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Click To Spread the Word “The Internet has exploded in the last 10 years, and it’s influencing the consumer on their buying decisions,” Jones said. “They are researching what and where to buy before they actually go out and buy the product.” Seventy-three percent of U.S. adults are now active Internet users. “Based on these trends, it’s critical that all retailers establish an Internet presence,” he said. “You should have a strategy in place so that a consumer finds you.” There are three ways to drive consumers—through search engine PR or free listing, search advertising or paid placements, and search marketing or PR and advertising. It’s best to use a mix of PR and advertising, Jones said. Ninety percent of Internet users use search engines, 62 percent click on search results within the first page of results and 36 percent of search engine users believe companies at top of results are top brands, Jones said. The search engine market is dominated by Google and Yahoo. Eighty percent of the market is covered by these two giants. “Buy Google and Yahoo and you buy the market,” Jones said. “Buy your way to the top on a cost-per-click basis.” More Than 2600 Firefighters Undergo Protective Glazing Training Bednar spoke Sept. 20 during the seminar, “Effects of Blast, Ballistic and Hurricane Windows on Firefighters,” presented at GlassBuild America. The training outlines the types of tools firefighters should use when breaking through protective glazing, allowing them to save time in emergency situations, according to Bednar. “We’re trying to get the word out,” she said. “This training educates firefighters on potential hazards and emergency issues on these windows.” To view the online training program, click here. See a Sept. 12 article in e-glass weekly for more information about the training. What Replacement Dealers Want From a Window The focus group gathered seven replacement window specialists in a market research facility in Denver, with their discussion broadcast to the Las Vegas convention audience. Designed to give window manufacturer attendees insights into their buyers, the seminar made it clear that these dealers want to keep it simple. Asked about product features that appealed directly to them, “easy to install” was important. As far as features and options, those decisions are increasingly driven by the customer, participants agreed. “When they come in, they’re saying ‘I saw this ad,’” one participant noted. Consumers are using the internet extensively before they talk to someone to buy. “There’s information overload,” noted another dealer, and the role dealers play now is to act “as a window consultant” and to “narrow down their choices” to enable them to make a decision. A full report on the session, sponsored by Window & Door and Mikron Industries, will be featured in an upcoming issue of the magazine. Plugging the Leak on Lawsuits Elbert told attendees that the cardinal sin with insurance policies is throwing outdated documents away. If a problem with a product that was manufactured 15 years ago pops up, a company will have to call on its old insurance policy forms from that time period to understand its coverage, she noted. She also instructed manufacturers to review their policies, perhaps with the assistance of experience brokers or lawyers, to make sure the company has enough insurance in multiple layers to increase the likelihood that coverage will not be dodged by the insurance company if a legal issue comes to light. “To be better prepared, you have to look at your insurance policy to know if you’re really going to be covered,” she said. Gentry reviewed some of the basics of warranties, both express warranties, which are defined by the Uniform Commercial Code and can include claims made during a sales pitch, and implied warranties, which require that the general description of a product is indeed what is being sold and examines whether a product fits a specific project or need. “A warranty doesn’t just tell customers what you’re giving them,” he noted. “More importantly, it tells customers what you’re not giving them.” Some ideas from actual warranties that Gentry shared with the crowd included an exclusion clause for failure to perform regular and appropriate maintenance on a product, a limit on damages to the purchase price of the product, including a specific statute of limitations and a barrier to legal action if unfair field testing has been performed on a product. He also shared that some manufacturers include a survivability clause, which maintains that if a certain section of the warranty cannot be upheld, the rest of the document is still valid. The key to a great warranty is making sure the consumer has a copy (and the seller has a record that it was distributed to the buyer) and keeping a copy on file. “If you can’t find it, it might as well not even exist,” he warned. With regard to document retention policies, Gentry suggested keeping all employment documents, tax records, legal documents, electronic records, and—as noted by Elbert—past insurance policies. He pointed out that not having a document in the event of legal activity allows a jury to presume that document may have hurt the company’s case, unless it was destroyed subject to a valid and reasonable destruction policy. “As soon as a claim pops up, all document destruction must stop,” he said. “Make sure everyone in the chain of command has the authority to put a hold on all documents.” Even with a great insurance policy, solid warranty and proper document retention policy in place, companies still can, and will, be sued over product and construction defect claims. “We’ve done all these things and tried to be proactive, but what happens when the war comes after you anyway?” Gentry asked audience members.
Secrets to a Happy, Healthy Workforce
Salem Distribution Reports Big Gains Hanes attributed some of that growth to the company’s implementation of an employee stock ownership plan in March 2005. “Being employee owned, we have a lot more people with a lot more enthusiasm. Everyone pushes harder, so we’re seeing very nice growth,” Hanes said. “Now we know there are other people who have sleepless nights.” Salem’s rapid success helped it earn a place on the North Carolina Business Journal’s list of 50 fastest growing companies in the state, he said. “We’re truly a different Salem,” he said. Vinyl Extruders Promoting Impact Lines Ziman noted that the vinyl profiles in the windows themselves are not that different from standard lines, but they feature reinforcements and special hardware to meet impact test requirements. Using laminated glass and adding these components to a line are the primary changes required for smaller fabricators to make a vinyl window. Although selling this market requires going through the expense of additional testing, many fabricators want to take these products on. “Interest is strong up and down the [East] Coast,” Zilian continued. Manufacturers from outside the region are also looking to target the market. Noting the higher cost of impact products, he concluded, “The money’s too good—everyone wants to do it.” Code Implementation Moves Forward In Gulf Coast Region Louisiana has adopted minimum, mandatory codes for new and existing construction effective statewide Jan. 1, 2007, to include the 2006 International Residential Code and International Building Code. In Mississippi, emergency provisions for five counties are in effect. The goal, as Lockwood explained, is to put mandatory commercial building codes in place. The state legislature will revisit the issue in January. Lagging behind is Alabama, which has no minimum codes for residential or commercial buildings and is extremely reluctant to embrace them, Lockwood reported. In a small victory, the House adopted a “code study resolution” in April of this year, bringing city and county administrators, legislators, the Alabama Building Commission and the state fire marshal together to study codes for possible implementation. According to Lockwood, the group must submit a report by March 2007 with their recommendations. “The Gulf Coast is a young, emerging market that desperately needs attention if it is to flourish,” says Lockwood. “We know that the codes are coming. We need to be prepared.” Films and Laminates Protect Electronic Assets Wireless local area networks are vulnerable to outside wireless or electromagnetic signals that can penetrate windows and eavesdrop, interfere with, impair or shut down computer systems. The federal government is developing films and laminates that prevent these signals from penetrating government buildings. Within the next six months, prototypes of EM-resistant films and laminates will be available for the commercial world. “If you’re responsible for protecting the technology assets of your company, this is real,” says Waranowski.
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