In an age where digital marketing is firmly king, one aspect of marketing which has remained very influential, especially for installers of windows and doors, is the showroom.
It remains that single most alluring place for homeowners to come and be inspired and start putting their dreams into reality. That is why for fabricators, supporting installers with their showrooms is very much a beneficial investment for all parties concerned.
Supporting showrooms
Obviously, not all installers are able to have showrooms. Some may be micro-businesses that do not operate out of a building, or maybe their building just doesn’t have the space to host one. However, for installers who do, a showroom continues to be an incredibly powerful sales tool.
Crafted correctly, they can be places that can inspire homeowners and create that emotional investment that is key to securing a sale. Which is why it important that a showroom is set out correctly and also has the right products to spark that excitement. This is where fabricators and manufacturers come in.
For fabricators, their existing customers are their most immediate and best chance to see growth. They already sell their products, have a degree of loyalty to them, and are in the most convenient position in which to increase sales. Therefore, it is logical that fabricators and manufacturers arm their installers with products for their showrooms which then give installers the very best chance to sell more.
This does mean investing in showrooms wherever possible. Installers, especially during leaner times such as these, likely have less disposable cash to freely spending on new window and door products for a big renovation of their showroom. So this is where support from suppliers comes in. Whilst it is an initial outlay for the fabricator to volunteer to put items in the showroom, the fact of that matter is that if their products are in there and seen by homeowners, then there is a far greater chance of them being sold, which in return allows the installer to repay their supplier on that investment.
Again, something like this is easier said than done, especially during the tough year we have had so far. However, the saying “spend money to make money” is accurate for this particular scenario.
Seen and sell
I am a firm believer in fabricators supporting installers with their showroom requirements. Particularly for installers who have shown a great effort to increase sales and be proactive, rather than those who bump along the bottom hoping better times will come around.
I can use our own family business as an example. All of our main aluminium and PVCu suppliers have given us great showroom support over the years. We have undertaken a number of showroom renovations so that we can stay on the front foot of product development and homeowner trends. In return, our suppliers have provided us with all the support we need to get the job done. We have repaid their efforts in supporting us through sales of their own products, which over the long run will generate our suppliers way more business than it costs to put the products into our showroom.
Products are much harder to sell if they cannot be seen. The digital world does a fantastic job of creating that intrigue and interest, but if a homeowner is going to shell out thousands of pounds on new windows and doors they are going to want to see them first before making that investment. The same can be said when buying a car or kitchen. This is where the digital world and showrooms link nicely together. Installers can utilise their digital tools to help nurture interest then use their showroom to create an emotional attachment with the homeowner and then secure the sale.
That support to showrooms should extend beyond products, however. Smaller items such as brochures, stands, posters and other ancillary items are all important tools in a showroom for installers to use. They help build a professional image when a client walks through the door and they become an extension of the sales process when the installer is doing their bit to secure a sale.
So whilst digital marketing is very much the default setting for the fenestration sector now, installer showrooms remain an incredibly powerful and useful asset not just to the installer, but to fabricators and manufacturers too.
To get weekly updates from DGB sent to your inbox, enter your email address in the space below to subscribe:
By subscribing you agree to DGB sending you weekly email updates with all published content on this website, as well as any major updates to the services being run on DGB. Your data is never passed on to third parties or used by external advertising companies. Your data is protected and stored on secure servers.
