Increasing quote conversion in the window and door sector

Problem: most window and door specialists send their quotes by email and wait. They convert one in four.

Solution: presenting the quote in person (or via video call) completely changes the numbers. The customer understands the value, and you answer objections on the spot.

Result: from 25% to 40% conversion. Out of 150 quotes a year, it means 22 more projects without spending a single euro on advertising.

The quote that nobody ever opened

A window and door specialist told me something that struck me. "Last year I did 156 quotes. Converted at 24%. Practically one in four." The average value was about 12.000 €. Revenue: just under 450.000 €.

Not bad, you might think. But that's not the point.

The remaining 118 quotes, the ones that went nowhere, were worth over 1.300.000 €. Hours spent carrying out site visits, measuring, and preparing documents. All wasted time.

When I asked him how he sent them, the answer was the one I hear nine times out of ten: "PDF attached, two lines of covering text, and I wait."

The product was not the problem. It wasn't the price. It wasn't the market. It was the way he presented the quote.

Why sending quotes by email doesn't work

I understand why so many window specialists work like this. You have a day full of job sites, site visits, phone calls. The last thing you want to do is get in the car to go and present it in person.

But when the customer receives a PDF by email, three things happen.

They go straight to the last page. They look for the total. They see 12.000 € and compare it with the quote from the competitor asking for 10.000 €. You chose a better profile, better glass, and more solid hardware. But the customer doesn't know this, because you haven't explained anything to them.

They have doubts and objections, but they don't tell you. They keep them to themselves. "It's too much." "I don't understand why this item is so high." Objections that you could dismantle in thirty seconds if you were there. But you are not there.

The quote ends up in the drawer. Along with twenty other messages. After a week, the memory of the site visit has cooled off, the urgency has dropped, and they will never open that PDF again.

What changes when presenting in person

Two more hours a week for 270.000 € more a year. Even halving the results, the numbers speak for themselves.

How a quote that converts works

It's not enough to turn up at the customer's property with a printed quote and read it to them. The presentation must have a precise structure.

Summary of requirements (3 minutes)

Always start here. "If I remember correctly, your priorities were sound insulation because the house is on a busy road, and you wanted an aluminium profile for low maintenance." The customer feels listened to. You have shown that the site visit was not a formality.

The project, not the product (5 minutes)

Show photos of similar projects you have completed. The customer stops thinking about windows and starts visualising their home with the new windows and doors.

Three options with clear differences (10 minutes)

Not three pages full of codes. Three solutions with benefits explained simply. "The middle option has triple glazing with low-E coating. In practice, the inside surface of the glass stays at 18 degrees in winter instead of 12. No condensation and a room that heats up using less energy."

Your personal recommendation (5 minutes)

This is where you make the difference. "For your home, I would choose Option B. Option C is motorised, but seeing the size of your windows I don't see the need for it. Save that money and invest it in the insulated roller shutter box, which will make a much bigger difference on your north-facing facade."

The customer understands that you are not trying to sell them the most expensive thing possible. You are acting like a consultant.

Questions and objections (5 minutes)

Here's where the magic happens. The customer says: "The price is higher than the one the other guy gave me." And you can answer right then: "Which profile did he quote you on? Because a Schüco profile and a PVC profile without a thermal break are not comparable, even if they're both called windows."

Via email, this objection stays in the customer's head and acts as a brick wall.

Next steps (2 minutes)

"If you decide to proceed, the first step is written confirmation and a 30% deposit. We order the materials, and in 6-8 weeks we are on the job site." The customer knows exactly what happens next.

The three most common objections (and how to handle them in person)

Via email you can't manage anything. In person, they become opportunities.

"I need to think about it." "Of course, take all the time you need. Is there anything in the quote you aren't completely convinced by? So I can put together the information you need to decide without pressure." Nine times out of ten the customer tells you what the real problem is. And you often fix it in two minutes.

"I have a lower quote." "That happens often. Is the quote for comparable products? The difference between double and triple glazing with argon gas, on a house like yours, is worth about 900 € a year in heating. Over twenty years we are talking about 18.000 €." The customer hadn't done this calculation.

"It's not the right time." "I understand. The quote will remain valid for 60 days. Just one thing: the profiles I've proposed will see a 4% list price increase from the next half-year. If you confirm before then, we will lock in the current price." It's not pressure. It's a genuine piece of information.

BAU Agent

Automate follow-up after the presentation with BAU Agent

BAU Agent schedules follow-up messages after every presentation: the personalised calculation, photos of the similar job site, the deadline reminder. You approve them in 30 seconds flat.

See how it works

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Made

BAU Agent

Day 3 follow-up sent

Client replied

Sequence paused

"I don't have time to go and see every customer"

It's the objection I hear all the time. But the numbers say otherwise: if every hour of presenting generates over 2400 € in additional revenue, you don't have the time to not do it.

For quotes over 7000 €, presenting in person is a must. The value at stake is too high to risk losing it to a PDF.

For smaller quotes, the video call works wonderfully. You share your screen, show the quote, explain the options. In 20 minutes you're done.

Organise presentations in blocks. Two afternoons a week, three 40-minute appointments. You arrange them straight after preparing the quote: "The quote is ready. Shall we meet on Thursday so I can present it and answer any questions?" Nobody says no.

The starting point

You don't have to change everything tomorrow. Try it with your next 10 quotes. Present them in person or by video call. Note the result: how many you closed, at what value, and how quickly.

Then compare those numbers with the previous 10, the ones sent via email. The difference will tell you everything you need to know.

If you want to think about your numbers together, book a 30-minute chat with us. We'll look at your data, figure out where you are leaving money on the table, and build a presentation process that works for your company. No commitment, no contract.