Getting your pricing right can be complicated. Customers are price sensitive and everyone is looking for a good deal. Finding that sweet spot where you are consistently winning jobs while ensuring that you’re making a decent margin can be like walking a tight rope. You need to find the balance otherwise you’ll walk away with nothing.
The 2 largest international glass trade shows have been cancelled for 2020. GlassTec which is usually held every 2 years in Düsseldorf was postponed until June 2021. This was followed by GlassBuild America cancelling the 2020 show planned for Las Vegas, which will now be returning to Atlanta in 2021. Given the global uncertainty and significant travel restrictions in place relating to Covid-19, this was not unexpected. Many large exhibitors had indicated they would not have attended even if the events had gone ahead.
All industries have had to confront the uncertainty of a global pandemic and plan accordingly to get through this challenging time. Most businesses have had to review their processes and look at how they can be as efficient as possible. We've helped many glass companies get more out of the resources they have as well as give them the tools they need to be more successful. We’ll look at some of the most important factors involved in choosing the right glass software for your business.
Glaziers, are you getting involved with local business associations?
Local business associations are long-standing pillars of most communities, but in the digital age, small businesses are increasingly focusing their marketing and networking efforts online rather than offline. If your glazing business isn't associated with a local business network, you could be missing out on valuable networking and referral opportunities, as well as access to discounts, resources and advocacy support.
Planning tips to improve productivity in your glazing business
Improving productivity is one of those goals that always circles around for business owners and managers. Often the solutions are focused on the individual — how each employee can take steps to work more efficiently. However, there are some higher level changes you can make to your planning, to improve productivity as a whole and set the tone for your employees.
Making the Most of Downtime
With parts of the industry taking a break over the Christmas and New Year period, as well as customers holding off on making major glazing purchase decisions, many businesses find they have a slow period or a bit of downtime. Here are some suggestions to help you make the most of that time to get everything in order and set you up for success in 2020.
Is QuickBooks Online the Right Choice for your Glass Business?
Choosing the right software for your glazing business is always an important decision. We’ve worked closely with lots of Glaziers who have needed to review their accounting package, so we’ve put together a guide that compares QuickBooks Online and Desktop (including Desktop Enterprise), to help you decide if QuickBooks Online meets the needs of your business.
Preparing your glazing business for a week without the boss: how to have a stress-free summer vacation
If you manage a small glazing business, perhaps one that you set up yourself, the idea of taking time off work can be more stressful than it's worth. If you're anxious about your upcoming summer vacation, we've compiled a few tips and techniques for both keeping your business running smoothly and ensuring you get a quality break.
Responding to customer complaints and negative feedback
No one likes hearing negative feedback. Unfortunately not every customer is going to give you a glowing review, deserved or not. While your first instinct may be to react with equal negativity, if you do you'll miss an opportunity to turn the conversation around and end on a positive note. Here are a few tips and tricks to try out as well as potholes to avoid...
Reporting: time budgeted vs. time actual, are you keeping track?
One obstacle that our customers often need to overcome is how to accurately report on the time spent on each job. Having access to this information is important, it will give you a clear idea of what your margin per job is and whether you're billing appropriately. So how do you keep track?
Interested in more?
We’ve got over 20 years of experience, working with hundreds of glass shops around the world. If you want to receive useful articles like this as well as information specifically for glaziers, enter your email here to subscribe to the Smart-Glazier blog.