How to Customize Vinyl Fencing Sales

Examine advertised sales and marketing campaigns of your competitors. Pay attention to services provided and the vinyl fencing brands and manufacturers they work with.

Compare competitor offerings with what you offer. Use Microsoft's Excel program to create a chart. List typical services in the horizontal columns, such as installation, brands and services. List your company name and the names of competitors in a vertical column, underneath the services. Enter “yes” or “no” for each service that you and your competitors provide.

Review your Excel chart to determine the strengths and weaknesses of your company in comparison to your competitors.

Get three to five friends to call competitors to test how they are in terms of sales and customer service. Have friends rate your competitors in terms of the quality of information they received over the phone. You might even have them schedule an appointment for an estimate. Get them to rate the company in terms of the professionalism of the salesperson, pricing and special offers.

Use your competitive information to develop services and programs to make your company more competitive. For example, if your competitors wear uniforms --- get uniforms for your employees. If sales reps wear an ID badge --- give your sales reps badges, too. Examine the style of the estimate materials they provide. Use your findings to make improvements to customize all of your written sales materials and estimates. Make everything you do better than your competitors.

Contact your suppliers and manufacturers to see whether you can join with them to develop a sales promotion program with special pricing for a limited time. Get together with other home improvement companies to offer perks and incentives such as a discount on landscaping, vinyl siding for homes and businesses, home security systems, and other exterior improvement products and services.

Be innovative and offer items others don't provide, such as email and text alerts when salespeople are coming by and when installers will arrive. Promote security measures that you require from your installers such as background checks, licensing and bonding. Provide a discount to customers who allow you to install a yard sign that promotes your business while vinyl siding is being installed.

Review and make updates and upgrades to the design and content on your website. Include features such as the ability to schedule an appointment for a sales estimate online. Promote limited time offers on your home page. Include pictures of your sales and installation staff. Ensure that everyone is well-groomed, wearing uniforms that feature your logo. Create a testimonials page with comments from satisfied customers and before and after pictures of their homes. Look for opportunities to show the clean look of vinyl fencing compared to a rotten and beat-up wood fence or rusty chain link fence.