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A Stable Offering
Universal Composite Doors has introduced a stable door into its portfolio so the company now offers everything in front and back doors that a homeowner...
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Upsell Resi Doors
Squeeze the most of every opportunity, says Gerda Doors’ Danny Williams and go for an easy upsell for residential door sales.
He says: Although we are now several weeks into a new government it will take some time for everything to settle down.
“The procedures alone will take weeks and it will be months before the country comes to terms with the new leadership and its real-world policies, rather than electioneering fluff.
“In other words, sales will not skyrocket simply because we have a bunch of new faces on the government benches.”
Take every opportunity
Williams continues: “My belief is that sales will remain flat for the remainder of 2024 – and we should plan for that. And that means that every sales opportunity that we are presented with, must be squeezed to make the most of it. Every lead must be regarded as gold. Every opportunity no matter how small and slim, should be seized and explored and developed. Nothing must be taken for granted.”
White Gold
Although Williams distributes Gerda Doors with their distinctive aluminium and steel facings and decidedly upmarket style and appearance in the UK, he has spent more than 35 years selling and manufacturing windows and doors to the trade, also with a thriving commercial installation business. But his beginnings were as a salesman in the 1980s, in Essex. As Williams says with a smile: “The TV series White Gold was a documentary for me, not a comedy!”
Accentuate the positives
Positivity comes naturally to Williams. However, he says: “With sales typically sub-par throughout this year, more than ever we must accentuate the positives in everything that we do. And that means every enquiry that we receive, we must listen to the customer and then make sure that we offer them a positive experience, products and service that exceed their expectations. And whilst that is a cliché that we all understand, how many of us actually do this?”
Sell the quality
“The residential door market is highly developed and with some very stylish products around. But there is also a limited understanding amongst homeowners about what is available to them, how the quality of the door varies enormously as well as performance. They don’t always consider options such as side panels or higher security hardware – which don’t cost a lot but offering them when you competitor doesn’t can make the difference to winning the sale. When we receive a sales lead for a residential door, the homeowner’s perception is usually of a 44mm composite door with some shiny hardware – and little else.”
Gerda Retail Network
William’s view that homeowners seeking to upgrade their resi doors are receptive to being upsold, comes from the experiences of those of the Gerda Retail Network. He says: “Although we are always looking for new retailers we have a very well-established network. And with that comes experience of a homeowner’s perception when they first encounter Gerda product.
“Showrooms are the ideal sales setting for Gerda doors, because our products handle very differently to standard composite doors. Typically, customers will try everything in a showroom and when they try a Gerda door they react. Of course they do, as it feels totally different in terms of weight, heft, the way it opens and closes, the hardware…everything. And our retailers are now ready for that.
“And crucially,” says Williams, “whilst it costs more than the standard composite that they came in to look at, suddenly the standard door isn’t good enough. The question then is are they prepared to spend more on a tangibly better product.”
Nobody likes second best
Williams acknowledges that if the homeowner cannot afford it then they may not be able to part with the additional cost of the superior product. But he also believes it is seldom that cut and dried. He says: “When a homeowner steps into a showroom to choose windows and doors or any home improvements, it is seldom the case that they will have funds limited to the perceived cost of the products they have in mind. Most people will have the additional funds and actually, will be grateful to be shown a product that is tangibly better than the product they set out to look at. Nobody likes second best.
“Acknowledging that is crucial. It will give the customer something they will be proud of. And the retailer will make a significantly better margin.”
Picture: Upselling residential doors to discerning customers is a great opportunity according to Gerda’s Danny Williams.
Article written by Cathryn Ellis
06th September 2024