Look Beyond The Gloom

Today was a historical day. The Government has announced the deepest spending cuts for almost 80 years. This may sound terrible, but when you take into account that, according to the BBC, spending is only being reset to the levels of 2006-2008, it isn't so bad.


So, let's take that not-so-negative point, and take it further. The window and door industry has lots to look forward to. There are two rapidly expanding markets for companies to take advantage of. The first is composite doors. A previous post of mine explained that for the first time (and according to HWL Leeds who install Solidor composite doors) last month saw composite door sales overtake PVCu panel door sales. But it didn't take them to tell me, and the rest of us that composite doors are the future of the residential door market. All companies need to do is get themselves a quality supplier, a few showroom samples and then they are on their way to increased door sales.


The other market that is going to expand rapidly is the energy efficient window market. This was expanding slowly anyway, but due to the changes that came in at the beginning of the month this will be forced to expand at a much quicker rate. So again installers need to get themselves a quality product, preferably an A rated one for marketing and sales purposes, some good showroom samples, and they will find themselves with a lot more USP's than their lethargic competitors. 


One other positive I've noticed over the last few months is that customers are really now coming to their senses and realising that the companies out there who fit cheap rubbish, are the ones to avoid. They are now understanding fully that cheaper products mean poor quality, inefficiency, and they will have to be replaced a lot sooner compared to their more expensive but better quality counterparts.


I think the recession has had a positive impact on consumers. Rather than shock them into buying the cheapest of everything, I think they have started to analyse what they are really buying. On big ticket purchases customers are really doing their homework and weighing up the pros and cons and making a more informed decision. I think this has resulted in increased sales for those double glazing companies who sell a high-end product.


So, lots of positive things to bear in mind. Let's not look at today's cuts as a potential derailment. We need to keep our eyes on the ball, not let them divert, and we can navigate the tougher times just as well as we did during the worst of the recession.