Knowledge sharing day at Listers
Posted on 11/12/2012
For installers trying to sell in a shrinking and evermore difficult market, their being well informed and well armed with the latest products and information is vital for success. But it can be hard for installers focused on the day-to-day business to keep abreast of product developments and new legislation that will affect their business. Fabricator Lister Trade Frames of Stoke on Trent have long since recognised that the best way to impart knowledge is face to face.
That’s why each year Listers host their annual trade open day where they invite customers to pay a visit to see and hear about the latest products and innovations from Listers and to discuss and debate the latest legislation that may be affecting their businesses.
This year’s event was held in December, where Listers delivered a whole range of new products and support packages to ensure that their Trade Installer Customers were fully armed for the New Year ahead.
“We wanted to bring each and every member of our customer base completely up to speed on what we had been doing this year whilst also introducing them to our upgrades and new product ranges,” said Mark Warren MD of Listers. “Every year we hold a Trade focused open day and we have to ensure that it is something our customers value and find worthwhile.”
Listers used their showroom to introduce customers to some new products from key suppliers such as Ultraframe, Internorm, Beaumont and Roto along with some new and unique products developed by Listers themselves.
“The showroom looked fantastic and the products spoke for themselves, but we wanted to add more value so we decided to hire Len Foster, a professional sales coach, to deliver a seminar to bolster our customer’s selling techniques,” commented Phil warren, Sales Director. “It’s one thing delivering new products to our Trade Customers, but we wanted to help them through the sales process, so running a bespoke sales course just added a little extra support.”
“The feedback was phenomenal,” exclaimed Mark, “everyone who attended felt that they had learned something valuable but more importantly, that they had learned something that was achievable and that would make a difference to their business. We now intend to follow this up with more of these bespoke seminars in the New Year”.
Judging from the buzz in the room on the day and the smiles on the customer’s faces the open day seemed to be a roaring success for Listers. They had also prepared information packs for customers offering one-to-one discussions on topics such as CE Marking, Green Deal and Health and Safety legislation to help them to understand the changes our industry will be undergoing in the coming year.
Mark said that although it takes a lot of effort, hard work and resources to keep on delivering new and innovative products and services each year, it’s worth every penny: “Our Trade Days are a vital part of Listers business strategy of arming our Trade Installer Partners with the latest tools to ensure that their businesses are successful. I believe that it’s one of the key reasons we keep on growing our own business.”
There are other trade fabricators who are developing a similar ethos when it comes to extra customer support and it’s certainly one of the main reasons why Listers won the G-12 Fabricator of the Year Award this year. To be successful Fabricators have to offer a lot more than just windows and doors... they have to engage more fully and knowledge share with their customers.
