If you click on “Ice Cream” you know that you can go back and click on “Broccoli” later.

But most of the time you probably won’t, because you find another interesting “Ice Cream”.

I agree, but it’s a bit difficult to figure out how to apply “salad later” to kitchen redesigns. First you have to know which part is the salad and which would be the french fries. Then you have to know how to enable clients to feel like they still have the option for salad at some later date. Without investing too much time in this, I’m assuming the show-off factor is the fries and the “how it really works” is the salad. At best you could design a kitchen that looks luxurious, but use appliances that could be upgraded later, but then again, for a lot of people, the appliances ARE the fries. That’s why the best advice I could give Deb is to do the hard thinking about this based on her own customer insights.

Of course, the ultimate “salad later” strategy is to offer financing. Get the kitchen today and pay for it later. In fact, I’d imagine that prior to the housing collapse, financing a remodel off of rising home values/home equity was exactly how things worked. How they’d work that into the equation in today’s market is a different story…

- Jeff

But this article really brings out the instant gratification and ability for us to be guilt-free in ordering ice cream now as we have good intentions later. This is very powerful, and if you can grasp the concept it because a very high conversion increase tool.

Re-read the “salad later” part again. You’ll see that this is a deeper proposition than what the comments reference. My apologies for being so philosophical but the point is so strong!

If you follow the first link you’ll find that that article links to Decoy Marketing and Compromise Marketing articles. Both of those ideas work off of the same (or very similar) psychological principle. should contains some good ideas. Basically, you can have the vanilla package, the super-deluxe, and then the not so expensive deluxe that keeps the showy extras (the fries, or in this case the granite counter-top) but drops the price by changing some of the good for you stuff (a stainless steel oven that’s not as “professional grade” as your super-deluxe package). People will feel better about getting the middle/deluxe package because it has the look they really want and at least they’re not being so extravagant as to buy the super-deluxe package.

Or you could sell them the flashy appliances they really want under the guise of “energy efficiency” (for the fridge) or “green” (for gas vs. electric oven and range).

Those are my off-the-cuff ideas, but really, you should spend some time thinking about the psychology of kitchen remodels. Why are they really doing it vs. the reasons they think they’re doing it? What elements really make their eyes light up, vs. what parts of the remodel are done only because it’s how they justify the cool parts?

I’ll put it this way: my wife and I just partially enclosed our garage because the upcoming addition of a 3rd child means we need more room and we don’t feel like moving. From this added space we got a play-room, home office-space, and a walk-in pantry. Which part of that do you think most excited my wife?

The walk-in pantry, of course. Out of all proportion to the actual space involved, that’s the one that sent her over the moon. You probably have similar experiences in doing remodels – the little things which garnered the biggest compliments or praise, or that got clients the most excited. Then there are the things you know your clients should do, but that are harder sells. Consciously identifying both categories will allow you to better package, sell, and leverage both elements. And without a proper uncovery, that’s the best advice I can give you.

It’s not so much being able to actually click the links as to be able to fool yourself into thinking that “broccoli” is still an option even while you actually click on “ice cream,” which is pretty easy to do if you open the links up as new tabs – then you can read the ice cream link while you’ve got the broccoli tab open as pure potential. Trust me, I’ve got this procrastination of broccoli thing wired

- Jeff

It’s even more extreme on the web.

With a video you have a rough idea of the subject, the quality, and how “nutritious” the contents will be.

And at the moment of decision you can cover all bases by selecting instant gratification and worthiness at the same time.

But on the web you have a much more vague idea of what a link will deliver – and you can only click on one link at once.

If you click on broccoli then you can’t click on ice cream.