Garage door industry magazine for garage door dealers, garage door manufacturers, garage door distributors, garage door installers, loading docks, garage door operators and openers, gates, and tools for the door industry.
Issue link: https://idoi.epubxp.com/i/84102
DOORDEALERDIALOG (continued from page 22) work out, and is a quick check one can utilize when needed. Melissa shared how much the business had changed during the past three decades. In the beginning she noted that most local houses had one door and one operator. Today, some of the houses in their market have three or four garage doors. "We installed an operator for one customer for his lawn mower door," Lawrie quipped. We talked about their hiring practices, and both explained how they are very cautious with who they employ. "If they are clean cut, have good people skills, and are friendly, we can teach them how to install a door," explained Melissa. She shared a "Oregon's fi rst IDEA accredited door dealer." story about how a young man from Oregon State University applied for a job as an installer. She was impressed with him with one exception…his hair was too long and presented a potential safety issue. She offered him $10.00 to get a haircut which he accepted. The young man worked for Applegate Door for the next three years while attending OSU. He went on to get a Masters Degree and is now a fi sh biologist for the State of Oregon. The company is IDEA accredited, and Lawrie holds the distinction of being an IDEA Certifi ed Master Door Technician. A sign on the offi ce wall boasts, "Oregon's fi rst IDEA accredited door dealer." They believe being IDEA accredited provides an extra level of professionalism and sets them apart from their competition. As I read their literature, and saw their truck and offi ce signage, it was quite evident they weren't keeping their light under a basket. Rather, they were letting their market know they were true professionals, and cared enough to go the extra mile to become accredited. We talked about how women are infl uential in the selection of garage door products. Since Melissa was convinced that women are indeed playing a more active role in purchasing home-related products, I asked her how she addresses the buying decision of the customer. "We offer the consumer ideas, options, and facts, but leave the ultimate decision up to them. The fi nal decision is that of the buyer," she stated. Both agreed that in the process of selling, installing and servicing their products, it is extremely important to do all three in a manner in which they would want if they were the customer. When interviewing dealers, I always ask whether or not they have anything amusing to share regarding being a door dealer. Sometimes they don't and sometimes their stories can't be shared (at least in writing). Here's how Lawrie described a humorous experience that is defi nitely worth sharing: "We had a customer do damage to the bottom section of his garage door. He called and we changed out the damaged section, billed and collected the payment. Three weeks went by and "I learned a lot from the pioneers of our industry…" VOLUME 45 ISSUE 5 2012 Continued on page 26 25