This weekend this blog turned 3 years old! When I started this site back on the 10th of March 2009 I never really thought it would ever get to the 3 year mark. I never really considered how long the blog would last for when I first started it. So to see it become 3 years old is pretty satisfying.

It has since grown into something bigger than I ever appreciated. It has allowed me to write for an industry magazine, I’ve amassed a decent amount of followers on Twitter which has meant I’ve made some good contacts within the industry. And just recently I’ve totally revamped the site and included sponsors, ensuring I can expand the site in the future and it’s possibilities. I know a lot of you are pleased with the changes to the site.

It has also helped improve my writing skills. For example, look at this appallingly written first post:

Something came through the post today which i found quite…well if i were a customer I’d think ‘whats the point’?

Everest sent a mailshot to where I live, with a flimsy small brochure and a two page cover letter. And it was at the bottom of the second page which left me a bit…well unimpressed to say the least. The letter makes a point to tell the potential customer that they are valid for ‘at least’ a 35% discount if they were to buy. It goes on to say that there is no hard sell, but then straight away goes on to confirm that this 35% discount applies if you buy immediately, so straight away pressure on the customer. At the bottom of the letter, plenty of fine print. Read on and i found that to qualify for this discount (which is probably added on anyway!) the customer has to place an order of over two grand, is dependent on the product you pick (which probably means the products with the highest profit margins!), have to buy immediately, which most customers don’t want to do, and the discount can’t be used with any other offers.

Oh and you’ve got to pay through their finance system, so diddling the customer with high interest payments.

So it got me thinking, for all the effort they make to say that ‘hard sell’ isn’t used, any customer who spent just a few minutes working out how they would qualify for this discount, would realize that it is in fact, a ‘hard sell’, not a directly vocal hard sell, but one which would bind the customer in the home to make a buying decision, one which they probably would not have liked to make in that manner.

The company I work for has always worked on the premise that we give the customer the keenest price in the first place, no fake discounts by adding then taking away money, just the best price, in writing, definitely no hard sell, then the balls in the customer’s court. Honesty being the best policy in my opinion!

Since that first post, I’d like to think my writing skills have improved since then.

I have got myself in a bit of bother with a few posts. The Veka buyout of Bowater certainly did cause a bit of a stir, more than I appreciated it would when I posted the story. However it did land me some major traffic and it seems most of my new readers have stuck with me. I’ve always tried to keep my stories fresh and relevant, so people can engage the subject and leave comments if they wish. Plus the odd story that has nothing to do with windows!

It’s also been nice to see so many people regularly reading this site. I set this site up to just vent about issues, nothing more really. I wanted some traffic to the site, but this current high level was better than I ever expected.

So I’d like to thank all of you that take the time out of your day to read my daily thoughts, thanks to those who have left comment and engaged in debate and thanks to all those who have promoted my site over the last 3 years. It is all greatly appreciated and I hope you’ll stick with me as I try hard to keep this site going and growing for the next 3 years!