Although a business to business provider of roof systems, a large part of the ‘offer’ made by Ultraframe to its customers has always been to provide effective retail support tools. 

In the early days, this most often consisted of 10 x 8 photo prints that retail sales teams used in presenters or overprinted brochures. However, the tools needed to ‘service’ today’s demanding consumer need to be even more sophisticated. These sophisticated tools can be out of the reach of individual retailers, either because of cost or because the retailer doesn’t have the experience to commission a local design/marketing agency.

That’s why Ultraframe has decided to re-structure its sales team, enabling the UK’s leading roof brand to sharpen its responses for its system users, whether they buy the brand direct or through partner fabricators/distributors. Previously called Regional Account Managers, the company’s field sales team are now known as Retail Business Consultants, delivering marketing and retail expertise direct to the retail installer network. This new focus is all about Ultraframe’s further commitment to the brand and is open to all retail businesses choosing Ultraframe systems.

The following services are all available from the Retail Business Consultants:
• Marketing and Branding...advice on how to use the Ultraframe brand to maximise sales
• Marketing Campaigns...working with retailers to explore the optimum solution
• Retail Sales Team Training...is the retail sales team switched on? How to improve conversion rates.
• The latest wind loadings in BS6399... ‘Future Proofing’ installers by ensuring that their systems deliver maximum performance at each individual consumer address.
• Show Site Assessments... providing a full in-depth report complete with recommendations.
• Technical training packages... tailored to a company’s needs covering items like surveying and fitting, eliminating costly errors and call backs that damage the installers reputation
The Retail Business Consultants aim to give installation companies the ‘Know How’ and this comprehensive service is free of charge!

But it’s no good ‘talking the talk if you can’t walk the walk’!!! Once recommendations for a show site have been made, it’s no good if you’re simply left to execute the plan on your own. That’s where Ultraframe’s 5-strong marketing team of graphic designers, PR consultants, copy writers and project managers steps in. An in-house capability to undertake showroom plans in 3D, design and order graphic panels, design and plan interactive sample boards, plan and liaise with your own showroom manager and your own agencies – all this ensures that you get the best showroom and marketing expertise at a budget that’s right for you.

The showroom design can also integrate interactive TV and DVD presentation areas. These areas can be used by consumers where a sales person sits to ‘demo’ products and show DVDs – a good example of this would be Ultraframe’s recent 7-minute DVD. This latest tool in the retail armoury is an inspirational DVD to assist installers in explaining to consumers the importance of choosing an Ultraframe roof for their conservatory. The 7-minute DVD focuses on all of the decisions that a consumer has to face during the conservatory buying process and explains how many of them can be addressed by choosing an Ultraframe roof.

Mark Hanson, Marketing Manager at Ultraframe commented: “Here at Ultraframe we have long realised the importance of providing our customers with not only the best products, but also the best tools to sell and market those products. The DVD represents our single biggest investment in retail marketing ever and the feedback from customers has been outstanding.”

Footage is shown of tests, which took place at the Wintech testing agency in Telford. During the tests, an Ultraframe roof and a variety of alternative systems were subjected to wind uplift forces of up to 130mph using a turbo prop aero engine combined with a substantial internal fan that pumped air into the conservatories. The spectacular footage shows the Ultraframe roof still going strong at 130 mph wind uplift, which is the maximum limit the test could subject the roof to, whilst a variety of alternatives tested failed in a dramatic manner at lower speeds.

After showing how choosing the wrong roof can have such dramatic consequences, the DVD goes on to explain how unscrupulous installers often pass off inferior conservatory roofing systems as being an Ultraframe product. The Certificate of Authenticity was introduced in 2005 to combat this serious problem and is just another way that Ultraframe is working as the consumer champion to give peace of mind to potential conservatory buyers.

The DVD and COA are available to all Ultraframe Classic system users. Mark Hanson commented: “In line with our ethos of continually innovating, the new consumer DVD is a step forward from the traditional literature offering. We believe that the important messages conveyed in the DVD will make it even easier for Ultraframe users to sell our market leading product range.”

Buying the right product is critical to an installer’s success but coming a very close second is marketing and retail support. Forward thinking, motivated companies are those that have realised that marketing is more than a buzz word or an unnecessary cost – it is the key to the survival and success of any installation company. And those that want to survive and succeed know that Ultraframe offers the most comprehensive and innovative retail support package in the industry.