Helping trade partners to win

Margins are being squeezed across the industry, and installers are demanding more from their supply chain. Mike Wilson, regional sales manager at Everglade Windows, shares how a customer-first approach is proving critical in helping partners stand out and succeed.

In an industry where price is often the loudest message, standing out means offering more. Customer-first thinking has become a non-negotiable in fenestration, and at Everglade Windows, it’s at the heart of how we do business.

We’re witnessing how putting the installer and fabricator front and centre is not just strengthening relationships, but also helping our customers win more profitable work.

Homeowners have never had more glazing options at their fingertips, and that choice has a direct impact on the pressures faced by installers. Aluminium, once seen as niche, is now firmly mainstream.

Heritage styling, minimal frame glazing and smart-ready products are shaping specifications, while regulatory pressure is pushing performance to the forefront.

For installers, that choice creates complexity. The conversations they are having on the ground are no longer just about frames and glass – they’re about style, sustainability, compliance, and of course, cost. In a landscape where the average homeowner is more informed than ever, customer-first thinking is about equipping the trade to turn those conversations into confident sales.

That’s why knowledge-sharing has become one of the most powerful forms of support. Our programme of Techtalk webinars, for example, is designed to translate regulation and market trends into clear, usable advice. By tackling issues such as Building Regulations, consumer design expectations and product positioning, and combining them with marketing insight and live Q&As, these sessions give the trade confidence to have stronger, more informed conversations.

Our customer conference takes that one step further. Bringing together installers, architects, developers and specifiers, it creates a space where shared challenges can be put on the table – from supply chain pressures to consumer design trends – and tackled collaboratively. The takeaway is simple: informed partners are more resilient, and resilience is what drives long-term success.

Customer support

For too long, supply has been treated as a transaction: a product delivered, an invoice raised, and the relationship ends. That no longer works in today’s cautious market. Installers don’t just need products – they need support to build value into every project.

That’s why a customer-first mindset means giving partners quick, practical access to resources. Technical drawings, compliance guidance, marketing toolkits, showroom materials and digital platforms all matter because they shift the basis of competition away from price alone. When support is part of the partnership, not an afterthought, it changes the whole dynamic.

Customer-first thinking also comes to life in how products are experienced. A showroom isn’t just a display; it’s a decision-making tool. Our award-winning space in West London, for example, allows homeowners, architects and specifiers to see products in context.

Featuring our Discover aïr, MOD Series and One Collection ranges, the space is designed as a sales tool for our partners as much as a showcase for us. Trade customers can bring homeowners to see and feel the products in person, while architects and specifiers can compare options in context. For many partners, the showroom helps move conversations from ‘maybe’ to ‘yes’. It’s an investment that underlines how customer-first thinking creates tangible commercial value.

The pressures facing our industry aren’t going away. Competition will intensify, and price will always be part of the conversation. But customer-first thinking changes the terms of that conversation. It reframes value, shifts focus from cost to outcomes and builds trust in a way that no discount ever could.

That’s why we believe customer-first is not a trend, it’s the future. For fabricators, for installers, and for the homeowners who ultimately drive demand, it’s the approach that delivers confidence, clarity and, above all, long-term success.