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Double Glazing Blogger: March 2010

Wednesday, March 31, 2010

Saturation Point

This is a very interesting read: (article from GGP magazine online)

"The domestic replacement door and window market in the UK has been ‘hit hard’ by the recession with further decline expected in 2010, according to a new report by AMA Research.

Defining characteristics of the market were identified as: maturity, fragmentation, increasing competition, building legislation, ‘green’ building issues, cost-management and diversification – as industry players seek to consolidate their market positions.

The report states that replacement windows are the dominant sector, accounting for an estimated 55% of the replacement market by value. Residential doors were found to account for an estimated share of 37%, while the patio door sector reportedly has a minor share at around 8%.

While the private ‘direct sell' or retail home improvement market represents around half of the market, AMA estimates that share reduced in 2009, as a result of the sharp contraction in consumer spending on higher value home improvements.

The public sector, by contrast, was found to have increased as a proportion of the whole market, with this sector maintaining volumes in 2009. AMA predicts that in the coming years, this will reverse, as public spending cuts are implemented with refurbishment programmes likely targets.

The report also found that changes in material usage continue to evolve. PVC-U remains the key material across windows and doors, though timber has made some recovery in recent years – particularly in the window market.

Composite entrance doors have also been successfully accepted in many sectors and now account for more than 10% of the replacement market - with an even higher share in public sector refurbishment.

AMA forecasts that the door and window replacement market will decline further in 2010, with only modest increases in value in 2011-13, reflecting the fact that this mature market has little scope for volume growth.

Caution and uncertainty remain key features, as companies are anticipating future spending cuts after the Election.

The report found that sustainability is becoming a key issue and predicts that in the longer term, the development of the sustainable building concept will affect the choice of materials by specifiers and end-users.

According to AMA, the design and specification of glazing products is already changing in response to these issues and it will become an increasingly important feature in driving commercial success in the medium-term.

The research predicts that long-term prospects will be governed by the underlying level of second and third time replacements, although the underlying growth in housing stock is said to provide some opportunities."

So, it looks like composite doors could be the main door type come the middle of the decade. Timber could make some sort of minor comeback (unless we do something about it). And public sector/supply only market will shrink as public sector spending cuts kick in.

I'm going to put a link on this site to the http://www.fightingbackwithfacts.com/ website. I believe the PVCu industry needs to do more to promote itself, else the timber market is going to continue it's modest gains. http://www.pvcaware.org/ will also be put on here.

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Tuesday, March 30, 2010

Energy Savings Calculator

One thing that I don't think companies are doing enough is making use of energy savings calculators. We have one we use at the minute and we find it a great help when trying to get across to the customer how our 'A' rated windows could save them significant amounts of money when compared to what they have installed at the minute.

Only on a couple of websites have I seen example of how much money can be saved by installing energy rated windows. To me, this is one of the best tools in which to get across to the customer how much they could potentially save on their energy bills. Customers become much more engaged if they can see an obvious benefit such as the one energy efficient windows can provide.

Perhaps though, companies aren't doing this so much because they are sceptical about how accurate these energy ratings actually are, or how they have been calculated. The last thing this industry needs however is for the public to become aware of the industry's sceptisism. WER's are the best selling angle we have had for a while. Let's not spoil it and really use it to it's full potential, rather than waste it by analysing it to pieces.

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Thursday, March 25, 2010

Message To Heritage Organisations

The lastest biased crap to come out of the Heritage organisations prompted me to e-mail English Heritage with my thoughts and frustrations. Here is the e-mail I sent them (sent to the Yorkshire branch):

"To Whom It May Concern

Hello,

My name is Jason, or Double Glazing Blogger! I work in the PVCu industry and as you will be well aware there is a certain 'rivalry' between the PVCu and timber window industries. Over the last year or two the PVCu sector has been working hard to educate others and dispel certain myths about the PVCu industry and the material in general.

During this period, organisations like yourselves have published articles and written about the negative effects of PVCu in the home. Every time an article like this has been circulated, the world of PVCu comes back to explain what has been written is wrong. We continually ask the timber lobby and Heritage organisations to look at the hard facts and science in order for them to understand that PVCu as a window/door material is an ideal alternative. Yet, time after time prejudiced and biased articles keep being produced based on out-dated rumour and reputation, based on an ignorant view of past installations, never on fact.

The latest outburst from Heritage organisations was from SPAB and IHBC in the GGP Magazine. Both claiming that the proposed windows scrappage scheme would do immense damage to historical buildings and windows, and cause windows to be replaced needlessly. Again what they were saying was not based on fact or proof, but on self-opinion and bias. This is what prompted me to write this e-mail. You can see my opinions on my blog: www.doubleglazingblogger.blogspot.com

I would be glad to know your views on these matters. As an industry we are frustrated at all the bad press PVCu has had, and is continuing to have. So unjustified articles from yourselves and the one mentioned above is wholly unfair. If you have any reply to this, please e-mail back to this address or at my blog above.

I am not setting myself up as a spokesman for the industry, but as a person who has taken it upon himself to confront unfair and unjust causes.

Regards
Jason/Double Glazing Blogger"

Personally I was fed up with the utter rubbish that was being written about the PVCu window industry. Organisations like these refuse to look at the hard facts and science which would surely open their minds to the possibility that PVCu could actually do some good. I've invited them to respond to me either by e-mail or on here. I would like them to put forward an answer in reply to the e-mail, however, I'm not going to pin all my hope on it.

Hopefully many of you will support the action I've taken to confront English Heritage and other similar organisations.

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More Ignorance From Heritage Organisations

The latest edition of the GGP Magazine has published an article where Heritage organisations SPAB (The Society for the Protection of Ancient Buildings) and IHBC (Institute of Historic Building Conservation) call for the end to the window scrappage scheme petition, claiming it could cause more damage than what it's worth.

They state that it could put 'thousands of historic windows at risk and place home owners on the wrong side of the law'. They say that the scheme could have a devastating effect on historic buildings. Also that on buildings that are not listed, but have traditional historic windows, they claim they would be replaced unnecessarily, when they could easily be repaired.

Their next major point they explain is how replacing their windows could actaully increase the carbon footprint of the home, especially when using products with a shorter life cycle.

Hearing this sort of uneducated crap frustrates me greatly.

Firstly, listed buildings wouldn't have their windows changed in any case as they would be protected. Also, I'm sure if a window was in a repairable state, then it would be. But at the end of the day Heritage organisations need to face up to the fact that timber will eventually have to be replaced, and PVCu is now the ideal option as it is more energy efficient, low in maintenance, recyclable - even into new PVCu windows, and due to better manufacturing processes, the most secure and now aesthetically sympathetic to any age of building.

Secondly, to say that the homeowner will raise their carbon footprint by replacing their windows is complete rubbish. All the original materials that are removed can be fully recyled and used for something else. Homeowners can take advantage of much better thermally effecient windows, made of recyclable PVCu. PVCu can be recyled hundreds of times, unlike timber windows.

Thirdly, a reputable company wouldn't cause damage to building if they installed the new windows in the correct manner. 

This is just another example of another dusty old Heritage organisation too stubborn for their own good. Having organisations like these around, being allowed to influence the evolution and development of the fenestration industry is only doing harm, not good. It is time these people stood aside and let progress flourish unhindered.

The full article can be found at: http://ggpmag.com/newsitem.asp?newsID=334 

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Wednesday, March 24, 2010

Budget Day

We've now had the last budget before the election and there was no direct mention of any help to our industry once again. Though we didn't expect any did we?! The Chancellor did however talk about the funding for the green technologies market. Hopefully some of the new new funding will increase interest in the greener advantages of the PVCu window industry.

Other plus points was the staggered introduction of an extra 3p per litre on fuel. This is now going to go up by 1p on the 1st April, 1p on the 1st October and the other in the New Year. Obviously any increase in fuel is going to hit hauliers and transport departments of all businesses hard. But this is arguably a better way to do it rather than one big hit immediately.

What does annoy me slightly is the inability for the opposition parties to come up with alternative ideas that they think will be better for the economy than what has been announced and debated. All the opposition seem to be able to do is to shout and rant about how bad everything is but not give any indication as to what they would do differently. At this moment in time my vote is going to Labour. I'm not saying they have been perfect, far from it. But to me their measures seem more sensible than the Tories' 'cut cut cut' strategy. The last thing this industry needs is to be plunged back into recession due to premature spending cuts. However, if the other parties pull their finger out and give me a substabtial reason to vote for them, I'm open to reconsideration.

That's my political broadcast out of the way. We've finished the first draft of our trade price list. It's been a while in coming but the initial draft is now complete and ready to have the finishing touches made to it. We decided a while ago that along with the many cheap and cheerful builders out there looking for very basic, poor quality windows and doors, there are others out there that look for a quality window or door to finish of their high quality workmanship. We understand that builders always want to make a good impression when they finish off a job. And all too often we hear from customers that when they had their extension built they were unhappy with the quality of the windows and doors the builder chose to install. This is all down to the builder wanting to make as much money as possible, while sacrificing the quality of some of the most important items of the extension. We are going to be aiming at the higher end of the market. Aiming at the builders who don't just think of their back pockets, but of quality, security, energy efficiency and overall customer satisfaction.

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Tuesday, March 23, 2010

Something For Nothing

My Two For £20 post yesterday got me to thinking. What I wrote yesterday points to a wider problem in this country now. Because of the recession and more emphasis now on bartering, people expect to get something for absolutely peanuts now.

Yesterdays two sealed units for £20 is a prime example. Others have told me they would have sold them for at least £60, if not more. So how do we get round this problem?

People have tightened their belts over the past year and a half and so whenever they are looking to purchase, they are looking for the lowest price possible, even if they are going to suffer on quality, and this is especially true in our industry. We are a company that sell a very high quality product, but also have a price tag slightly more than other companies. So the scenario at the moment is when we come up against our competitors they are sweeping their quotes making no profit or commission. The key at this point then is education. In the double glazing industry you get what you pay for. You buy cheap you get cheap. You buy more expensive you get a much better product and customer service. Once this is explained to the customer we usually come out on top. But there is always a small percentage that ignore that advice and go cheap anyway.

But I digress! I think one of the problems we face is the invasion of things like price comparison websites. These teach people to look for the absolute rock bottom price every time. Admittedly I do use them for things like car insurance, but it seems to have a knock on effect when people start looking to purchase anything from car tyres to windows to laptops. Bargaining power and penny pinching is going to hurt some companies who are trying desperately to stay afloat. Especially the businesses that offer the premium product/service in their sector. It is these companies that need to toughen up in my opinion to stop penny pinchers and tyre kickers eating into their much valuable profit margins. If we all start to do this, stop giving it away for nothing like I know some window comanies are doing at the moment, customer's attitudes may start to change and appreciate a bit more the efforts businesses are making to continue trading.

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Monday, March 22, 2010

Two For £20!

Tell me if I'm completely out of the loop, but a customer has just been into the showroom with two sealed units he wanted re-making as the supplier he went to made them wrong. The unit sizes were 871mm x 347mm and had 18mm white internal Georgian bar, silver unit spacers, Cotswold obscure glass and toughened safety glass as it was for conservatory top lights. He told me he had paid £10 each for them! We were quite a bit above that when I quited him. Perhaps we are just two expensive, or was £10 each, bearing in mind the specification, too little an amount? Thoughts please!

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Will The Budget Provide Any Cheer For The Window Industry?

We are going to have the last budget before the upcoming election on Wednesday, and I'm sure many in the window industry will be looking to the Government for some much welcome support. Like the car industry and boiler industry, there has been a concerted effort on the Government's petitions website for Number 10 to implement a similar scheme to gove the double glazing industry a boost.

However, I fear that not enough of us went on and signed the petition. Out of the tens of thousands that work in this industry, only 4367 people actually put their name down. This is a very poor showing, and just proves that the window industry remains splintered and lathargic when it comes to putting our collective weight behind things which can improve the sector we work in.

Alistar Darling has already said that the upcoming budget is not going to be a 'give-away' budget, but one that is sensible and one that is designed to secure the economic recovery. Sounds promising, but we need to be hearing of more support for the contruction and green industries.

Wishlist: 5%/0% VAT on energy 'A' rated windows.
                 Scrappage scheme.
             
No how likely do you think these things are?!

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Being British

"Being British is about driving a German car to an Irish pub for a Belgian beer. Then on the way home grabbing an Indian curry or a Turkish kebab, to sit on a Swedish sofa and watch USA shows on a Japanese TV. And most of all being suspicious of anything foreign. Oh...and...only in Britain... can you get a pizza to your home faster than an ambulance. Only in Britain do banks leave both doors open and chain pens to the counter. Supermarkets make sick people walk to the back of the shop for prescriptions whilst healthy people get their fags at the front.

We might be British but by f**k we're funny!"

This was a joke I got sent yesterday. I thought it was so spot on I had to share it on here with you all!

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Thanks For Following!

This is a late one!

This is just a general message of thanks. Over the past week or so my visitor numbers and general traffic to this blog has risen a great deal. Hopefully this is due to some half decent content I'm striving to put on here.

When the content standards start to slip do let me know won't you and I'll pull my socks up right away!

Right. Bed. I'm sure I'll be speaking to some of you in the morning!

DBG

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Friday, March 19, 2010

Proof That Consumers Are Getting More Vocal With Their Complaint

http://news.bbc.co.uk/1/hi/business/8576264.stm

This is a link you all need follow and read up on. It is an article on the BBC Business website that explains how more and more people are using social media outlets like Facebook and Twitter to complain about bad experiences they have with companies.

Customer complaints is a subject I like to prattle on about, and many times I have written about how companies need to improve their customer services area to make sure they don't fall foul of the customer that uses the interent to broadcast their bad encounters.

The article also explains how a third of all customer who have had poor customer service from a company would go on to the company's website to write about their negative views.

It is imperative that businesses, especially in this sector, take note of what is happening with customers and the internet and make sure that if they are having problems in the customer services department they sort them and quick.

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They Think It's All Over!

RCG has made a very interesting and relative point in his last post on his blog. Conservatories have gone out of fashion.

According to his sources, 270,000 conservatories were fit in the peak year of 2004, compare that then to last year where only 106,000 were fit.

The last figure has to be analysed in two ways. The first is that there was the worst recession for 70 years going on at that time, so sales of anything and everything were down. The other way to look at it, as RCG has done, is to face up to the fact that conservatories seem to have gone out of fashion.

Conservatories are in essence white plastic boxes filled with glass. They overheat, get too cold and require lots of cleaning. That's why extensions have always been the reliable alternative, plus they match the existing house more easily. Conservatories seem to have been a fad for the last 10-15 years. The first wave of people have had them fit, not looked after them and they have been allowed to deteriorate. What sort of image will that promote to people looking to extend their home?

Over the last few years, people attitudes have changed. Conservatories were once seen as a luxury, so much so that it almost turned into a necessity. But now, with the onset of WER's and a bigger emphasis on energy efficiency, windows and doors have become the more immediate and beneficial home improvement, and so have swamped the demand for conservatories.

Conservatories don't improve a home's energy efficiency, nor does it save a customer money on their heating bills. In times like these they are the priorities, and new windows can provide the solutions to these problems.

This rapidly shrinking market has got to worry the companies whose main source of revenue and marketing strategy is conservatories. I have always wondered about the sustainability of the conservatory market as it has been reducing in size significantly over the last few years. 

Some may say you have to innovate, but how far can you innovate a conservatory really? Change it's colour? It's still a 'plastic box screwed on the side of the house', no matter what colour you make it.

Put a veranda in front? A specialist item not many people will want to pay for as it has no real benefit other than a nicy little fancy extra feature. 

Add extra brickwork and call it an orangery? You still have to have a conservatory style roof, big windows and bi-folding doors. So why would people go to the expense of an orangery when they may as well have a full extension.

The problem we face here is that we operate in a market (conservatort market) which is driven by fashions and fads. Accessories always have, and that is exactly what a conservatory is, an accessory. 

The more reliable and dependable area of our industry will always be windows and doors. Be it timber, aluminium or PVCu, they will always need changing in the long term, and thats where most of the money is going to be in the future.

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Thursday, March 18, 2010

Bankruptcy Figures Down In February

http://www.double-glazing-forum.com/ has released the monthly figures of bankrupt companies for February and they have come down to 168, from January's 192.

The more and more we look at the lists that get realeased, the more we have to realise that the companies listed on there are not all double glazing companies. We don't really have a specialised list of just window companies that have ceased trading, just one which encompasses home improvement businesses, so we are unable to take a quantifiable and meaningful conclusion from these numbers.

The upshot of all this is that the double glazing industry may not be as bad as many thought. If you read the trade magazines they are full of businesses 'bucking the trend' or reporting growth on years previously.

P.S. will anyone/has anyone signed up to my feed in the top right hand corner?

P.P.S come on and vote, it's only one click!

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Wednesday, March 17, 2010

Who Makes The Best Window?

This hopefully is a simple answer producing question (but probably won't be!), who makes the best window?

Take into account aesthetics, energy efficiency, product quality and cost. Leave your opinions as comments and vote on the poll on the right hand side.

My vote goes to WHS Halo and their Rustique profile.

The full list (and in no particular order!):

1. WHS Halo
2. Swish
3. Rehau
4. Eurocell
5. Plastmo
6. Profile 22
7. Synseal
8. Liniar
9. Spectus
10. Kommerling
11. Veka
12. Sash
13. Deceunink

If I have missed any off let me know!

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It's All To Do With Your Existing Customers

Dan Elson left me this comment last night:

"Customer retention is the key here everyone. Keep retaining your customers and keep selling more and more to them.

"0% of your customers account for 80% off your sales...so why do companies focus so much on acquiring new customers?

Yes you always need knew customers but surely reading the above statement, don’t you feel retention of your customers is more effective?

Keep your customers happy, and sell more and more to them. You’ve already done the hard part, you’ve already acquired them! Now sell more and more to them through cross selling and up selling.

Customer relationship marketing is the key thing here. The more companies, especially the smaller ones realize this, the more money will be made :)"

I could not have explained that better myself.

Previous customers are a rich ground of extra business. Finding new customers is always a harder road in which to make money. The job of selling to previous customers is much easier as you have already laid the foundations the first time you sold to them. Plus, it is much easier to upsell to a customer that had used you previously.

There are lots of companies focussed on growth by obtaining new customers. Lots overlook the already established large previous customer base they may have as an opportunity to grow.

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Tuesday, March 16, 2010

Safestyle Use Their Time Productively!

Discuss:



Go to the video on YouTube and read the one comment below it.

Perhaps this is their version of a dance to the gods to bring business in!

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New Feed

I know I'm rattling on a bit today but I'm in a flow so it's best not to stop me!

I've added a Feed option in the top right hand area of the blog. I thought it would be easier for people to keep up to date with my blog posts rather than having to go to the website everytime to see if I have added a new post/s for the day.

As for turning the blog into a proper website, I still intend on doing that but I have just booked some pretty lavish trips away so that has taken a bit of a back seat. But for the moment the blogspot format is doing me no harm.

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What Is A Good Amount To Sell In A Year?

A salesman's worth is usually measured by the amount he/she sells in a year. So the question is what is a good amount to sell over the course of a year? £300,000? £500,000? £1,000,000?

I'm sure people will have differing opinions on what is a good number, so comment and leave your thoughts on what you think is a successful amount to sell in a year. Bear in mind we have just come out of a recession!

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Monday, March 15, 2010

The Internet Can't Do Everything

With the internet making huge inrodes into the way the double glazing industry works and operates, lots of companies are making big investements into their websites and other online services. Personally I think this is good business sense. It allows customers to do their homework and check into different companies and their products and services.

However, when it comes to viewing the product, the internet is not capable of showing the best physical aspects of the window/door/conservatory. That is where having a good showroom becomes incredibly useful. It is the sole opportunity for the customer to make their difinitive decision. Getting the customer in the showroom means you are able to guide them down the road of putting their signature on your contract. The showroom is the one tool, and the best, to best show what you have to offer.

Websites have now become a vital part of any business, especially for double glazing firms. However, the showroom will remain the most important organ of the business as people will always want to look at products with their own eyes. A service which the internet will never properly display.

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Astronomical Fuel Costs

As if you don't already need telling, fuel costs at the minute are sky high. And unfairly too. When oil was at $147 a barrel, a litre of petrol/diesel was roughly the same price as it is now, despite the fact that the price of oil at the time of writing this and according to the BBC is $78.91 a barrel.

At what point are people going to toughen up and say no to these rediculous prices. I completely understand that the Government need their tax money, and the oil companies need their profit, but I really do need someone to explain why prices are at $147 a barrel levels, in spite of the fact oil is half that now.

Rising fuel costs have an impact on all of us, wether your in the window industry or not. Food prices have risen sharply due to high fuel costs, haulage companies are struggling to keep their heads above water because of high fuel costs, PVC polymers will go up in cost as a direct result of the cost of fuel. I could go on but you are all aware of the point I'm getting at.

And of course the other connecting issue is the dependence of the PVC industry on oil. We need to invest money and research into being able to mass produce the same polymers out of sustainable resources.

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Friday, March 12, 2010

A Bloody Good Week

We've come to the end of a very busy working week and this week has been by far the most productive of the year so far, well for me anyway!

We've had another good week for incoming sales, so much so that fitting is fully booked up until the third week in April. Because I have been so busy, the blog and Twitter have taken up less of my time, which is good in a way. Shows I'm being useful!

What is also important is that I am ahead for the month out of the other salesmen, so bragging rights at the moment are all mine! Not that I think winning the month is already in the bag, the other reps will be hot on my trail looking to overtake me. So luckily I'm thousands ahead for next week too.

I don't use this blog much to self promote, but I've had such a feel good factor this past week or two that I thought it was neccessary for once! I'm also hoping that this injection of enthusiasm for replacement windows and doors is a symtom of a more prolonged upturn in fortunes. February was our best month for two and a half years, we've continued to build on that so far this month, let's hope it continues.

Right, no more patting myself on the back!

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Wednesday, March 10, 2010

Happy Mother's Day, I've Bought You A Window!

Mother's Day. The perfect chance for a son/daughter to buy their mum something nice. Wouldn't it be swell if that 'nice' thing was a window eh!

Imagine the scenario: sone goes to mum and says: "happy birthday mum, I've bought you that bedroom window you've been wanting for ages!"

Wishful thinking! You'll get a proper post tomorrow, just thought I'd share that with you all!

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Tuesday, March 9, 2010

It's Not All About The Numbers

If I remember rightly, it is a year today since I started this blog. I was inspired by others out there and thought why not! I'm sure a couple of people might want to listen to what I have to say. And as it turned out, more than a couple of people now read what I have to say, which is heartening!

As my blog progressed and started to gain more visits and more followers, I started to become more obsessed with how many people were visiting per day, how many visits, how much time they spent on my blog etc. It got so bad I was checking about 20 times a day! I must say now however that I do have an addictive personality, so do tend to over-do things!

Anyway, I've told myself this week that it's not all about the numbers, it's about having content people will want to read, which goes back to the original reason I started this blog. It's always nice to get lots of followers and visits everyday, but I always appreciate it more when people leave a comment, questioning what I have written, asking me questions or just venting their own opinions. It means they've taken their own time to read what I've put out there, and that always puts a smile on my face.

Over the last year I've managed to nark some people off, make new contacts and talk to people I never would have if I had not started this blog. Hopefully this will be a project which will carry on over the next year and beyond. I enjoy writing this blog, so intend very much to keep putting on the best content I can, as regularly as I have been doing, giving you all my perspective on the ways of the world.

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Double Glazing In The World Of Search

The top image shows the search numbers for 'double glazing' over the last five years. What is obvious is that there has been a steady decline since 2004, and that when it comes to Christmas we may as well not even be open.

The second image shows again the figures for 'double glazing' but over the last 12 months. Unlike previous years, 2009 was a year of stabilisation. No huge peaks and troughs as you would normally see, other than the standard drop at Christmas. But what you can see is as the graph runs into the beginning of this year, search numbers have steadily risen above the 1.0 line, whereas last year it either on or below the 1.0 line.

From the feedback and conversation going around, the industry is still stuck in consolidation mode. Recovery levels that are worth talking about may be a while off yet, and trading conditions are still going to be tough. Hopefully, as consumer confidence continues to grow, so will the health of the window industry.

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Can A Northern Company Make It Down South?

The question I put out there is this: can a northern based company be successful down south, and can a southern based company be successful in the north?

Think about it. All the northern companies around this part of the world stay in the north of England. Safestyle UK for example, are much more successful in the north of England than the south. Same can be said with Coral and even the new Conservatory Outlet franchise. I'm sure the the bigger companies down south don't venture much north of Birmingham. Why is this?

The reason I think is to do with the populations. Companies based down south are generally more expensive due to the south being a more expensive place to live. So expanding northwards with a more expensive price list may not always be the wisest option. The northern folk aren't best known for their freedom of spending money, so they won't get much joy. And they won't much like to offer a cheaper range as it could harm their repuation down the other end of the country.

If your a northern company, used to prices being cheaper, going down south where the clientel are used to more expensive may seem like an easy way to make money. But the problem to get passed will be to convince that your cheaper products are just as good. Secondly, and more probable, the cheaper prices will be unsustainable as the cost of living and operating down south would mean prices would have to go up to compensate. After all that effort and investment, there is no guarantee you could be successful.

The key when expanding into different regions is that when doing so you have to do so. There is no point setting up branches in a different area just to be a drain on money and resources. If your going to do it, make sure the option is viable and the local trading conditions are suitable, otherwise a lot of time and money will be wasted.

The fact of the matter is this: there are huge social barriers and differences between the north and south of the country. Differences that are so stark and thorny that it naturally creates two different sub-economies/industries within the whole of the double glazing industry itself.

I don't think it will remain like this forever though. Some companies with deep pockets may make a dash for opposite ends of the country and start to succeed. Let see...

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Monday, March 8, 2010

Talking Crap

Looks like the nationals will say anything in order to get business, even if it is complete bullshit.

I quoted a customer where I was up against Safestyle, and the customer told me that Safestyle informed him that only the big three national companies (Anglian and Everest being the other two) use argon gas filled units.

To be fair on the customer he knew he was being told rubbish as he had had other quotes before Safestyle's. This seems to be a recurring theme among salesmen from the national companies. They don't seem to know a great deal about the product, they resort to lying when they think they aren't going to get the business and their high pressure sales tactics annoy people more and more often.

I know that saying something as trivial as they did seems small, but it is a symptom of a larger problem within the national companies. They don't seem to be able to train their sales staff well enough to do the job well.

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Friday, March 5, 2010

Will Customer's Want Recycled PVCu?

There is going to be a point where old PVCu windows and doors may become 2nd generation PVCu windows and doors through recycling. Obviously, not all PVCu that gets removed will become the same product again. But as more and more recycled PVCu weaves it's way into everyday life, and the more the production of PVCu is going to be made from sustainable sources, will customers want something new, which isn't actaully new?

Recycled products still have a bit of a grotty image, admittedly I wouldn't buy something that is recycled, purely because it isn't new. Short minded I know, but this may be one of the obstacles the industry will have to overcome. In five years time the industry's reliance on oil is going to cripple it, and unless we move away from producing polymers the way we do now, we are going to have problems.

The way we sell windows, doors and conservatories is changing, more and more so every year. With every year that passes, the more emphasis is put on sustainability and energy efficiency. And with every year that passes, the more customers are tuned in to the environmental cause. As an industry we are going to have to adapt to these changes. Companies are going to have to show off the best they can all their green credentials, be it in the product or how they operate as a company. This is how we can get round the recycling issue. If customers can feel like they are doing their bit, whilst at the same time lowering their energy bills, they won't mind as much how or what their new windows are made from.

October is going to be the first major forced change, it will be interesting to see how those who haven't adapted manage to survive in what is going to be one of the most environmentally centred industries.

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Thursday, March 4, 2010

Stay Recession Minded

Despite the weather being much brighter of late, that still isn't going to get the customers out in their droves to buy windows and doors. We still all have to assume the recession mentality. Always think: 'What more could I be doing?'

Get out on the street and get your company name on people's minds. They may not want replacement double glazing right now, but maybe in a few months time, or even a year, that leaflet, brochure or business card that was sent to them might spring your company name to mind first.

The riskiest thing to do is to think that things are getting better and you don't have to do as much as you did last year. That's completely the wrong thing to think. You have to consider that this year will be as bad as last. If you make the same effort this year as last year, then there is plenty of money and extra work to be found.

Thinking the worst forces you to be on your toes and do the most you can, every time. Thats the way I work. Personally I work better under pressure. We all do here, which is why we came out of the recession safe and sound, with better knowledge and experience for when things get hard again.

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Wednesday, March 3, 2010

Conservatory Market Still In Deep Trouble

We found evidence today that the conservatory industry is still struggling massively at the moment.

We searched on the Leeds Council website and found that last week, for the whole of Leeds and it's encompassing areas, only 1 conservatory got passed. No matter what time of year it is, that is dire. Consumer confidence may be rising, but clearly not enough to drag the conservatory market out of the mire. Even RCG has recently admitted to me that the industry is in a seriously bad way.

Of course the other explanation could be that companies are putting up conservatories illegally, without planning permission. If that is the case, councils may be very busy in the future taking lots down. But I doubt that most companies aren't that reckless as to put up a whole structure just to risk it being taken down again.

The next major hump in the road is going to be the revisions to Part L. It looks like conservatories are going to come under stricter energy efficiency regulations. The companies who aren't tuned to fitting 'C' rated windows as a minimum now, are going to find it just has hard when it comes to the efficiency of conservatories.

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Tuesday, March 2, 2010

How To Bankrupt A Business

It seems one of our main manufacturers has resorted to last gasp tactics. For weeks now one of our competitors has started going down the road of sweeping their quotes just to try and get the business in.

Example: I recently quoted a job which involved lots of triple glazed leaded/bevelled units (10 in total), a sprayed red door, amongst other items. The job was quite an expensive one due to the specification the customer had chosen. I don't want to go into numbers, but our main competitor managed to quote the customer £3100 less than mine! And apparently the quotes were like-for-like.

This is about the sixth job we have become aware of that the company has been sweeping their prices, desperate to try and get the business in. Now this indicates two possible scenarios. The first is that they are getting their frames for absolutely nothing (or at least peanuts), which is highly unlikely. Or the other scenario could be that it has become a lot harder for them to get the business in, so by seemingly taking all profit and commission out of the job, they think they stand a better chance.

A third possible scenario could be that they know they are up against us, knowing that we have a better chance of winning the order than they do.

Whatever the reason, gutting prices is not a sustainable way to operate a business. The money made on jobs provides the fat for a company when the leaner times come by, or when major creditors have to paid. No one likes a late payer!

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Monday, March 1, 2010

Month In Review: February

For us, February has been a strange one.

Leads levels weren't fantastic, but we have had the best month since August 2007. Not that were complaining! February was the culmination of lots of hard work during January coming to fruition. Lots of positive leads from January were being converted in February. And March could also be as positive as February. Some big leads that require planning permission should be completed in the the middle of the month, so should provide some good figures come the end of March.

But other than big numbers, February has been very much an average month. So not much to write about really.

My next is going to be my 200th, and I want to write it sooner rather than later. I've not had a guest post published as of yet, so if any of you would like to volunteer a post to go on as a guest one, email me at: glazingblogger.googlemail.com and I'll publish it as the 200th. But be quick, it won't be long before I publish my next post.

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