In talking to my customers, business in November is just like any other November. In other words, it has been very busy up until Thanksgiving, but since the turkey was cooked it’s been more like “Tanksgiving.” During the past two years, business was not seeing the normal holiday slowdown as door and window manufacturers were […]

“Customer Satisfaction Selling” has been around for decades, but in uncertain times, its importance is greater than ever before. The concept traces back to a lengthy and ongoing study on thousands of customers to determine what their thoughts and feelings were when people attempted to sell them or convince them to do business. The study […]

Can you afford to take time away to go to upcoming trade shows? Well, most of my customers are still as busy as ever, despite the slowdown in new construction and thanks to backorders. But unfortunately, due to inflation and higher interest rates, a slowdown is just on the horizon. Holiday spending will be more […]

I landed upon this recent article by Nicole Spector and after reading it, it does appear that the jury is still out as to whether or not we are really in a recession. Some indicators seem to point toward a recession while others are suggesting the economy is still in good shape. Most of my […]

Well, here we are once again heading for a new version of Energy Star that will begin in 2023 with even tougher requirements. As I completed my travels during the first half of this year, I noticed an overall lack of concern regarding the upcoming Energy Star changes. My customers seemed focused on the present […]

During the last few weeks, I have visited customers, and the topic of Energy Star has come up. Everyone wonders if the EPA will stick with the stringent requirements outlined in drafts 1 and 2 of Version 7.0 or move to some halfway point. This would give window and door fabricators extra time to adjust […]

VELUX Group recently announced that it has decided to permanently close its operations in Russia and Belarus. The decision follows the company’s suspension of all activities in Russia and Belarus last month in connection with the invasion of Ukraine. VELUX Group says it will exit these two markets as soon as possible. All obligations to […]

With donations from its customers, vendors, team members, and partners, the MI Charitable Foundation, the philanthropic arm of MI, Milgard, and Sunrise window brands, raised over $3.1 million in 2021. This total sets a record for the MI Charitable Foundation, which was formally established in 2015 through the selfless acts and compassion of the company’s […]

I just returned from the Glass Build Show. Attendance was light, but the attitude was not. Many of my customers who would have otherwise attended chose to stay home, mainly because they are just too busy. Those who decided to go, however, went with a mission in mind. You see, the window and door industry […]

It is forecasting time, and I am working on sales projections for 2022. So, I am visiting with customers and asking them what projections for next year may look like. Usually, I get fairly solid answers like, “this year we grew 10%, and we feel next year it may slow down a bit, but we […]