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/95501
TECHNICAL Creating Service and Door Replacement Opportunities by Gary Lombard Now that the leaves have turned and the calendar shows we are entering the fi nal months of the year, the change in season also means service and door replacement opportunities. In the parts of the world where the temperatures gets colder as we move into fall and winter, doors are used more to keep the warm in and the cold out. For those of us in the door industry, this change creates ways to sell our products and services to take advantage of the increased door usage. The changing season also offers the opportunity to share ways for business and residences to enjoy more energy effi cient door products. Here are several suggestions that you might want to consider in helping you stay busy through the fourth quarter of this year and into 2013: Sell and Promote Preventive Maintenance (PM) Programs I know of no better way to have a steady fl ow of business than having PM Programs in place with your customers. This time of year is a great time to sell them. Whether it is for overhead type doors, dock equipment or even pedestrian type doors, PM programs offer o ss n s. at is k n a tremendous value to your customer when promoted the right way. Knowing that your customers' doors are going to be used more is the perfect time to have your sales staff call on these potential accounts or have the service technician promote the PM program while on site doing a routine service call. If your company allows technicians to sell, make sure that they are equipped with the proper sales and marketing materials to make a good impression to you customer. If the technician is not comfortable in talking about and selling a PM program, they can at least whet the customer's appetite and have a sales person follow up at a later date. The technician should bring back the person's contact information so they can be pursued in a timely fashion. 36 International Door & Operator Industry™ Conduct Inspection of Door System When your company has a technician at someone's home or a place of business perform- ing a service, they have an opportunity to inspect and bring to the attention of the owner or manager a problem or suggestion that can better the operation of their door system. This can be anything from a damaged bottom section that does not seal at the fl oor properly to missing or broken weather seals, worn out hardware, to a door that literally is falling apart at the seams. I believe that our customers depend on us to make these kinds of suggestions. There is a difference to me in selling a customer something they do not need and providing something that will truly be benefi cial in either a energy savings, safety or security standpoint. When your company has a technician on site, they have a captive audience. Showing your customer fi rst-hand what a problem is and what suggestions you have to fi x it is the most opportune way to make a sale. tem This can be anything from a Continued on page 38 Advertise Energy Effi ciency If your company does any type of advertising, now is the time to promote energy effi cient doors. Replacing a door with an insulated one with a good R-value can open opportunities with your customers to show them ways to save money in energy conservation. I've opened many sales opportunities by showing a customer what the return on invest- ment (ROI) will be when replacing doors that are much more energy effi cient. Many manufacturers offer energy conservation calculators that you can use to show your customers what the ROE would be. A company can be much more energy effi cient by motorizing a door as well. A door that operates manually is much more likely to stay open than one that is motorized. ervation I've opened many sales