Why are buying journeys taking longer than they used to, and is that changing the way installers need to approach sales?

RHONDA: Definitely. Today’ s homeowners simply have more information available to them than ever before, so they carry out more research before committing to major home improvement projects. Many will spend weeks or even months researching products, reading reviews and comparing companies.

So an enquiry going quiet doesn’ t necessarily mean it’ s gone cold. Often it just means the homeowner isn’ t ready yet. They might be waiting until they’ ve saved enough money, be finishing another project first or just taking their time looking at the options. That’ s why it’ s important not to write those enquiries off too quickly. Installers need to stay engaged throughout the journey rather than assuming silence means the opportunity has passed.

You’ ve previously spoken about customers needing several touchpoints before they’ re ready to buy. Tell us more.

People are far more likely to buy from a company they recognise and trust. So if a homeowner only ever hears from you once, there’ s every chance they’ ll forget about you. But

if you’ re keeping in touch with useful updates or relevant information, you’ re far more likely to be remembered when they are ready to make a decision.

But it’ s a fine line between keeping in touch without becoming a nuisance, isn’ t it?

Yes, absolutely! This one is important. Nobody wants to receive the same sales message over and over again. The key is to send information that’ s actually worth reading.

That could be showing off a recent installation, sharing customer feedback, highlighting a new product range or explaining the benefits of energy-efficient glazing. Seasonal offers can work well too, but they shouldn’ t be the only reason you’ re getting in touch.

The aim isn’ t to pressure someone into buying. It’ s simply to remind them you’ re there and demonstrate that you’ re a knowledgeable, reliable business.

Where does a time-pressed installer start?

For many businesses, their CRM already contains hundreds of valuable contacts. Those enquiries and customers have already required significant investment to generate, so it makes sense to continue building

those relationships instead of constantly focusing only on finding new leads.

Someone who bought replacement windows a few years ago might now be thinking about a new front door. Another customer could be interested in finance offers or additional products. Those opportunities are already sitting there if businesses take the time to reconnect with them.

So hundreds of potential leads could be buried in your CRM. But how do you turn years of customer data into valuable new sales opportunities?

Your CRM shouldn’ t just be somewhere to store customer records. It should be helping you build stronger relationships and generate future business. Whether it’ s reconnecting with someone who requested a quotation months earlier, introducing complementary products to previous customers or promoting seasonal offers, a well-managed CRM can become an ongoing source of sales opportunities.

AdminBase Campaigns has been specially designed to help installers keep those conversations going. Because it’ s fully integrated with AdminBase, businesses can create these unique email campaigns using

the customer information that’ s already in their CRM. Instead of sending the same message to everyone, they can target different groups with information that’ s relevant to them.

The more relevant your communication is, the more likely customers are to engage with it. It’ s about delivering the right message to the right people at the right time. That’ s what makes communications feel much more personal, less like a hard sell and, ultimately, much more effective.

Why do you think this approach is becoming more important?

The cost of generating new enquiries isn’ t getting any cheaper, so it makes sense to make more of the ones you’ ve already paid for. And repeat business, recommendations and additional product sales often come from customers who have remained engaged with a business over several years.

Keeping in touch with customers creates opportunities that might otherwise have been lost. It’ s often far easier to restart a conversation with someone who already knows

your business than begin again with a complete stranger.

Finally, Ab Initio will be exhibiting at the FIT Show next year. What are you concentrating on between now and then?

Our biggest focus is understanding our customers even better. We’ re carrying out evidence-based research to gain a much deeper insight into buying patterns and behaviours across the industry.

We want to understand not just what installers are investing in but what influences those decisions, how their priorities are changing and where the greatest opportunities exist. The more evidence we have, the better placed we are to develop software that genuinely supports the way our customers run their businesses.

The FIT Show will be a great opportunity to share some of those insights face-to-face, listen to even more feedback and demonstrate how AdminBase continues to evolve in response to the real challenges installers are experiencing every day.

www. abinitiosoftware. co. uk