Come See Us at World of Concrete |
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The Annual World of Concrete Show will be upon us in no time. The 2010 WoC show is on February 2-5 in Las Vegas, NV.
We will again be setting up inside and outside so come see us and check out all our new insulation innovations.
Inside Booth - N1717
Outside Demos - O30511
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Obama Pushes Energy-Efficiency Tax Incentives
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Cash for Caulkers
By HENRY J. PULIZZI , WSJ.com Dec. 15 '09
WASHINGTON -- President Barack Obama called on Congress to provide consumers with tax incentives to make their homes more energy efficient, a proposal he said would prod job creation, stimulate consumer spending and ease greenhouse-gas emissions.
"Insulation is sexy stuff. Here's what's sexy about it: saving money," Mr. Obama said in remarks at a suburban Washington Home Depot Inc. store.
The president's so-called "cash for caulkers" proposal is part of the White House's plan to address the high unemployment rate and combat global warming ahead of Mr. Obama's trip to the Copenhagen climate-change summit later this week. The proposal would provide federal tax incentives to people who insulate their homes or purchase new energy-efficient appliances. [...]
See how Quad-Lock's R-ETRO System insulation product is a perfect fit for Obama's proposal.
See the video:
Douglas Bennion Receives GRP Accreditation |
 I am proud to announce that Douglas Bennion, Quad-Lock's Training & Technical Services Manager, has recently passed his exam for accreditation as a Green Roof Professional (GRP).
He has worked hard on this over the past year and has now successfully completed it.
This accreditation will be beneficial in several ways:
- Help to position Quad-Deck as the perfect substrate for green roofs
- Provide the proper support for customers who want advice how to build green roofs with Quad-Deck
- Demonstrate to our customers that we are always looking for ways to improve
Here is a short abstract for those interested in what this accreditation means:
Successful green roofs require a combination of knowledge and expertise in the so-called 'black arts' and 'green arts'. The 'black arts' focus on the critical, non-living elements of a green roof assembly such as water proofing, structural engineering and project management, while the 'green arts' deal with the living architectural components such as water management, growing media, plants and maintenance. Very few industry professionals currently have the knowledge and expertise that encompass all of these disciplines.
You can also find more info on the Green Roofs for Healthy Cities website.
Again, congratulations to Douglas for achieving this goal!
Best regards,
Hubert Max
CEO
Sales Corner - Quote to Close
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 On a recent sales appointment after exchanging the usual pleasantries, I was immediately asked by a prospect to give a ballpark square foot price for Quad-Lock insulating concrete forms. Needless to say I was a bit surprised and said "You don't know anything about me, our company, or the benefits that ICF provides." The prospect replied "Just give me a ballpark price, how hard can it be." Normally in situations like this I would kindly shake the customer's hand and say, if this is strictly about price, I am not interested in participating. Instead I decided to ask some questions about what was important in regards to the apartment complex they are preparing to build. After some questioning and interaction, I learned it is not just about price.
Quad-Lock offers tremendous value and has inherent benefits over other building methods. You will waste a lot of your time and close less than 5% of your sales quotes by just giving a price. And there is something to be said for upfront cost versus total end use cost, but I will save that for another Sales Corner article.
My recommendation to you is "Quote to Close". You will have more time focused on selling than just quoting, and your closing percentages are likely to approach 50% or more. I think we are conditioned in the building material industry to "get a print". Get a print so we can perform a take-off and quote the job. What good is getting a print and quoting the job, if the prospective customer does not have a clue about the value your product offers. A consultative sales representative will always focus on the needs of the customer through probing questions, provide information to support the need, all while sharing the value and benefits. Once the selling is done, then it is time to talk about quoting and a price.
Commodity buying focuses on price and price alone. The reason is there is no distinguishable value between the products. Quad-Lock is not a commodity and should not be treated as such. The value offering, if you have missed past e-connections, is energy savings, safety, ease of construction and design, healthy, sustainable, solid and secure, and more...
I challenge you, whether you are selling Quad-Lock or other products, to be a consultative seller, and "quote to close". Spend more of your time uncovering what the prospective customer really wants, educate, and then provide a quote. Stop wasting time quoting and spend more time selling and watch your closing percentages increase.
On behalf of the Quad-Lock team, I would like to wish you all a safe holiday season and a happy new year! Enjoy!
Sincerely,
D.J. Ketelhut
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