Differentiate Yourself The market outlook is promising, but with challenges ahead for window replacementcontractors. Differentiating your company in the market is the majorone.

“Everybody [says] they have a super product, and the best glazing, and 112 colorsto make themselves a bit different from everybody else. Yearsago, that was OK. But now everybody [claims] to be so differentthat it’s become commonplace and doesn’t differentiate,” Ebelsays.

Gordon expects to see more window replacement companies positioning themselvesby offering “a better — or the best — buying experience.” Hesays the potential benefits are twofold: Consumers feel the companyis reputable, and they get the information they need. “The industryreputation could stand a lot of improvement,” he adds.

Most contractors expect to battle more formidable competition in the future, attractedby the healthy market. Gordon anticipates “an increasing numberof larger companies that will consolidate this segment of the industry” asit matures.

“The constant challenge will be to bring in the leads necessary to hityour numbers,” says Sven Kramer of Stanek Windows, which manufacturesthe windows it sells. “People have so many [buying] optionsnow. We have to make sure they understand what we have to offer that othersmight not, to bring them in to one of our locations.”

Yet, given the shift in consumer demographics to Gen-X buyers, home improvementcontractors will need new tools such as multilanguage marketing materials, multilingualsalespeople and installers, and perhaps better understandingof myriad cross-cultural differences to fully capitalize on the substantialsales potential.

That said, most view the market in the years ahead as big and largely untapped.

“There are a lot of windows out there,” Gorman says. “Andthe technology has gotten so much better, now we’re replacing double-pane windows,” headds.

When it comes to window replacement, some see a market with a commodified productand far too many competitors. Others find steady growth and opportunitiesthat are unlikely to diminish.

“Will the business be as good in five years? I think it will bephenomenal,” Ron Ayers says. “There’s so much opportunity out therenow. You can get as big as you want to, as long as you can control thegrowth.” —Jay Holtzman is a freelance writer based in Jamestown, R.I.

Source: The Freedonia Group Inc.

Source: Ducker Research Co. Inc.

Source: Joint Center for Housing Studies at Harvard University tabulations of 1983, 1993, 2003 American Housing Survey