of this is the fact that it's immediate and it is 100% scalable.
Brad Dimick: When we have experienced reps, you know, these 20-year veterans, they don't give our training platform really the attention it deserves because, wow, I've been doing this forever. Spend a little time with the AI coach, and we'll take you up to a level two or a level three type of prospect situation and see how you handle yourself. This isn't just for newbies. This is not an onboarding tool alone, but it's going to be a continuous, progressive development tool for your seasoned reps too. I think the results are going to speak for themselves.
Mark Zokle on AmpUp
Mark Zokle: One of the most important things for us was to make sure we got the right partners. Someone that really cares about the customer is going to work one-on-one with us, not just get the original contract signed and then they all disappear because that's what we've seen in the past. The number one thing was just the support from corporate, getting the owner on the phone, doing a Zoom one-on-one and getting a comfort level to show that they had a ton of passion in the system. We could tell these guys, you know, AmpUp really cares about us.
Mark Zokle: The dealers were just blowing our phones up, calling all of my business development managers. When do we get it? When do we get it? We love it. We love it. No one's been able to capture a real-time AI training platform that works one-on-one, that's more custom designed towards what we actually do.
Mark Zokle: So if you're potentially thinking about bringing AI into your company, I will promise you that AmpUp is going to be the right fit. I think timing is everything. And I believe that us being a part of some of the initial companies coming on board with them is actually more exciting to us than somebody that's been doing this for 10 years and has thousands of customers. I highly recommend it.
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