There’s a few things going through my mind, so rather than writing a few posts I’ve pulled them altogether in one post. Although the number of subscribers to this site is gradually climbing (336 at the moment of writing) I’m well aware that some people get irritated with the volume of emails they receive from me, and is the main reason why I do get a few people drop out:
The above screenshot is from my AWeber account which manages the process of sending updates via email every time I add a new post. I do get a few people drop out and use the RSS feed instead, and others drop out because they don’t like the content I suppose.
Anyway, for those of you who are interested then this is some of the things going through my mind:
Glassex
As usual I enjoyed my annual outing to the NEC. Contrary to some of the comments on a previous post, I actually didn’t get the time to visit all the stands I intended. Granted I didn’t get there until 1.30, and I was dragged away early to start plying my favourite customers with alcohol. But despite this, I didn’t manage to get fully round the stands.
Even though the show was smaller than ever before, I was surprised at how many people were walking around, and there was clearly some business being done. The star of the show was clearly Ultraframe – I was really impressed with the new products they had on display, particularly the lean-to with extra overhang section. I also liked the new Window Widgets orangery corner post design.
I’m keen to hear what others think about whether Glassex has been a success, and have added a poll to the site to gauge opinion.
Double Glazing Blogger
I’ve been following the Double Glazing Blogger for a while now, and enjoy hearing his thoughts on the window industry. He’s actually more ‘renegade’ than me at times, so if you’re not currently following his posts then check him out.
There’s also another new boy on the block called ‘Conservatory Blogger’ and he’s even predicting that a well known glass company is going into administration on Friday. If this is true I feel for those involved as it’s a great company.
Dealer meeting
It was great to get together with the owners of most of my dealers last night. I need to organise more of these events as the ideas being shared, and the general positive attitude needs nurturing. As all the guys are in non-competing areas they open up to each other more than with potential competitors.
Heywood Williams
There were a number of rumours flying around last night about events at Heywood Williams. I must admit, I struggle to understand how these type of ‘restructuring’ exercises work. For those of you who are not aware of the details there’s a number of articles online, including one from the very trusty Yorkshire Post.
Glasstalk
The list of influential people and companies attending GlassTalk is steadily growing, although there are still places available for those wishing to attend. We have had to confirm the number of bedrooms now, so the hotel has stopped reserving the remaining rooms and put them up for general sale. This means if you book late, you may be disappointed and have to stay at another hotel. So, book now!
Thank You to Quotatis
I would like to say a big ‘thank you’ to Peter Jervis from Quotatis. We supply all our out of area leads to Quotatis, and as a result they invited me to sit on their table at the G09 awards. At the event, Peter offered to sponsor me £2000 towards my Cycle India fundraising for Heal. I thought I’d dreamt this the next day as it seemed too good to be true, but I’ve followed up since and he was being serious. Many, many thanks Peter.
By the way, if anybody else wishes to sponsor me £2000 then you could do so very easily on my Just Giving page.
And Finally…
I’m going to give up signing petitions. Despite all the publicity created, and the fact that people in this industry really ought to get behind the GGF’s window scrappage petition, only 1200 people to date have signed it.
Very disappointing!
Tags: aweber subscribers, conservatory blogger, Cycle India, double glazing blogger, Double Glazing Blogs, GGF, Glassex, GlassTalk, Heal Charity, heywood williams administration, national window srappage scheme, quotatis, Ultraframe, window widgets
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Cheers dude
Don’t give up on the petition, as soon as one does, the rest follow, stick with it.
Even though I work for one of Ultraframe’s main roof system fabricator’s you would therefore expect me to sound a bit bias but I have to say that Ultraframe really did a fantastic job of their stand at Glassed this year.
(Matthew, you hopped onto the Ultraframe stand whilst I was on their and I definitely noticed that you looked impressed with what you were seeing on the stand)
I am sure that most people would agree that their stand was the star attraction at the show?
BUT…… more importantly it showed the way forward with conservatory roof designs inside and out.
The Ali ‘Cornice’ effect to the outside gutter level, The ‘Shades’ (blind system), Metal chains as outlet pipes and the ‘Veranda’ style roof concept were fantastic to see.
Forward thinking definitely won the crowds over – Well done guys and please, please, please put the Veranda style roof into the market place as I am sure it will be a huge success with the industry and even more-so the buying public.
Anything to promote sales is a winner.
Well done – You excelled this time around….
Rob Small
I’m pleased I wasn’t the only one that found glassex a worthwhile trip. Agreed UF stole the show, I just hope they use some discretion as to who they supply their new ‘high end’ products too…quality and innovation is soon devalued when in the wrongs hands… (I was very disappointed in the way the ultra installer scheme was executed…but that’s another story).
My personal perception is the recession has sorted the wheat from the chaff, as a result I feel our industry has upped it’s game in both innovation and professionalism.
Very sad to see the Heywood Williams stuff , I am a shareholder, or was, as part of an old employee share scheme. The Chester site was closed sometime ago after the finalex extrusion presses were sold , it was developed into housing overnight. It was the original site of Williams & Williams before the reverse takeover by Heywood Helliwell . I hope the pension funds are secure as I know a number of people dependant on them.
I have seen a lot said of Quotatis recently , and while they are very generous to your charity , they obviously sell off your leads many times , do they buy your excess leads and sell them on or are they just being reciprocal with your own generosity? Why not find a glazing company out of area and give them the lead free , but ask for 2% charitable donation if they land it ? Quotatis seem to be very welcome by all and sundry in the industry , but they are in effect just another marketing agency, diluting my advertising by competing with it and then trying to sell leads to me , costing me both ways . Or am I missing something here ?
As for the GGF petition , I think a lot of people are very skeptical of their motives especially with their maneuverings on the building regs, the 2010 proposals mean a closed shop and everyone will HAVE to buy their certificates, who do you think negotiated that ? Everyone loses except the BFRC Ltd ( wholly owned by the GGF) as when everyone has a certificate, those who bought into it as a marketing gimmick have no advantage , and those who don’t want it have no choice but to fork out !!
As for Glassex I enjoyed my social on Monday but I am not sure of the quantity of business being done. I was surprised to hear rumour of a fair few people expressing concern and annoyance about the proposed building regs ( WER C compliance etc), but not disappointed
. There were some nice timber/ali composite windows that had proper low U value properties with triple glazing , they might suit your Yorkshire climate but are probably a bit overspecced for the Thames Valley 
.
Regards
Hi Kevin
Re: Heywood Williams. Agreed, and share your concerns.
Re: Quotatis. Yes, they look after our out of area leads where we don’t have a dealer who can cover the lead. I understand what you are saying, but from my point of view they’re helping customers who visit one of my websites to find a suitable contractor when we can’t help. My target is to have dealers in all postcode areas in the future, but at this point the relationship suits me. As for diluting your marketing (and mine) again I understand your point, but companies like Quotatis exist because installers fail to understand how to go about marketing online and generating leads themselves.
Re: GGF Petition. You’re very vocal on your opinions here!
Re: Glassex. From my point of view, I’ll certainly be doing business with suppliers as a result of visiting my short visit.
I was going to write a post about the BFRC monoply being created by the Building Regs changes in 2010, but Kevin beat me to it.
Clever and sneeky way of making yet more money out of suppliers, but again there’s nothing we can do about it. Will just have to put up and shove our hands in our pockets again.
Don’t be so defeatist there blogster, It just needs a couple of us to preach it to those thousands that are unaware of the issue. I have to say that the propsed 2010 regs seem to have been related to as fact for the last 6 months or so, yet the consultation period only ended in september just gone !! I didn’t hear much from the Industry bigwigs urging us all to petition the government ( CLG ) with our thoughts on the issue during the consultation period . It was supposedly Fait accomplis , still , we will not know the actual building reg 2010 text until March or April next near . So keep shouting , at least until they nail our hats on
.
I decided to shout about it
had a lot to say tonight so i thought bugger it, take look if you wish. But lets be honest, we all know which road this is going down. Like you say however, keep shouting until we can do nothing about it, educate those who aren’t aware of these issues.
DGB
RE: Quotatis…
What sort of vetting is done of the companies paying/receiving ‘leads’ from them. Making the assumption ‘once your cheque clears you’re in’ (similar to Guild of Master Craftsmen…oops shouldn’t be cheeky), are you not concerned you may indeed be doing a disservice to the customer since they may end up buying substandard products/service?
Whilst I appreciate customers make their own informed choices, would it not add to your credibitlity as a business by referring these customers out of area to well respected businesses who are well placed to offer similar quality products/services to yourself?
It is win/win, working on the basis ’said’ companies would, I hope, reciprocate the arrangement on occasions they gain leads ‘up north’ and ultimately customers end up with a quality installation thus your reputation (irrespective of how the customer found you – County show,web, referral etc) would not be tarnished.
You could vet the companies by only choosing those who have achieved a British Standard Kitemark on survey and installation of windows and doors – probably the only independent endorsement of a company’s workmanship and general competency.
GGF – I need to speak to BSi regarding these building regs. Kitemark holders are now able to certify their own work (cutting FENSA out of the loop). There may be plans to offer a similar scenario ogf self certification? Clearly I am ill informed on the proposed building regulations due for 2010 and need to get researching! I do hope conservatories are going to be subject to regs. ASAP…this would certainly help to achieve a more level playing field…
Far less serious, did anyone see Masterchef last night … ? It was an emotional evening to see the son of an old pal of mine (now sadly passed away) win the final … those that were connected to CIS Windows (1980-91 – I hasten to add I only joined CIS in ‘89 aged 16!) and may be a few BAC/Anglian guys would have recognised the surname … Groves
Hi Edward
I have thought about trying to organise a system of approved installers myself, but the UK is quite a large area and for me to find installers in all the areas where we don’t have dealers myself would be a challenge to say the least.
We generate over 1000 enquiries per month via people filling in forms on our websites. We target certain areas (the North and Wales mostly) so the majority of those enquiries are serviceable by our dealers. But, there are around 100-200 per month that are unserviceable. To try find someone to handle enquiries in Cornwall, and someone else in Edinburgh, then someone else in Kent would be too time consuming. I’d probably need to set staff on to manage this. I am trying to find suitable dealers in other areas who can benefit from these leads, but the deal is they are vetted by me and then agree to become a dealer and purchase frames from me.
I understand entirely your point, but in reality I have to rely on Quotatis vetting installers in out of area regions.
RCG
Crikey, quite a criteria : ) …I don’t blame you!
Wow , at 100 free leads a month ,which they then sell 3? times at £30? .
, Just a thought , if you think it has any mileage you can let me know .
It seems that their costs involve firing off some emails , I would be looking for a little more charitable contribution methinks
If you get stuck RCG I can do a few around Chester/Wirral for you and contribute charitable donation your way for each hit