Welcome to the weekly recap of the biggest news stories affecting the window and door installation, glazing, and fenestration industries. Whether it's a new product line, an important industry shift, or a major upcoming event, we have it all covered.

The Big Story

1) Get the New ICC Resource on Building Performance Standards and Energy Codes

The International Code Council Just Published a New Resource on Building Performance Standards and Energy Codes

The new guidelines, entitled “Energy Codes and Building Performance Standards: Supporting Energy Use and Emissions Reductions in Buildings” is the ICC’s latest resource on energy efficiency and greenhouse gas resources to help different regions worldwide work towards more sustainability.

This new resource provides code officials, building departments, and tradespeople (like window and door dealers) updates on Building Performance Standards.

The resource also shares recommendations for improved coordination between policies for buildings, both new and old. The publication helps to shed light on how the various policies between state and local governments mesh together to help understand modern building standards. 

Other Window & Door Industry News

1) The National Fenestration Rating Council Just Announced Details for Its 2023 Spring Committee Meeting

The NRFC is set to host its spring committee meeting this March. The meeting will occur from March 21 to March 22 in Phoenix, Arizona.

The event is hosted at Hyatt Place Phoenix. The event is a great industry event opportunity for members of NRFC, those who have products certified, and have an accredited lab. It’s also perfect for any window and door business involved in the green building industry.

Consider joining to:

• Get up to speed on what’s going on in the green building industry
• Learn about the latest trends within the NRFC
• Find plenty of opportunities to network with others in the industry

The Hyatt in Phoenix is offering group rates of $195 per night under the group name “National Fenestration Rating Council.” Online hotel registration is opening soon.

2)  Johnson Hardware Just Launched a Brand New Soft-Close Sliding Door Technology

Johnson Hardware is a long-serving door hardware manufacturer located in Elkhart, Indiana. Founded in 1958, they produce top-tier sliding, folding, and pocket door hardware for residential applications and some commercial applications. 

Recently, Johnson Hardware expanded its innovative line of soft-open, soft-close sliding door hardware. The newest model is the 2066 Soft-Close Kit. It features all the significant benefits of the previous 1060 kit, but with one twist: It can now support extra-heavy doors that weigh up to 330 pounds.

Here’s how it works: When a door slides open and is within two inches of the side jamb, it automatically glides slowly and silently to the fully opened position. Then, when the door is pulled closed, once it reaches the two-inch mark of being closed, the soft-close mechanism automatically engages and stops the door.

The 2066 is a great solution for commercial projects. Sales and Operations Manager, Nathan Johnson, shared,

“Our commercial customers were looking for soft-closing hardware capable of handling their hefty sliding door installations.”

Johnson shared that the new 2066 is best suited for commercial installations, like multifamily dwellings and hospitality properties.

3)  New Home Sales Are Up Slightly in December 2022, But We’re Not Out of the Downturn Yet

Last week, we shared how total construction starts surged 27% in December. Now, with new data from the U.S. Department of Housing and Urban Development and the U.S. Census Bureau, new home sales are up slightly in December at a 2.3% increase in single-family homes.

While this end to an unstable year was a breath of fresh air for window and door companies and the rest of the construction industry, the market doesn’t look like it will recover fully anytime soon.

Mortgage rates and high construction costs are still a hindrance to the window and door market due to lower demand and lower profitability. 

One year ago, there were 33,000 brand-new homes were available for sale in the U.S. Fast-forward to December 2022, and that number more than doubled to 71,000. The 115% increase in available new homes reflects wavering demand and increased supply.

The National Association of Home Builders assistant vice president for forecasting and analysis Danushka Nanayakkara-Skillington shared:

“Even though the median home price is down for the second straight month, it is still up 7.8 percent compared to last year. Elevated inventories are another concerning sign of a soft market.”

Growing Your Window and Door Business

1) Get More Callbacks With Our Voicemail Templates for Sales Teams

In 2023, window and door businesses will have to look at new ways to optimize their growth plan if they’re going to thrive.

With unstable market conditions and construction and labor costs up, it’s not enough to advance your business’’ technical expertise if you want to grow your business. Equally, if not more important, in 2023 is improving your sales strategy.

When generating new leads for your window and door business, there are specific methods you’ve likely used, such as:

• Handing out business cards
• Dropping off flyers or pamphlets
• Networking with other tradesmen

However, if you want to excel in 2023, you’ve got to begin leveraging technology, so you get the most out of your time.

One of the easiest ways to improve your lead gen strategy is right in your pocket! Your smartphone comes with a handy technology that’s 20+ years old. Can you guess what it is?

Voicemail! Who would have known?

Believe it or not, leveraging voicemail is one of the most straightforward, time-efficient lead-gen processes you can implement on autopilot. To save time and speed up the sales process, you should be using voicemail scripts that actually work to generate sales.

Most voicemails are boring and do nothing to move leads down the sales process. At Rizen, we created a free voicemail script guide you can use to grow your business. In the resource, we have a variety of voicemail templates that work wonderfully to get your leads to book your window and door services.

Some of the included templates are for:

• Basic Introduction Calls
• Returning a Missed Call
• Cold Outreach
• Missed Consultation Follow-Ups
• Digital Interaction Follow-Ups

Download this free guide today to help grow your business faster in 2023.

Check Our Full Show for More Window & Door Growth Strategies

• Subscribe to the podcast
• Subcscribe to the YouTube Show 
• Check out our free guide on how to sell windows and doors

Don’t stop - keep growing, everyone. We’ll see you next week!