Comments on: Guest post from a double glazing customer

By: Neil Fitch

Neil Fitch — Wed, 09 Dec 2009 21:52:07 +0000

@ Richard (post 2)

There is selling for a healthy profit, and there is straight ripping people off! It staggers me that to this day there are still people who fall for these ’showhome’ or 50% off if you sign up tonight discounts!

The ethics of a company are more and more becoming a valuable selling tool that can create a desire in it’s customers, be it potential or current, as it fills some of the deepest human needs. This is a better way to add value and command a decent price for your product, promoting your morals and ethics as a sales too rather than being blatantly deceitful and attempting to plainly pull a customer’s pants down and slap him on the @rse!! Its going to hurt him even more if there is an issue with the installation, and he is more likely to want to exact revenge on the installation company in return.

Well, i have said my piece now, so im off to bed!

By: Richard Craig

Richard Craig — Tue, 10 Nov 2009 14:24:53 +0000

I love this story. It’s something we hear every day of the week thankfully. Long may the dinosaur salesman live and breed.

By: Double Glazing Blogger

Double Glazing Blogger — Tue, 10 Nov 2009 10:24:17 +0000

I’m completely with Andrew Green. We operate on a basis of a genuine honest price first time, no fake discounts etc. The more we educate our customers the better. If A potential customer comes out with a similar sort of sentence as Andrew Green has just mentioned, we are blunt and straight with them and explain that it’s all just a tactic. Seems to work most of the time!

By: Andrew Green

Andrew Green — Tue, 10 Nov 2009 08:18:35 +0000

The unfortunate thing is there are people who are not as switched on as this gentleman and they do get taken in by these supposed discounts… Trust me I still get some people saying I’m getting 40% off for being a showhome with A…..n what can you do for me. My reply ” Just an honest price the first time.”

I fear that these practices will always be with us and there is nothing that any of us can do. Especially bloggers as most of you ar monitored by all the powers that be. (Freedom of Speach died a death).

By: steve donnelly

steve donnelly — Tue, 10 Nov 2009 07:53:35 +0000

these guys are our best salesmen!!! when i do a call after “this type” and have finished what i have got to say in 20 minutes, mr and mrs smith are only too glad to sign up just so they dont have to waste more of their time.

By: Keith Pacey

Keith Pacey — Tue, 10 Nov 2009 07:36:38 +0000

The vast majority of my customers have invested heavily in all areas of marketing, internet, media etc but one their biggest assets is their showroom. I know we all have different buying criterior when making a large mainly one off purchase, but I for one would not invite any company to my home until I knew who I was dealing with!

Reading all the recent post’s on window scrapage, national window, door & conservatory companies and phoenix operations you can see how potential customers can become very confused.

When I am at any of my clients showrooms and they have customer’s in you can almost see the fear in their eyes when they first walk in! This turns to a relaxed smile once they are guided through the products on offer and the options they can choose on materials, glass and hardware etc, and all this before they have spent a penny!

My advice to the “guest post from a potential double glazing customer” is to visit most of your local installation companies and ask as many questions as you want before parting with your money.

By: mike harvey-rice

mike harvey-rice — Tue, 10 Nov 2009 06:39:46 +0000

No need to name names, we all know who they are and so do they, they should feel ashamed, they hold the industry back and make themselves a laughing stock. When the banks stop supporting them and propping them up, all the better, perhaps then they will sack the 1970s instructors and get real.

By: Richard

Richard — Tue, 10 Nov 2009 01:12:38 +0000

Sounds to me the, ‘Potential double glazing customer’, played the salesman along. The poor guy was trying to sell using the basic selling steps, build up rapport, created desire, attach, close and consolidate. No different to a car sales man: a furniture shop salesman and any good salesman.
People buy the four P’s Product,(brand) Place(company) People (the salesman) and finally the Price. The price is based on your own perception of value. The value of a brand is very important, If all double glazing was sold on a cost plus basis. You could be out of business very quickly; everyone is in his or her perspective businesses to make a profit. Small companies selling at a low value does nothing to enhance the value of good double-glazing. The raw materials and manufacturing cost are continually going up, so why should pricing remain low? I would suggest that big brand names hepl to increase selling prices allowing smaller companies and independents to sell their products at higher prices, isn’t that what you all really want. Stop allowing your prices to spiral downwards quote VFM and justify your price and any price drops you may give.

By: Double Glazing Blogger

Double Glazing Blogger — Mon, 09 Nov 2009 22:40:25 +0000

You knew I couldn’t resist posts like this

You already know what I think to these practises, it will die a death, perhaps not soon, but in the future when the whole customer base becomes fully aware of the technique and knows not to be taken in by it.

I’d love to name names, but I fear this won’t get through if I do lol.