Latest Articles in Sales & Marketing

  • January 31, 2012
    THE TALK... | Sales & Marketing

    Are Home Shows Worth the Investment?
    With consumer confidence slowly but surely seeping back into the economy, some industry companies are banking on a decent home improvement season in the coming months. And this uptick in confidence also coincides with “spring home show” season, a dynamic that could prove to be a useful catalyst in the window and door industry. Let’s talk about home shows. Love ‘em or hate... more »
  • January 1, 2012
    FEATURE ARTICLE | Operations, Sales & Marketing

    Changing Ways of Doing Business
    Survey result looks at adoption rates for new electronic tools and media
    Websites are the norm, social media has many fans and mobile technologies are gaining traction among manufacturers, distributors and dealers of windows and doors. Those findings come from a series of questions included as part of Window & Door's 2012 Industry Pulse study, asking about the electronic tools and media companies using to conduct business and/or communicate with customers and... more »
  • October 12, 2011
    SPECIAL FEATURES | Management, Operations, Sales & Marketing, Close-Ups

    Dealers of the Year 2011
      Window & Door is pleased to announce its 2011 Dealers of the Year. Honored for Overall Excellence this year are Walker Windows from California and Southwest Exteriors from Texas. The magazine has also recognized five Focused Excellence category winners—window and door retailers and distributors that stand out in the areas of marketing, installation, customer service,... more »
  • October 4, 2011
    THE TALK... | Sales & Marketing

    Are You Keeping Up Online?
    An electronic newsletter came to me yesterday from Abe Gaskins at MGM Industries.  He is an active blogger and the Tennessee vinyl window maker's website is filled with his wisdom on a variety of topics. This week he talks about search engine optimization and blogging and how it can translate into leads.  He says it's working for MGM and its dealer customers and he encourages... more »
  • September 8, 2011
    COLUMN : Industry Watch | Operations, Sales & Marketing

    Batten the Hatches…and Your Wallet
    Long-range forecaster James Madden of Exacta Weather, a non-profit worldwide team of meteorologists, states that there is “a potentially record breaking U.S. winter for 2011-2012, with extremely cold temperatures and exceptional levels of snow." So, given that wallets and maxed-out credit cards have already been taking severe hits at the gas pump and grocery store, it would be wise to... more »
  • September 1, 2011
    SPECIAL FEATURES | Design & Performance, Sales & Marketing, Materials & Components, Methods & Techniques, Aesthetics & Style

    Crystal Achievement Awards 2011
    Window & Door has announced its 2011 Crystal Achievement Award winners. Selected by a panel of judges representing all segments of the industry, the awards recognize significant innovations and achievements in window and door technology, manufacturing, and marketing. “This year's Crystal Achievement Award winners reflect the strength and resilience of our industry,” says John... more »
  • August 17, 2011
    COLUMN : Opening Remarks | Sales & Marketing, Materials & Components, Aesthetics & Style

    Much to Get Excited About
    The opportunity to honor many of our industry’s innovators with the Crystal Achievement Awards makes our September issue one of the most gratifying to work on each year. It’s not just about recognizing the winners, however. Looking through all the nominations always reveals something about the direction we’re heading as an industry. This year it was evident that window and... more »
  • June 8, 2011
    THE TALK... | Sales & Marketing

    How Important is Facebook?
    I tip my hat to MI Windows this week for its impressive product launch strategy. As we highlight in this week's news, MI is supporting its new product using today’s latest technology—including iPad apps and a strong Facebook presence—to help its customers sell more windows in an efficient way. This impressive marketing approach is just one of many ways companies are using mobile... more »
  • May 11, 2011
    FEATURE ARTICLE | Strategies & Practices, Management, Operations, Sales & Marketing

    Industry Ready to Embrace iPads
    Manufacturers and dealers gearing up to take advantage of rapid developments in tablets and mobile technologies
    About a week after Apple introduced the iPad in 2010, Geoff Roise at Lindsay Windows in Minnesota bought one for one of the company’s production supervisors to try out. “It’s impact immediately became apparent,” he states. “I would send him an email with a question and I would get an instant response.”     Line leaders at Lindsay Windows now... more »
  • February 15, 2011
    FEATURE ARTICLE | Sales & Marketing

    Emphasizing Care and Maintenance
    AAMA publishes new brochure to educate homeowners
    Today’s windows and doors offer many low-maintenance features but that doesn’t mean they don’t require any care or maintenance, particularly if they are going to perform well over a long period of time. That is the message of the most recent brochure from the American Architectural Manufacturers Association, which includes tips for proper cleaning and maintenance to better... more »