“ I think I was always destined to go into business,” starts Richard.“ As a child I would hear my parents talking about business, sales and leads and it always interested me. At the time, I didn’ t know I was destined to come into this business though!”

That business, of course, is Elmhurst Windows- set up by Richard’ s dad, Jack Abrahams, more than 50 years ago. Jack was already in the home improvement sector- cavity wall insulation and heating, when he set up a windows business- for timber, aluminium and secondary glazing.

A true marketeer, however, Jack spotted his own‘ window of opportunity’ when he found out about uPVC- a new material in Germany. He wasn’ t technically minded, but he saw the growth of the products, and the perfect business opportunity. In the beginning,‘ fitters’ were coming to collect units in hearses and on horse and carts. Jack sold with his personality, engaging with customers and he used advertising to its maximum potential; in the newspaper, leaflet drops and even on buses.

“ I may have heard my dad talking shop at home,” continues Richard.“ But it was Enid Everick who showed me the ropes at Elmhurst. In a male-dominated industry- even more so than it is today- Enid was a tough cookie; ex Pilkington Glass and hard as nails! She ran 18 fitting teams, was amazing at admin and taught me everything I know about the inner workings of the business.”

Richard wanted to get out selling, and meet the customers personally. A method he still believes in, to this day. And, while a lot has changed since the early 1970s, but it’ s keeping up with- and ahead of- those changes that keeps a company successful, so says Richard. Especially when it comes to sales.

Richard became Managing Director at Elmhurst some 25 years ago, as his dad entered semi retirement and taking over from Enid in the day-to-day running of the business. When it comes to products, the portfolio at Elmhurst has evolved to not only include aluminium products- building on the UPVC range his dad first set up with, but also the conservatory and conservatory replacement roof market.

But the biggest change, Richard explains is the customers, and how we interact with them- especially when it comes to sales.“ The days of‘ White Gold’ are thankfully long gone,” says Richard.“ Now, selling is much more a consultative process. Customers have much more information at their disposal, and I believe our business is better for it.

customers seem to really like talking to the person who runs the company directly

“ My father would be the first to admit that the way he used to sell wouldn’ t work anymore. The products may cost more now, when you see the price, so we build more value into the transaction in other ways. The main one being trust.

“ Yes, my dad wanted his customers to trust in him and his product, but that’ s even more important now. It’ s something I’ ve worked really hard to build too, and still do. And, I still go out and see customers

, and answer the phone at the shop; customers seem to really like talking to the person who runs the company directly. It’ s a more personal experience, and it keeps them coming back for repeat business, and recommending others too.

“ As times change, it’ s been really important to gain sales skills from professional training programmes and systems. It’ s something I’ m really passionate about. Selling is as much about the person as the product, if not more so.

“ While business and industry will always change, I believe if you understand people- their wants and needs- you’ re already on the right track. The psychology of sales, combined with spending the majority of adult life in windows and doors, have put me in a unique position to help others in their business too, and that’ s something we’ ll be exploring a lot more of in future articles.”

www. elmhurst-windows. co. uk