For the last decade or so, double glazing has been seen as one of those industry populated by cheesy, slimey, middle-aged men conning their way through life to make a living. But more recently, the hard work done by the genuine companies in our sector has meant that this slimey tag has been diminished somewhat. Of course there is always more work to do, but could the double glazing industry ever be cool?
Take Apple for example. I’m not their biggest fan, but in terms of a marketing strategy and product positioning, they have managed to become not only the most valuable company of all time, but has just been voted the UK’s coolest brand. Look at the way Apple markets their products. The adverts are cool, slick, to the point and very well produced. They have managed to take a technology previously preserved for the geeks and IT support crews, bring it to the masses in a way everyone can understand and totally revolutionize the way we use technology. Now I’m not saying the window industry is capable of similar massive success, but there is a chance to make some improvements.
What with everyone staying where they are and not moving, they’re improving their current properties. This means there is a demand for home improvement products like new windows and doors. The double glazing industry now has a whole raft of new products and innovations to show off. We should be using this new found interest in people’s homes to push forward our new products and show the general public that new windows and doors are products that deserve to have a more stylish image.
I doubt windows and doors will ever get to the loft heights of what Apple has managed to achieve, but I think the industry deserves a better image than it currently has at present and I think it is the ideal time to make that push for a cooler image.
The last thing you think about when buying Apple products is price, that is the biggest negative factor with double glazing. Better locking systems, Pilkington K etc. adverts always say ” Free upgrade”. We need to sell not give away.
When you buy Apple products customer would not buy on price, Double Glazing adverts mainly say “Free Upgrade Pilk K or New Locking device etc”. If we do not charge for the new products via selling, so customer got better than standard product, we will not be cool.
Up selling gives profit for reinvestment and advertising to get cool image.
I strongly believe that the smarmy, cheesy salesmen will be a thing of the past over the next ten years… not mentioning any names but I often quote against a few companies on a regular basis and clients don’t have a kind word to say about them. I think mainly this is due to these salesmen doing a terrible job as they are trying to SELL to the customers where as they should be trying to DEMONSTRATE in order to HELP the customers. My clients often remark how well engineered and hi-tech our windows are because I explain this to… Read more »
Hmm, a tweeting window! That could be an idea!
You are right about the smarmy salesmen. A lot are not doing a good job at the moment and not serving the customer as they would wish. Until the sales force understand that, the industry is always going to be held back.