Glass News talks to Michelle Wright, Group Marketing Manager at The Glazerite UK Group Ltd, about the benefits of partnering with a fabricator who can offer a whole lot more than just a fantastic product range.
In today’s increasingly challenging marketplace, installers not only face a tough fight from competitors trading on price, but they also need to be prepared for savvy homeowners who have done their ‘homework’ online and are prepared to shop around to get the best deal.
At Glazerite, we supply what is one of the largest and most comprehensive product ranges in the industry, which means that our customers have a formidable offering at their disposal. Whether that’s the options on composite doors or flush sash windows, our installers have access to products that suit all budgets, satisfying even the most demanding homeowners.
We’ve never been a company to encourage our installers to base their offering on the lowest price and work hard to equip them with all the justification they need to support their price point and help them stand out from the crowd. In addition to the marketing support tools we offer our customers, many of Glazerite’s suppliers also offer additional elements to support various points of the sales cycle.
Driving leads
Owed to our national marketing presence Glazerite naturally attract a number of homeowner leads which are passed on to our installers. Many of these leads are delivered by our key partners who specifically target the homeowner and invest heavily in comprehensive marketing across all channels. Both Solidor and The Residence Collection excel at this and have invested in developing their sites’ installer search functionality, driving installers to improve their own profile listing and visibility in response. With the amount of traffic generated through these two sites, this is an unmissable opportunity and we’ve been working hard with our installers to get them listing.
A web presence is a necessity in today’s market and, for installers who don’t have their own site, Glazerite can build one. Even with a functioning website, some installers still require a little help optimising their content, and we support them in delivering an effective message to their customers. We’ve found that online designers are a great way of enhancing installer’s websites to increase direct enquiries from homeowners.
Reassurance for the customer
In a world where many still see windows and doors as a commodity product, the homeowner is usually looking for reassurance that they are placing their trust and hard-earned cash in a reliable installer. The breadth of Glazerite’s product offering, including 10 year guarantees across the full range, and the overall quality of the brands we work with play a big part in creating this assurance.
Offered alongside this are some great marketing materials including brochures, swatches and – where needed – showroom support. Many of our suppliers offer materials to make sure their showroom projects the right messages and demonstrates great products when customers are making their decision.
As the largest and possibly most successful VEKA fabricator, Glazerite customers also have access to the Independent Network. With a strong strategy to build and enhance the Network to position it against the big nationals, it’s a really exciting time to be involved and able to reap the benefits. Membership to the scheme also opens up a raft of benefits including insurance backed guarantees, marketing support and finance lending facilities, all of which help and enhance the credibility of our installers in the mind of the homeowner.
Closing the sale
The decision to work with a particular installer varies from homeowner to homeowner based on their needs, but security and peace of mind tend to be a major factor for many.
The Maco Secure Plus Scheme and ERA five star guarantee cover this area perfectly with both schemes leaving the homeowner in no doubt about the performance and security of the hardware fitted on their new windows and doors. The free post-installation registration process also offers homeowners numerous benefits in the unlikely event of a break-in through hardware failure. This includes home insurance excess being covered up to £1000 and, where needed, repair or replacement of damaged windows. The Maco scheme is available to any products with Maco hardware whilst the ERA scheme applies to our vertical sliders, imagine doors and warmcore bifolds.
In addition, Glazerite fit all VEKA/Halo and Solidor composite doors with the reputable Ultion cylinder as standard. Brisant has been highly successful in marketing this brand and have developed some fantastic materials to demonstrate the capabilities of its locks, to the point where many homeowners will settle for nothing else after they have seen demo videos or a brochure – they are all hard hitting and clearly spell out the impact an Ultion cylinder has on the security of your front door.
In the end it’s all about adding value for the homeowner and clearly explaining the benefits of opting for a reputable installer; one who’s backed by the kind of fabricator that helps them communicate their brand and product offering just as easily as it helps them provide a first-rate end result.
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