Selling, remember that? It’s the process of keeping order books stocked by convincing prospective clients that we’re better than the competition. And with surging demand it wasn’t exactly a priority for manufacturers and installers of timber windows and doors in 2021. But in 2022 it’s different.

Last year ended on a cliff hanger for business as the virus’ latest swerve heaped uncertainty on top of an already fragile economy. But as this year has moved on, and as it’s become clear that Omicron is something that we can cope with, consumers have begun to celebrate their new-found freedoms by spending on experiences over things.

Pent-up demand for travel is unwinding with gusto as the public plot ‘revenge vacations’. Same goes for leisure, events and generally having a good time.

Put simply, spending on the home is becoming ‘so last year’. Add to the mix the significant headwinds of the cost-of-living crisis and war in Europe and it’s not hard to conclude that the demand we saw for timber windows and doors in 2021 is unlikely to continue.

As with every good party there is a hangover to deal with. Hard-pressed supply chains need to re-normalise. Material shortages need to be re-balanced. And joiners need holidays too. But as the year goes on a new priority is set to emerge for timber window and door companies; it’s time to dust off the wood shavings, polish the shoes, and sell. And we believe our Framepoint Technology has brought the much-needed wow-factor to support the process of selling timber products to homeowners.

Designed by installers for installers, Framepoint was created to make it easy to sell all types of windows and doors – regardless of manufacturer and material. With set-up in minutes, the interface is as simple as sketching on a pad. We believe it puts the fun back into selling windows! The web-based app makes it easy to display products and see how they look on a house, easy to chop-and-change until the homeowner is happy, and easy to price. It’s also quick and simple to get prices from suppliers, create a professional, branded quote, and create orders – without admin headaches.

Most configurators are designed from the perspective of manufacturers to help installers order ‘correctly’ and lock them in. But, with our installer background and a top technical team, we’ve developed a technology specifically focused on helping installers sell and homeowners buy.

We’ve very much tracked the Covid wave with Framepoint. When we couldn’t go out at all, it became the solution for helping installers sell without home visits. Demand for the app surged as we all took to Zoom. Free sketching timber windows and doors with clients in real time via Framepoint became a ‘new normal’.

Many firms found they rather liked taking orders without getting in a van, so much so that we see Framepoint being used to continue to sell remotely beyond the pandemic for a great many of our joinery customers.

After lockdown, of course, came the demand tsunami. More companies, working all hours to keep up, turned to Framepoint in the need for speed. It was all about saving time and reports came in of some Framepoint subscribers saving as much as 30 hours a month on quoting.

Looking ahead we very much see 2022 as the year when wooden window and door companies will need to get back to selling. We’re seeing it as ‘The Year of the Salesperson’. And in a tougher, more competitive market our mission will be to provide the technology timber window and door firms need to stand out from the crowd, wow customers and win orders.

The Framepoint app is available on a monthly subscription and a free demo can be booked at – www.tommytrinder.com