Residential doors offer huge opportunities for increased order values or a sale in their own right. But much of the industry is undervaluing and underselling them, says Danny Williams, boss of Pioneer and UK distributor of Gerda Engineered Doors.

Danny Williams is well known as having forthright views on a number of issues, many of which have been expounded in Glass Times’ ‘Rear Window’ column.

Love him or hate him, Danny’s views are direct, pragmatic and hail from the front line of our industry, in which Danny has been a salesman, retail installer, trade fabricator and commercial contractor, during a career that exceeds three and a half decades.

Danny is also the distributor of a range of mid-to-upmarket residential doors that have been shown to great effect at the past two FIT Shows, which is important, says Danny, because exhibitions “allow people to try the products for themselves, rather than just looking at pictures on a website”, a principle that is at the core of this interview.

“We have a decent network of retail installers on board who are selling Gerda,” he explains. “And in 60% of cases in which homeowners visit showrooms looking for a new resi-door, perhaps willing to spend a two or three thousand pounds or more from what they have learned on websites, when they see and try our products they are willing to spend at least half as much again because they then understand what else is available to them.”

Proof, says Danny, of what he has been preaching for a very long time: that the industry all too often chooses the lowest common denominator to sell its products, when a little more knowledge and effort increases order value and margins, whilst delivering superior products to customers grateful for the opportunity to buy better.

Across our industry – and residential doors offer a perfect example – the dominant attitude is to produce products down to a price, believes Danny, barely scraping past the Building Regulations: “Too many manufacturers of all types of building products, and especially windows and doors, use the regulated thermal performance and other values as the prescribed performance standard, rather than the minimum allowed, something that is too often driven by installers who too often simply want a quick sale – get in and get out as quick as possible.

“The result,” continues Danny, “is that the market is dictated by mediocre products, rather than producing the best products, pound for pound, that we possibly can.”

And with a handful of key brands dominating the market, the lowest common denominator sets the standard and price structure. Homeowners look at these and too often decide: ‘that’s all I need!’”

Danny’s key point is that homeowners will often upgrade and spend considerably more on their home improvements, especially something as ‘physical’ as a residential door, when given the opportunity:

“A resi door offers far more than windows in terms of aesthetics, colour choices, hardware and furniture options as well as feel and heft. And it has far more impact on a house too. So that means there are more opportunities to upsell.”

His point is well proven, he believes, by the number of Gerda approved retailers who are reporting successful upsells, including Harp Windows based in Watford. Owner Gary Hays has tapped into the significant local middle class, commuter-belt population and has been selling Gerda doors as his premium range since August 2023. He says: “Visually, residential entrance doors have the biggest impact,” says Gary, “and homeowners now understand how they can upgrade the appearance of their home as well as the security and insulation with a well-chosen door.

“And Gerda has become immediately popular with our customers in the showroom, who can appreciate they are different from anything else, by the sheer heft and quality of the doors, the way they feel to the touch, the way they operate, the hardware. They are clearly upmarket. We have found that whilst they are more expensive than the better composite doors, people are willing to upgrade to Gerda as they know they are getting a top-quality product.”

For many retail installers it’s become a very good business. These will have a ‘good, better, best’ range of doors in their portfolio.

But Danny fears too many installers are happy to offer the cheapest product that they can with the assumption that it offers the minimum regulated performance; what they can get away with: “There’s a market for this. But how much better for everyone in the supply chain by offering the best products at every price point rather than the basic minimum.

“Think about your customers: Don’t offer the ‘same old’ to everyone. People want the very best. And many will thank the installer if they have something in their home that stands out.”