As prices escalate, customers need the highest levels of support from their suppliers to help them grow, says Freefoam’s Commercial Director, Colin St John.
Support of the highest order
Costs of everyday commodities in Britain are soaring, and are at forefront of everyone's minds, at home and at work. With inflation exceeding 10% and rising, prices are expected to continue to surge too.
According to the ONS, nine out of 10 adults living in the UK have reported an increase in their cost of living. With 57% of people spending less on non-essentials, 35% who have experienced an increase in living costs are cutting back on food and essentials.
Construction has not escaped. While sales of building materials are high, inflation is driving up prices of building products and raw materials. That affects the end-user, the homeowner, and stockists and installers.
That’s why, now more than ever, it’s vital for stockists and installers to feel confident with their suppliers and the support they receive. From technical expertise and quality customer service to strong marketing, manufacturers need to provide a consistent level of support. We have to become an integral part of their business delivering value at every stage.
Their growth is our growth… we grow together
As one of the largest independent manufacturers of PVC building products in the UK, we recognise the importance of helping, and enabling, our customers’ growth.
At Freefoam, we don’t compete with our customers in the market. We manufacture and our customers distribute. Together, we sell products that are relevant to the marketplace and deliver tangible benefits for the homeowner. We do this through providing a range of support functions that enables our customers to win business and grow.
The Freefoam Registered Installer Scheme is 20 years in the making. We currently have around 1,200 registered installers across the country already reaping the benefits of working closely with us.
With benefits for installers, and stockists and homeowners, the scheme offers additional support and aims to bring added value to our customers.
Terry Luscombe of Weatherproof Systems is a Freefoam Registered Installer. He says: “Being an officially Registered Installer of Freefoam products certainly helps. I always take a sample box, supplied by Freefoam, on my first visit to customers and tell them about the 10-year guarantee the company offers on cladding products.”
Added value
We generate qualified homeowner leads for our installers, helping them to win business. Alongside this, we provide extended guarantees on roofline and cladding products. This includes our industry-leading 50-year guarantee on white roofline products. The lifetime guarantee only applies when Freefoam products only are used, fitted and registered by Freefoam registered installers. This offers installers extra peace of mind when selling Freefoam products to homeowners.
Steve Bray of Freefoam Registered Installer C&S Fascias says: “What I like is the fact they support us with the guarantees that they offer. That gets us a hell of a lot of work.”
We hold regular competitions for Freefoam installers to show off the home transformations they have created using our products. Freefoam also provides a wide range of marketing materials and literature to help installers develop their business and convert leads. Just some examples include POS, samples, presentations, training and promotional videos. And there is also a dedicated website for Freefoam installers where marketing materials can be ordered.
But it’s not just Freefoam installers that the scheme benefits. Stockists benefit too. Freefoam also has a Registered Stockist scheme, and registered stockists can nominate their own customers to become Freefoam Registered Installers.
“A lot of customers will buy off of us just for Freefoam,” says Scott Whitelam of stockist Building Plastics Direct. “We have quite a few registered installers that work with us and they insist on Freefoam products.”
After all, we are all in this together, and if it’s important to our customers then it’s important to us. That’s why providing all-round support for our installers and stockists is crucial to the success of our business.
To become a Freefoam Registered Installer, head over to www.myfreefoam.com.
Discover more by calling 0800 002 9903, visiting www.freefoam.com and following @Freefoam.
Article in Total Installer Oct 2022 - https://total-installer.co.uk/magazine/