Latest Articles in Dealer Perspectives
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December 16, 2011When we set out two years ago to establish the Window & Door Dealers Alliance, we never envisioned the kind of impact we would have in such a short period of time. Some of our many highlights from 2011 include turning back the lead clearance testing rule proposed by Environmental Protection Agency, securing language in the HomeScore Energy program criteria favorable to window and door dealers... more »
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August 9, 2011Older buildings, especially those located in our historic cities, provide significant opportunities for dealers, especially for companies that have seen dramatic decreases in their residential business. Considering the scale of the opportunity and the slow pace of the housing recovery, many dealers may be considering entering this niche. If you do, be careful. Commercial sales can represent a big... more »
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August 1, 2011The home improvement industry has come under close scrutiny for what some regulatory bodies are calling deceptive and misleading sales and employment practices. Unfortunately, many companies have already faced massive fines, penalties and legal fees. This column is designed to build awareness of some of the possible legal problems that dealers can encounter, as well as offer some cautions and... more »
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May 1, 2011There is an adage that goes something like this: What you don't know won't hurt you. Well, I'm not sure how true that is. It leaves an awful lot to chance. And as businessmen and women, we independent window and door dealers can't afford to leave too much to chance— especially in this economy. One perfect example of the dangers of leaving something to chance is the Department of Energy... more »
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February 2, 2011Adding clearance testing to EPA lead paint regulationsAs if 2010 wasn’t challenging enough dealing with a stagnant economy, window and door dealers and remodeling contractors also had to comply with new government-mandated lead-based paint regulations. Many of us took classes, learned the proper techniques for working around lead-based paint, cleaning procedures and disposing of the debris. On some jobs it wasn’t too bad. Others were... more »
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October 1, 2009It is now planning time for many fenestration companies. Most successful firms do annual planning for the entire company. Many of these firms typically include marketing planning or research and development fiscal planning for new products in this process. But few companies actually do market research planning. Yes, they may have a lump sum ready to be used for the annual customer... more »
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June 1, 2009It wasn’t the main topic, but customer satisfaction was a recurring subject of discussion at a focus group of custom and semi-custom home builders I moderated recently. Held in Las Vegas at the same time as the International Builders Show, the session revealed a shift in builder reliance upon manufacturers for “customer satisfaction,” as opposed to dealers and distributors. The... more »
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August 15, 2008While it's nice to ask customers “how are we doing?” it’s important to track how your competitors are doing tooWhat is your competitive advantage? I have been asking that question frequently in my recent market research with building materials companies. Amazingly, the answers are generally all the same.Here is a brief summary: Our culture, our quality, our experience and our people. The “four feel goods” account for 95 percent of all responses.This begs the question–If everyone has the... more »
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January 15, 2008Many of us in the building materials business have read this book before. Housing starts and permits plummet, sales drop and it is time to start the belt tightening. When it comes to cutbacks, they usually come in the following order: * Training* Market research* Marketing programs (dealer, consumer, builder and remodeler)* Sales support and/or customer service* Sales... more »
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January 1, 2007Two major goals drive most new product development—the desire to reduce hassles (for manufacturers, installers and end users) and the desire to reduce costs, and they do not have to be mutually exclusive. In the last column I talked about getting out into the field and watching your customer’s customers install and use their fenestration products. This process is also known as... more »