Colin St John, Commercial Director of Freefoam Building Plastics Ltd looks at the marketing and sales tools installers can use to sell these top home improvements.
PVC roofline and cladding are being used to modernise and enhance the value of properties across the country, transforming tired homes in just a few days. Now two of the most popular home improvements in the UK, high quality PVC and PVC-UE options are available in a choice of colours and come with long-lasting guarantees.
This is a major opportunity for stockists and installers who want to add roofline and cladding to their portfolios, but the product and the marketing support has to be right. Colour products are doing particularly well, especially ranges with a wide choice of shades that can colour-match windows, bifolds and front doors. This mean installers can sell a matching suite of products to upgrade the whole façade.
“Offering a wide range of colours has helped us win many contracts. The most popular colours with homeowners at the moment tend to be the grey shades – especially Slate Grey,” says Terry Luscombe, Director of Weatherproof Systems, a Freefoam Registered Installer based in Devon.
These products aren’t a commodity option; the best come with 10+ year guarantees and installers are selling them as aspirational and desirable, carefully chosen to enhance kerb appeal. It’s crucial that the sales and marketing support matches this approach, with a consistent look and messaging from the initial search and enquiry through to after-care documents.
Tips for on- and off-line marketing
Often the first crucial decisions are made online when homeowners search for products and companies to use. Your own website and social media (or your supplier’s) should be easy to find online, and as easy to use on a mobile as a laptop. Giving a bit of company history and detailing the brands you use can add credibility, but the biggest impact comes from eye-catching pictures and case studies. Before and after photos can tell a great story for you - helping homeowners visualise the difference products will make to their property really drives sales and improves margins.
Some suppliers can help capture online searches with proactive social media – Instagram, Facebook, and Pinterest. We do this at Freefoam but go one step further, actively generating qualified leads for our network of Registered Installers through MyFascia and MyCladding websites.
Online design apps – such as the Freefoam Visualiser tool – allow homeowners to experiment and play, adding different products and choosing colour options on a picture their own property – this moves them much faster down the decision-making process and creates opportunities for upselling. Installers can send a link or hand over a tablet in person and talk prospective customers through the options.
“I always take a sample box on my first visit to customers,” adds Terry Luscombe.
Although a lot of material is online, many installers say they sell best when they also have something for homeowners to handle: a substantial brochure with high-end photography that they can leaf through later, leaflets on new products, colour and woodgrain foil swatches – so they can see and feel the difference – as well as display boards and samples. These offer homeowners the reassurance that they’re dealing with a professional, established company.
Promotional materials should always be up-to-date and show the latest ranges, reflecting trends in the market – and ideally kept out of direct sunlight to avoid fade-marks!
Top tech support
As well as solid sales and marketing support, it’s crucial to have access to technical expertise, whether that’s specific fitting advice and detailed product information from a dedicated team, or support from an Area Sales Manager who is happy to get directly involved. Choosing easy-fit products reduces the need for technical support, of course, but its great to know it’s there if and when you need it.
As featured in Glass News February 2024