The End Of The Glazing Guru Manual?

If you have placed an order for your Glazing Guru manual within the last few days, please be aware that it is currently being re-printed to include the bonus "100 Ways to Sell " ... all within one larger manual. ALL orders should be delivered by this coming weekend.

I'm going to drift off topic for a moment because of the news within the last week of the looming recession and how that can affect businesses of all sizes and industries.

I have advised my clients to do this exercise one evening this week in preparation of what has to be one of the worst situations ever to face small business in decades ... people shopping for only the essentials for months to come, or possibly years.

I tell you this now because most double glazing business owners are "fire-fighters" and "problem solvers" and that means they lack skill in a special talent which is PROBLEM AVOIDANCE.

You probably went into business to make more money, have more time to spend with your family, afford a nice house, drive a luxury car and retire to a sunny climate when you sell your business. Your business is not just a business, it's attached to your goals in life, it's your passion, it's your income and understandably you are nervous right now as to how, if the worst came to the worst and you lost your business within the next year you would recover.

I want you to re-write your goals this week:-

1. Where you see yourself in 2 years from now?
2. What will your bank balance look like?
3. How you see yourself spending your time ?
4. What do you do each day to receive your income?
5. Where is your business now?

I've seen so many recent business owners with their heads in their hands, grasping at ANY job that comes their way, abandoning all profit margins JUST to keep busy and finding that the consumer is now LOOKING for problems with everything you do.

This week, I need to warn you that the writing is on the wall, either your future is with your business, in which case you need to have the strongest marketing plan of ALL your competitors OR maybe you should look to set up a "Plan B" and check out some options to provide extra income streams. Those that do this NOW will prosper while others sit back and watch their business slip from under them.

Create or disintegrate .. your choice pal!

The Glazing Guru

The Glazing Guru
Marketing Strategies for the Double Glazing Industry

Why Don't You Call Me?

Date: Tuesday 16th September

Why Don't You Call Me? Believe it or not, as you guys get quieter, business consultants get busier and busier, but the crazy thing is when things go quiet ..the last thing that most companies do is ... take some action! Here are my suggestions from what has been the appalling display over the last two weeks of what the vast majority of you ARE ACTUALLY NOT DOING to avert closing the doors this winter:- 1.Excuses. Find any excuse to send a communication about ANYTHING to your customers, the only condition is .. you do it right NOW! It can be a mailing, email, phone call, anything, but action it IMMEDIATELY! Sure you'll send your customer something when you have your new brochure, a special deal, the latest gizmo, but right NOW you cannot afford NOT to communicate with your customers. 2. Postcards. They are cheap, quick and an easy way to keep YOUR COMPANY in the minds of your customer, send them a postcard with a compelling offer. 3. Phone. Clear one hour and phone 10 customers, do not try to SELL them anything, tell them you are calling to thank them for their custom and see how they are. Expect at least two of them to SPEND money with after getting over the shock. 4. Unexpected Gift. Send you ten top customers an unexpected GIFT ..just because YOU care about them! 5. Referrals. Remember that the goldmine that exists in the relationship you have with your customers is not just about them re-purchasing from you. If each customer recommended you and brought in two new customers, you would probably never have to do any traditional marketing ever again. A sobering thought for you .. the worst is yet to come. Take note of ALL the Glazing Guru says, it could save your business this year. Create or disintegrate .. your choice pal! The Glazing Guru The Glazing Guru Marketing Strategies for the Double Glazing Industry

Efficiency, Productivity, Time

Yet another set of redundancies, another set of doom and gloom figures on the high street, wagons parked up in the yard and half full deliveries and we enter month 9 of 12 in the year that launched the Glazing Guru Manual over 9 months ago.

The manual will only be on sale for another few weeks, in fact until the 30th of September at it's current price then it will return to it's original price of £97.

I speak to small business owners all the time, every day of the week and I see what they spend their time on .. and in the main they spend their time on NON REVENUE PRODUCING TASKS. They spend far too much of their day trying to run their business on their mobile phone, they insist on not out sourcing tasks, or training their sales staff every week on what is working and what isn't and despite all consultant's best efforts, most are doomed this winter to oblivion.

For those that are willing to listen, there are three key areas that can be responsible for large sums of wasted money. If you evaluate each of these areas individually you can quickly identify which of them is costing you money. Make sure your team members know what is expected of them as a minimum each week .. your survival DEPENDS On it:-

1. Analyze each are separately.
2. Clearly spell out what is expected of team members in each area.
3. Reward those who meet and exceed goals.
Efficiency, Productivity, Time .. your survival DEPENDS on them.

THE Glazing Guru Manual - get yours today www.glazingguru.co.uk

Create or disintegrate .. your choice pal!

The Glazing Guru

The Glazing Guru
Marketing Strategies for the Double Glazing Industry

Ask For The Order Damn It!

I've been on yet another Sales Training event over the last few days and if I hear over and over again the number one mistake Sales people make is that THEY DO NOT ASK FOR THE ORDER.

Fear of rejection is one thing, losing a sale in these hard times is another. Do you think for one minute that people do not still want to move house, have new sofas, new clothes, the latest TV or a new conservatory to show off to their friends BECAUSE of the economic climate? Absolutely not! The emotions and dreams do not change JUST because the interest rates bite harder, people have always bought on emotions and they always will.

The justification is always with logic but emotion represents 88% of most purchasing decisions and if your sales teams are not ASKING for the ORDER you are leaving money on the table. Tap into the emotions of the market place right now, what is the PAIN people are feeling, then FIND A SOLUTION and watch your sales soar. Ask yourself how your customers are going to FEEL when they see YOUR offer for the first time.

1. Emphasize how YOUR product or service will have a POSITIVE impact in their lives and SHOW them their return on investment

2. Focus on the EMOTIONAL benefits of the product.

3. Spell out the benefits

4. Ask EMOTIONALLY FOCUSED questions

The problem with harder economic climates is that the ATMOSPHERE will paint a different picture for your visitors if your staff FEEL low in confidence, appear to feeling the doom and gloom and guess what happens MORE FREQUENTLY ?

They FORGET to ASK for the order!

Create or disintegrate .. your choice pal!

The Glazing Guru

The Glazing Guru

Marketing Strategies for the Double Glazing Industry

Get Google Ads for FREE!

Date: Monday 11th August 2008

Dominate the Internet for Nothing! Sometimes when it seems you are up against the eight ball every week, you know the sort of thing, the phone only rings with sticking door hinges, broken down sealed units and leaking roofs, the delivery arrives two days late and the customer wants to cancel. Added to all those negatives is your area manager wanting more sales please to keep his bonus up and it leaves you gasping for some relief. Well, I'm sorry but they don't live in your world, and quite frankly they do not care. Do you know what your suppliers, your head office or your bank should be doing right now? Supporting you! You need more marketing from THEM to get targeted customers through YOUR DOOR. Alas they will not of course, they are too worried themselves about their own dropping turnover and the pendulum swing back to retail sales from the new build market that has kept the factories ticking over, albeit on a lower margin but when it's frame count you want, those new build contracts have been flooding in without any effort, until of course they stopped building because of the housing crisis. So what is left for you guys? Well there are several things you can try out for free using the internet. I've added my name to this guys email list and I'm quite impressed with SOME of the items he comes up with, I think he might be trying a little too hard to be Dean Hunt ( known in the internet world as Buzz Marketing ) but none the less he has some positive things to say and do amongst some other posts that seem a little off topic, however check out the Blog for some good FREE ideas :- http://www.renegadeconservatoryguy.co.uk/ Then bang them into action with a Google campaign with a brand new concept called Get Google Ads for free. Get Google Ads For Free Perhaps get some of your staff out with a video camera filming your installations and if possible a customer testimonial or two and then post it to YOU TUBE. People love all this stuff right now and I would money on the fact your competitors are NOT doing this, which means it's another first for The Glazing Guru. "It's a job that's never started that takes the longest to finish. "

It's a Buyer Market Mate

How many times do you think you are going to here those words in the next 12 months, 24 months or even 36 months?

Bearing in mind the last housing recession lasted 4 years and was only beginning to show signs of recovery in 1994 when the average house price was a mere £ 62,500.

When the market conditions swing towards the power of the consumer, you will find that unless you have a targeted loyal customer base that you will be hearing the words, "It's a BUYERS market" more and more frequently.

With the news about Anglian grabbing my attention this week, do not think for one moment that there will simply be more business for you if they disappear, they owe too much money for it to be an Anglian problem, it's a bank and investors problem and they usually find a way through.

So what can you do to stop being part of a price war?

Well one idea that springs to mind is do something different from your competitors and sell your own product line or at least an exclusive line.
The tendency in the Double Glazing world is for the vast majority to sell the same profiles, glass units and roofing systems. You buy all the same trims, fixings, silicone and cleaners. Think about making sure you look different to the others. There is nothing wrong in creating your own brand name for an existing profile. Perhaps you could modify the way in which YOU install it?
Think outside the box a little and you will side step the headline problem while your competitors batten down the hatches and start a price war.

1, Develop and find something no one else is offering.
2. Look at what you are doing now, develop you unique selling point.
3, Develop this idea with yoru suppliers, find a unique angle for your niche.

Create or disintegrate .. your choice pal!

The Glazing Guru

The Glazing Guru

Marketing Strategies for the Double Glazing Industry

Do You Keep Your Options Open?

Do You Keep Your Options Open? If every double glazing business owner knew the definition of the term opportunity cost they would be up at the crack of dawn and go to bed at dusk. If you waste every pound you ever made - you could get every one back again - if you waste even a minute of your life, you will never get another shot at it. Most business owners I meet spend their day doing things that really will not bring them long-term wealth or long-term business success. They run their business on a show string budget, they usually master all things that need to get done themselves to save paying someone else to do it. A true business owner knows how to invest, rather than simply spend their time. If you KNEW what to do in this economy right now, you wouldn't be reading this. Train Your Teams in Sales It is absolutely no use whatsoever if one sales person is saying one thing and another is saying completely the opposite. Your business will only ever be as good as your employees, and most importantly, your front line, the salespeople. Get them to read books, manuals and watch DVD's - even if they have been selling for years. If it costs money, then remember it is an INVESTMENT in YOUR business. 1. Think of training as an investment, not a cost. 2. Get the salespeople to brief you on what they have learned, this way you know they have paid attention. 3. Get training yourself so you know where the best information is available from. 4. Get a Glazing Guru Manual (I might pull them from the shelves at any time I feel like emigrating to Spain) -- only joking.

THE Glazing Guru Manual - get yours today www.glazingguru.co.uk

Create or disintegrate .. your choice pal! The Glazing Guru The Glazing Guru Marketing Strategies for the Double Glazing Industry

Who Wants a Piece of the Action?

You Cannot Be Serious Man! How would classify a disastrous business year? No customers through the door? Turnover down on last year? Rising fuel prices creating havoc with your overheads? All of the above are signs of the current economic climate, not disasters and with a well thought out marketing plan, can still be overcome. You see disaster is when 85% of your business was Rover car parts just as Longbridge closed. There is a significant difference! I've see record numbers joining our mailings this week, a sign of the times? Comfort seeking? You won't find EITHER here because the signs have been there for over six months and you are still wondering what to do? OK, yet another golden nugget from the Glazing Guru manual, which at one tip per week will take around three years to complete, but never mind .. I can tell you are a patient lot, business must be better than my moles tell me. You see even the BIG GUNS are missing their targets and their marketing is the strongest .. so how does the little guy win? Marketing Strategies, that's how. Get you referral marketing working on overdrive this week ... this is the most powerful generator in the world. It is even more important these days than ever before. People who "spread the word" are cheap, effective and the best source of advertising you will ever get. If someone recommends YOUR company, you have an EXCEPTIONAL chance of being the only one selected. If done right, you will be the only company local people recommend and you will be guaranteed a huge share of the market based on that alone. This can ONLY be achieved by exceptional value and service, but you should enhance it with a special referral programme. Reward people to introduce their friend with a free offer, or a discount off next purchase, money/ voucher, or a simple thank you. The key is not taking referrals for granted but rewarding those that do. Remember under promise --- over deliver! always.

THE Glazing Guru Manual - get yours today www.glazingguru.co.uk

Create or disintegrate .. your choice pal! The Glazing Guru The Glazing Guru Marketing Strategies for the Double Glazing Industry

A Million Dollars in One Day? It's All a Question of Perspective

Nerves are jangling now, that is for sure, but you know what, I met a Entrepreneur the other day, who was telling me how he had made a Million Dollars in a DAY on the Internet and he is about to do it again! Can you imagine that! Being able to conjure up money so consistently that you would never have to worry ever again about where the next sale is coming, this guy KNOWS. The reason he is able to do this of course, is because he is an expert in his field, I mean this chap is almost famous, a legend and do you know what he attributes his success to? Marketing! You know what? If you look back on the blog to January & February this year, the current housing slump. mortgage problems and rising cost of living were predicted back then. But how many business took time to bypass the crisis by preparing for the problem with foresight and planning ahead? Less than 1%! I would put money on the fact I could GIVE away the Glazing Guru manual and it still would not register that time spent planning ahead is never wasted. You see if you had bought the manual six months ago, you would have identified more target customers for your business by now. What next? Predictions are dire mate ... if people can't raise money, they will not spend, simple economics. So what can you do? Don't let another six months go by without doing something different or you may not survive the winter quarter. People are wising up to it being a buyers market and they are starting to haggle. If you know how to side step this, you can retain more of your profits even with the looming recession. Think about holding an Open Day, but organise it with military precision, no-one will turn up to a poorly devised event. Build in enough incentives ( food, entertainment, special deals ), advertise it well and you are likely to get a decent turnout. These events are a good way to introduce your company to a new audience, or to celebrate "X" number of years in business.

THE Glazing Guru Manual - get yours today www.glazingguru.co.uk

Create or disintegrate .. your choice pal! The Glazing Guru The Glazing Guru Marketing Strategies for the Double Glazing Industry

What if ?

Date: Tuesday July 1st 2008

What IF? I get the same questions over and over again about marketing and here it is, recorded for all to see..... Question : How Much Will Extra Marketing Cost Me? Answer : The question your should ask yourself is how much will it cost you if you do nothing? It's the same old story, a story I was familiar with until I understood the power of marketing effectively. It takes more time than money and it takes more effort than brains. You see people in general find it so difficult to do the most simple thing ... making a decision. Instead of simply making a decision, running with to see the consequences they spend months, sometimes years wondering what they are doing wrong. They have been presented with the solution many times over and over again .. but for some insane reason they just sit there .... the "what ifs" of the world who never join the "doers", the real go-getters the ones that make things happen. Talking of "what ifs" ..... What if you joined forces with other non-competitive businesses and created your own newsletter " The Home Improvement Monthly" FREE to the general public, and sold advertising space within it to generate more revenue and a hungry crowd of customers? What if you made it informative, filled it with special Summer deals and offers and sold advertising space to the printer for printing it for FREE. What if you spent time making the cover as striking as possible and 1,000 people viewed it next month? You see good marketing is not rocket science, it's about being a DOER, not a WISHER ....which one are you? THE Glazing Guru Manual - get yours today www.glazingguru.co.uk Create or disintegrate .. your choice pal! The Glazing Guru The Glazing Guru Marketing Strategies for the Double Glazing Industry

This Tip is Priceless, But Only If You Act On It

TRUE SUCCESS IS CREATING BETTER RESULTS WITH LESS EFFORT The aim of the game is not to simply work harder, it is to create better results with less effort. Continually leveraging your time, money and knowledge, thousands of people work hard, but they are not getting anywhere. Employees EARN money, business owners MAKE money.. there is a difference. In today's world you can't be cheaper than your competitors for long. The only way your double glazing business can stay ahead of the market is to out-think, out-sell, out market and out manoeuvre your competitors, luckily the Glazing Guru Manual shows you exactly how to do that. Tip for this week, and it is one of the most effective you can EVER use, so effective because nobody bothers to do it! Write a FREE Report / small book I have seen these gain huge results. It is an instant way to develop credibility and actually have some fun too. You can then market yourself as an expert, and even give the book/report away for free in order to get leads. A small 10 page booklet on you services will leave your competitors standing wondering what you did to gain all the extra business. 1. Come up with a catchy title then work backwards. 2. Look to get it sponsored by a "big gun" that might buy the booklet in bulk and mail it to their customers. 3. Send it to old and new prospects to boost your credibility 4. Write it like you would talk it ... it is easier to read that way. All this is BEFORE the predicted Interest Rate rises this year .. seriously do something today that will change tomorrow, don't wait for the crisis to hit before you take action.

THE Glazing Guru Manual - get yours today www.glazingguru.co.uk

Create or disintegrate .. your choice pal! The Glazing Guru The Glazing Guru Marketing Strategies for the Double Glazing Industry