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Sawdac Newsletter Spring 2017

This past fall, I attended GlassBuild and WinDoor on behalf of SAWDAC. While both shows try to accomplish the same objectives, each has a very different feel, which was great to experience. At GlassBuild I connected with the National Glass Association in the U.S. and we are looking to share some best practices between our associations.

This was evident as I attended their Dealer Days seminars to see if there is something we can incorporate in to our business. These seminars made it clear that the battle for customers is coming down to a dealers’ web and social media presence. The online footprint is making it easier for consumers to check you out, and it is becoming more critical than ever to reach the non-word-of-mouth customers. Understanding this, we are working with some dealers to help them increase their social media presence.

WinDoor was a much more intimate show that gave me the chance to sit in on Fenestration Canada meetings, which gave a voice for SAWDAC and our members. Fenestration Canada is looking to have a third-party installation quality program implemented for their installer base. I extolled the features, advantages and benefits of our Window Wise program that only our most qualified dealers are certified for. There was a great conversation and awareness raised about SAWDAC’s Window Wise program and how SAWDAC could help Fenestration Canada with its goals. There will be more to come on this going forward, but in the meantime please check out our website to see if Window Wise is a fit for your company.

RenoPlan report
SAWDAC has noticed our RenoPlan financing program is up 30 per cent for 2016 and is continuing to grow! This is because we are seeing consumers being offered more options to finance home renovations while disposable income is shrinking, so they are financing projects instead. All these options are making it easier for dealers to increase the average sale as consumers are adding products to their projects, such as doors and/or full-house window replacements instead of splitting the job over numerous years. Our partnership with Home Trust is making it easier for dealers and consumers to benefit from payment plans tailored to job size. If you would like more information on how we could help your company with increasing sales through this program, please reach out to us.

Save the date for golf
Our golf tournament last summer was supposed to be August 16, but the weather didn’t cooperate so it was moved ahead a week. This worked out well with awesome weather and a great turnout. The crew at Turtle Creek Golf Course were wonderful to deal with as we scrambled to postpone the tournament and they made sure everyone had a great time. This year’s winners were the Superior Home Improvements team of Jeff Andrews, Lee Veitch and Mika Mantsinen. This year’s tournament will be held June 6 at Turtle Creek again – we will be sending out lots of information about it and look forward to seeing you all there again this year. Drop us a line for more information.

What is your companies brand?
I had the chance to sit with Fenestration Review’s own Patrick Flannery to discuss some topics within our industry. The one topic we discussed at length was window dealers and manufacturers building a brand for themselves. We discussed many different ideas and companies out there that use brand as a way to drive business but also to tell a consumer who they are without having to go into a long value proposition. For example, think of a picture of a white glove and what that represents without any verbiage or copy. It immediately conjures up great ideas about a company and what it would be like to deal with. What comes to mind for you? When tied to company brand, it’s instantly recognizable and speaks volumes about the team of employees, products, value, and credibility. Sometimes dealers or manufacturers get caught up in delivering a story based on price and or service only, when what they are looking to accomplish is brand recognition. That being said, it’s not as easy as one thinks to build or have a brand. It takes sustained marketing to create that awareness. As for building the SAWDAC brand, we focus on integrity, a strong code of ethics and advocacy for everyone involved in the window industry. As the old saying goes,were trying to float the whole boat and not just one side or end of it.