Selling on quality
Glass Times editor, Luke Wood, talks to Steven Sanderson, managing director of Chesterfield based installer, Sereco Windows, a company that is enjoying a strong order book thanks to a portfolio of premium products and a commitment to selling on quality, rather than price.
Luke Wood: Can you give a brief background on the company? When it was established, how it has grown and your customer base?
Steven Sanderson (SS): Sereco Windows supplies and installs PVC-U, aluminium and high-end timber windows, doors and conservatories as well as secondary glazing. We were established in 2007 and we were located in Buxton back then but moved the business to busier Chesterfield where we could rely on a bigger population and we now pride ourselves on having the best reviews in the whole of Derbyshire.
We tend to focus more on residential work, but over the last couple of years have taken on some big commercial projects as we do timber projects and secondary glazing; we are the preferred contractor for Chatsworth Estates which we feel is quite a prestigious role to have.
LW: What are the biggest changes you’ve experienced in the market since you started business?
SS: One of the biggest changes since starting out is that homeowners now want more options on the table – they’re more willing to consider PVC-U, aluminium and timber before making their choice.
Also, foils have become extremely popular as people are deviating more away from plain white PVC-U and are often more willing to pay a little bit more for the difference.
LW: You have a premium product portfolio – what was your thinking behind this and aside from product quality, what were the most important things for you when looking at suppliers?
SS: As I am a qualified joiner by trade, it was a natural transition for me to bring the business into supplying and installing high end timber products.
Also, with less competition in this field, the profit margins are so much higher than with our PVC-U equivalents. We do have to travel further for timber installations though, as it’s typically more popular within conservation areas and with customers who are willing to pay a higher price.
But even with our PVC-U range, we do not provide ‘cheap and cheerful’ products; we tend to pick the cream of the suppliers in the UK and our philosophy is that we would rather pay more for good products and attract a client who wants quality and longevity and superior aftercare service.
When it comes to looking at suppliers, we look at the quality of their profile (we use Deceuninck for PVC-U), their speed of response, the lead times and more importantly than anything, their after care service!
We have used many suppliers in the past and this is such an important part of our installation chain; making sure our supplier is super reliable.
LW: With your PVC-U offering, how much is flush or foiled?
SS: There is a very equal split between plain white and foiled PVC-U and we have noticed an increased demand for agate grey and anthracite grey foils.
When it comes to the split between stormproof versus flush casement, approximately 30% of our customers opt for the flush casement which is quite an increase from a few years ago as people are looking for a more traditional look.
LW: How has business been post pandemic?
SS: We have noted more competition entering the market and more one man bands on the road which we feel is driving prices down in the lower end PVC-U market.
Homeowners are often tempted now to opt for the very cheapest, so we have to sell our difference more now.
We often get called to put jobs right where they have been installed so badly by cheapskate installers with cheaper products!
However, we appeal to a more discerning customer who checks reviews and we educate them on the pitfalls to avoid. I have been in the trade as an installer for up to 40-years so prospects often say to me they feel very confident and comfortable as I know what I’m talking about and give solid and trustworthy advice.
Also due to the cost of living crisis we have had to put our fitter’s wages up quite substantially. At the end of the day, they are the backbone of the business, so we pay them well.
This means our prices have also increased substantially, especially when you add on the increased product costs as well. So, again, we have had to get better at selling our difference and explaining to customers why it is better to pay the right price once and not have any regrets.
LW: Market feedback is that energy efficiency is currently a primary driver for sales, thanks to high energycosts? Would you agree? And have you seen a rise in demand for triple glazing?
SS: Yes, energy efficiency is naturally a driver for sales and we educate our customers on how our thermal glass works and operates and why it saves on their utility bills – but we must admit we have not seen a huge increase for triple glazing in the marketplace.
LW: The latest Business Pilot Barometer report showed a promising start to the year, with sales up 43% year on year – have you had a good start to the year? And what is your outlook for the rest of 2024?
SS: We have started 2024 very busy indeed and we are now fully booked for quite a few months intothis year.
It is an installer’s dream to secure longer installation projects, maybe one to two weeks at a time, rather than half days and one day installs. The reason being is that there is just as much work involved in organising the shorter installation jobs and we are pleased to say that we have quite a few larger and longer installations lined up for the next few months.
