DoorTalk

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The Shoalhaven Door Centre team at the conferenceJohn Fraser-Mifsud congratulates Dave Bennett

B&D Doors Newsletter SPRING 2013

B&D Doors Australia’s most coveted dealer Award was received by Shoalhaven Door Centre director Dave Bennett at the National Dealer Conference at Port Douglas in July.

Located at South Nowra on the New South Wales south coast, the dealership was recognised for its persistent efforts to promote its business and provide exemplary levels of sales advice, installation and service to customers.

This specifically included a revamped showroom with working door installations, new exterior signage for the showroom and driveway entrance, promotional activity and a new website, including troubleshooting videos that align with B&D’s own website revamp, plus advertising and customer retention initiatives.

B&D national sales manager John Fraser- Mifsud said Shoalhaven Door Centre was assessed, along with 85 other Accredited Dealers, using the recently introduced Accreditation Test.

“The previous test was 10 years old and quite limited. The new award was judged using the new test, which we think is a great leveller and has garnered positive feedback from those who undertook it,” he said.

“The new test set a benchmark, and ruled out those who did not pass, but it wasn’t the absolute deciding factor – it was just one of many guidelines.

“We had feedback from the state sales teams about their interaction with the dealers during the year. A lot of weight was given to efforts made by dealerships to promote their businesses to customers. This included a wide range of different activity and we think this levels the playing field between smaller regional and larger metropolitan dealerships,” Mr Fraser-Mifsud said.

More than half-a-dozen dealers clearly performed above the Accreditation Test national average.

“We then assessed their marketing initiatives, how their staff and showrooms present to customers, their training and safety systems and their lead management.

“Dave’s business ticked all the right boxes. He’s invested significantly in his initiatives but he’s also been strategic about it and used some lateral thinking. An example of that, which reflects his sense of humour, is a rather risqué TV advertising campaign.”

As a young lad and later as a teenager, Mr Bennett installed B&D Doors with his father’s business during the school holidays. He said he would never have then dreamed of one day being awarded the Australian garage door industry’s top prize.

“Even at the National Dealer Conference I didn’t imagine it. I thought we had dipped out entirely because we hadn’t won any other awards before it was announced,” Mr Bennett said.

“I wasn’t upset because I knew I was in a room with a lot of other very capable businesses and not everyone can win. I just thought ‘oh well, we’ll just have to try harder’.

“To get that award was really big for us. Australia-wide: it doesn’t get any better than that.

“I said at the presentation that I haven’t been awarded much in my life, but I’m very proud of my business and have worked hard to improve it. It’s a very good feeling to be recognised for that,” he said.

“The moral is to keep trying to do the right thing by customers and the brand and the results will follow. And we’re not about to stop. I don’t feel like I’ve arrived. I feel like I’ve just started.”

In 2011 the business won an Excellence Award for our customer management system which generates service reminder letters to customers.

“We let customers know it’s their installation anniversary and that, just like cars, garage doors need inspection and servicing at least every one-to-two years,” Mr Bennett said.

“We think it’s important for the industry to educate customers that a little bit of preventative maintenance goes a long way. It only costs around $130.00 to adjust the tension on the springs, and avoiding servicing is a false economy because in the long term that lessens a door’s life.

“Sometimes a door is left for 10 or more years without any attention. When it suddenly carks it, a customer is looking at an expensive emergency that could have been avoided easily and affordably.”

NAtIoNAl ACCReDIteD DeAleR of the YeAR AwARDeD foR eNteRPRISING INItIAtIveS

“to get that award was really big for us. Australia-wide: it doesn’t get any better than that”

the recent National Accredited Dealer Conference held at Port Douglas was heralded by presentations from DuluxGroup managing director and Ceo Patrick houlihan and B&D Doors & openers Australia general manager tony Bova. Both provided valuable insights into plans and trends that will directly and indirectly affect dealers.

The central themes included the need to invest in the B&D brand, and to innovate through product development.

DuluxGroup – ranked the 105th-largest company on the Australian Stock Exchange by market capitalisation – fully acquired Alesco Corporation in January 2013. DuluxGroup’s capability-led growth strategy for B&D Doors focuses on premium-branded consumer products for residential home improvement, as well as adding value by leveraging existing ‘go-to-market’ capabilities such as retail hardware channel management and trade distribution.

Mr Houlihan explained why DuluxGroup believes garage doors and openers are a natural fit for the company.

“B&D Doors has a leadership position in a well-structured market; it has the channel breadth through the largest accredited dealer network and it has product breadth via its iconic brands.

“It has also remained profitable at a historically low point in the new housing cycle, which points to B&D’s financial discipline. And its people

have extensive industry experience and a culture of delivery.”

Mr Houlihan concluded that DuluxGroup’s core purpose – apart from having a sustainable business to deliver shareholder returns – is to help consumers imagine and create better places to live and work. This ethos has helped it hold market leading positions in Australia and New Zealand in not only garage doors but also decorative paints, consumer garden care products, construction chemical products, DIY adhesives and woodcare coatings.

B&D Doors & Openers Australia’s newly appointed general manager Tony Bova reinforced the need for B&D to invest in and reinvigorate the brand. He said that DuluxGroup research has found investment in B&D brands is low compared with other benchmarks.

“Our industry is only investing a third of the amount in media versus other comparable categories. We plan to counter this by stimulating the market,” said Mr Bova.

“We will be focusing on consumers and creating consumer-driven demand for our products, primarily through market investment. We believe this approach will drive value not only for B&D but also our dealers.

“B&D will work closely with our dealers to create a strong value proposition for our Accredited Dealer network and provide them with supporting B&D structures, tools and systems to present the best consumer propositions.”

He also said consumer insight is lacking. “Many of our innovations and product features are not aligned to key consumer purchase drivers. What we communicate to consumers needs to focus on what they truly value.”

In the short-term B&D will be conducting a radio advertising campaign linked to a cash-back promotion and later a television advertising campaign. It will also be conducting consumer research and testing new concept products.

Mr Bova also said that a resilient renovation sector indicated a positive long-term outlook for the garage door industry.

B&D INveStS IN BRAND AND INNovAtIoN

Dealers now have another tool to help customers take the guesswork out of how different garage doors look when matched to a home’s external facade.

The B&D Doors Australia website now includes an interactive Design Centre that allows customers to virtually model garage doors by uploading a photo of an existing home or choosing a preloaded house style. Customers then select the size, model, style and colour of their desired B&D garage door in a step-by-step customisation process that allows them to visualise their combinations and save each design as changes are applied.

Dealers can then initiate the specification process with the customers’ finished design, which can also be printed, converted to PDF for emailing or be shared via social media.

B&D Doors Australia marketing communications manager Stacey-lee Smith said the Design Centre will assist dealers by greatly simplifying the decision-making process for customers.

“The Design Centre’s Online Visualiser avoids the physical difficulties and guesswork of matching

physical samples by using the latest visualisation technology that allows customers to accurately predict how a B&D garage door will look with their home,” Ms Smith said.

“It’s a powerful tool for dealers to assist customers in the renovation market who are seeking to match an updated facade with a new garage door, which can sometimes seem overwhelming.”

The new Design Centre tool is one of a suite of online services provided in B&D’s recent website upgrade and has been optimised to work across

all platforms, including latest-generation computer devices such as Apple and Android tablets.

The Website Marketing Group developed B&D’s new website and Design Centre. Managing director Michael Doyle said it has been developed to be compatible with a wide range of different devices.

“We aimed to create a site experience that could be accessed from many types of dealer and customer computers,” Mr Doyle said.

“Our use of HTML5 technology not only provides a graphically pleasing, intuitive design; it also means the Design Centre is compatible with more devices and there are fewer conflicts.

“For example, the Java and Flash technologies that underpin most online visualisers are not compatible with Apple mobile devices and can cause problems for some Windows-based PCs.”

B&D Doors Australia’s new website also includes improved search capabilities, features and product listings.

The new Design Centre Online Visualiser site can be reached via www.bnd.com.au or directly at designcentre.bnd.com.au

New DeSIGN CeNtRe letS CuStomeRS vIRtuAllY moDel GARAGe DooRS

DoorTalk

Patrick Houlihan, DuluxGroup managing director and CEO (left) and Tony Bova, B&D Doors & Openers Australia general manager

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SPRING 2013

the national sales and marketing initiatives of B&D Doors & openers Australia were also presented at the recent national dealer conference and provided an overview of recent business performance, and plans for the future.

National sales manager John Fraser-Mifsud’s presentation focused on the opportunities arising from B&D’s organisational changes, dealer business and the importance of advancing the Dealer Accreditation scheme.

Mr Fraser-Mifsud began with a 12-month review of B&D’s performance. He was pleased to announce that the B&D Dealer network had held up well through a tough economic climate and successfully managed the DuluxGroup transition.

He said the aim of the organisational restructure was to cement B&D’s position as “a confident market leader, driving category growth through investment in the consumer, innovation and a tighter dealer network”.

Mr Fraser-Mifsud spoke of four ways to achieve this.

“We’ll intensify our focus on channel management and structure, focus on key business and sales processes, and improve our account management and sales force capability while clarifying our value proposition,” he said.

On B&D’s Dealer channels, Mr Fraser-Mifsud emphasised the need to focus on accepted world’s best practice models to “manage a dealer value proposition and monitor the quality of execution”.

A factor helping B&D achieve these goals is its commitment to advancing Dealer Accreditation to give it more visibility and greater depth.

B&D marketing communications manager Stacey-lee Smith outlined a number of current marketing initiatives, including the relaunch of the new B&D website and its advanced capabilities for dealers and consumers.

A feature of the revised website is the new Design Centre which replaces the old ‘Door Visualiser’ that featured on B&D’s website prior to 2010.

“The Design Centre gives consumers a realistic view of B&D’s latest products and colours, and works across a range of platforms,” Ms Smith said.

“It gives people the option of uploading photos of their own homes and saving their favourite designs, so they can see exactly what they’d like before placing an order.”

Ms Smith also provided details on the Dealer Portal and gave an insight into the new-look B&D Dealer Accreditation program.

B&D marketing director Stuart Sutherland added insights into B&D’s marketing initiatives and spoke of the need to gain insights and engage with consumers, while growing the business.

“The increased focus on better understanding our customers will lead to significant, profitable growth,” said Mr Sutherland.

“Our knowledge of the factors that matter to consumers when buying a new door and opener is being applied to all advertising and point-of-sale materials, and is helping us tell the right story about our products.”

Other business discussed at the national dealer conference included the B&D Certified Installer Program, the Short Term Incentive Program and the new dealer awards format.

Product innovation highlights for 2013 were presented by National Training Manager Mick Goodhew and included the Design-A- Door relaunch, shutter range expansion, compliance and wind-rated solutions, and the Roll-A-Door Pelmet.

SAleS AND mARKetING uPDAte

B&D Doors is improving the way it interacts with its Accredited Dealers online by making useful information more easily available through the new online Dealer Portal.

With Phase 1 launching in October, the Portal allows Accredited Dealers access to a number of new functions, including the ability to review the results of their own B&D locator page. This displays insights into the performance of Yellow Pages adverts, the dedicated B&D Dealer Line, and the Online Dealer Locator.

The Portal also provides access to B&D publications and reports, such as customer satisfaction surveys and bulletins, allows online processing of NCRs and provides accreditation resources, including tests and business plans.

B&D marketing resources, including briefing forms, logos and visuals, and ordering materials are also available through the Portal.

It uses a system which notifies account holders of recent activity and updates to keep dealers informed of newly available information.

B&D marketing communications manager Stacey-lee Smith said that the Portal will make life easier for Accredited Dealers since all B&D assets, tools and publications will be gathered in the one place.

“The Online Dealer Portal is a very powerful resource for our Accredited Dealers, and it has the potential to improve practices in many ways,” she said.

“And Phase 2 will bring even more functionality when it launches next year.”

Phase 2 of the Portal is scheduled for early 2014 and will provide additional resources, including Installer Training videos and access to the Certified Installer training program.

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The new look Accredited Dealer logo delivers improved visibility and greater point of difference in the marketplace

B&D DooRS lAuNCheS oNlINe DeAleR PoRtAl to ACCReDIteD DeAleRS

“the increased focus on better understanding our customers will lead to significant, profitable growth”

Macsheds/ThomsonBilt proprietor Leon Thomson (left) with Ross Gleeson, former President of the Naracoorte Lions Club

B&D Doors in conjunction with its mount Gambier dealer and fitters has joined in fundraising efforts to help deliver much-needed medical equipment to a regional hospital.

Garage door dealer Macsheds/ThomsonBilt and South East Erections have contributed a B&D garage door and opener to a Lions Club project home, which is being built to raise funds to buy a CT scanner for Naracoorte Health Service.

The Mount Gambier B&D dealer is supplying a Panelift® garage door and Controll-A-Door® opener for the double-garage of the Naracoorte Lions CT House Project.

Naracoorte Lions Club is aiming to complete the home by the end of 2013 and will sell it at auction. Combined with proceeds from other fundraisers, the club is hoping to raise a total of $800,000 for the purchase of the scanner and required amenities.

Ross Gleeson, former president of the Naracoorte Lions Club and project coordinator, said that the project is a result of many businesses and individuals in the community coming together to contribute to a good cause.

“It says a lot about our community that the hardware, conveyancing, build supervision, accounting, solicitation, drafting, gyprocking, concrete, electrics, kitchen and other elements

of the build were supplied either without charge, or were heavily discounted,” he said.

“We are very chuffed that B&D came on board for this project.”

Macsheds/ThomsonBilt proprietor Leon Thomson said that his business, as well as Darryl and Craig Pearce from South East Erections, likes to help out communities when it can, and believes the CT scanner will benefit the people of Naracoorte and surrounding areas greatly.

“People requiring that kind of treatment currently have to travel over 300 kilometres to Adelaide, so having the scanner in Naracoorte will be a great help to those who need it.”

B&D Doors supports a number of good causes in local communities through the donation of its products, and marketing communications manager Stacey-lee Smith said the company is very proud to have helped with the construction of the Naracoorte Lions CT House Project.

“The Lions Club does great work in communities around the country, and this particular cause has the potential to save lives by giving people access to treatment when they may not be able to travel long distances,” he said.

“We trust that the Panelift® door will give many years of reliable service to whoever buys the house.”

GARAGe DooR DoNAtIoN helPS BooSt ReGIoNAl hoSPItAl

B&D Doors’ new Smoothpanel™ sectional garage door range is now available in the Dulux paint range of over 100 colours.

Previously it was available in the Colorbond range of 20 colours. Colour is an important consideration for customers using the Smoothpanel™ door and now the garage can more easily match or varyingly contrast a house’s colour palette.

B&D Doors recently completed an in-depth review of its range of industrial and commercial doors. As part of this review B&D has identified a number of changes that it will be making to the range of products and services it offers.

The most recent of these include:

• Thecommercialsteelshutterrangeexpanding from a maximum size of 6x8m to a new maximum size range of up to 10x12m by incorporating a new Directlift springless drum configuration.

• TheintroductionofarangeofSafeDrive direct lift openers that provides not only one of the most cost effective shutters on the market but also one of the safest.

• Windloadtestingoftheshutterrangewith a new patented wind clip that complies to new AS/NZ1170.2 wind actions standards.

• Plustheintroductionofa1.2mmslatfor those applications that require additional strength in the oversized shutter range.

A new hero brochure and updated spec sheets have also been released.

B&D is also in the final stages of developing of an online shutter calculator that will reduce the complexity surrounding product selection and specification.

Industrial and commercial manager James Tyson said: “I am proud to be leading the commercial B&D team with these changes in response to the research we have undertaken over the last 12 months. I look forward to introducing products and services over the next 12 months that help to create better places and spaces in which to work and live.”

New ColouRS foR SmoothPANel™

INDuStRIAl AND CommeRCIAl DooRS Get SPRINGleSS DRum

Product News

DoorTalk 4

A likely boost in sales is set to follow a revision to Australian Standards that mandates reinforced garage doors in high-wind areas. New buildings constructed in cyclone-prone areas of northern Australia are now required to use wind-resistant garage doors, following a change to the National Construction Code.

The recent change to the Code and Australian Standards applies to new buildings in all coastal areas north of Bundaberg in Queensland, the Northern Territory, and West Australia down to Carnarvon (Wind Regions C and D).

B&D Doors is assisting builders, developers and home owners in complying with the requirements for doors, which are similar to the requirements that apply to all other building products used in cyclone prone areas.

B&D provides a variety of wind-resistant garage doors fully tested and certified to meet the revised Australian Standards.

Many B&D garage doors have been tested and certified to meet the revised standard, including the innovative Windpanel® sectional door, windlocked Roll-A-Doors and a range of Roll-A-Shutter® products.

The B&D Windpanel® derives its additional strength by reinforcing the door structure and providing an additional bracing system, which can be manually applied to a door when a cyclone appears imminent.

The brace design uniquely protects against garage door blow-in and blow-out, via a hinge system that connects the door to the high-wind brace using a deflection bracket.

The revised Australian Standard AS/NZS 4505:2012 ‘Garage doors and other large

access doors’ is now referenced in the National Construction Code (NCC) 2013 - Housing Provisions (Building Code of Australia Volume Two) for Wind Regions C and D, which experience wind speeds of up to 266 and 310km/h respectively. This came into effect on May 1 2013.

Garage doors sold in Regions C and D are now required to be tested, certified and supplied with a sticker with information including the door’s design pressure.

To ensure that its products comply with the revised standards, B&D Doors has worked with the James Cook University Cyclone Testing

Station (CTS) to assess and assist certification of the performance of its products.

The CTS was founded after the devastation caused by cyclones Althea and Tracy in the early 1970s. It is an independent facility with a wide range of expertise to conduct research, testing and community education aimed at minimising suffering and loss from building damage in high wind events.

CTS development manager Graeme Stark said that the inclusion of the revised standards in regulation had been necessary to ensure that garage doors are of the same standard as the buildings they are attached to.

hIGh-wIND AReAS ImPACteD BY RevISeD StANDARDS

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In an exemplary display of teamwork and lateral thinking, a group of B&D Accredited Dealers have collaborated to promote special offers to local residents.

New South Wales’ Shire Garage Doors, Value Garage Doors and Deville Garage Doors combined recently to promote the four-year increase in warranty for Panelift® garage doors and tailor special offers to local residents, including a 10 per cent discount on door and opener servicing.

B&D Doors & Openers former state sales manager – NSW, Damian Richards, said B&D is encouraging its Accredited Dealers to actively promote their businesses in collaboration with one another and supporting such initiatives with strategic and financial resources, including marketing and advertising contributions.

He said the three dealers engaged him to discuss how they could piggyback on B&D’s national radio advertising campaign to encourage additional local awareness of the Built to Last messaging.

“By translating DuluxGroup’s global initiatives in practical terms we are encouraging our dealer network to become more successful by taking our brand’s key messaging and special offers to the public,” Mr Richards said.

“We’re putting the word out that we want dealers to approach us with their promotional ideas. Although

there are no hard and fast rules about it, we are open to supporting them with B&D resources.”

Mr Richards said that while promotional partnerships had occurred amongst Accredited Dealers in the past, this was the first instance of three dealers collaborating to implement marketing strategy.

“Accredited Dealers can sometimes see each other as competitors but this demonstrates that they can work together to achieve a common goal.”

B&D assisted the dealers with conception, design and distribution strategy for a Built to Last printed flyer that was delivered to 44,000 homes in the St George and Sutherland regions.

The flyer – creative from which will also feature in local magazine and newspaper advertising – included the special offers.

B&D additionally offered those dealers’ customers $100 cash-back for all B&D garage door sales bundled with a B&D opener during the promotion.

Value Garage Doors principal Gary Stephens said it was important for his business to increase B&D brand visibility in his area. “We believe in advertising investment and we’re open to different ways of getting the B&D message out there. People think of garage doors as just garage doors but we need to educate them that quality wins out in the long run. Spreading the word about the five-year Panelift® warranty is a perfect example of that.”

Shire Garage Doors principal Rod Field said that he was used to his dealership collaborating with B&D and that it made sense to apply a similar approach with other dealers. “Our dealerships do compete in the same area so it seemed a bit daunting at first but we realised that by sharing we can get messages out to the market in ways we couldn’t do alone.

“Dealers tend to get along on a personal level at conferences so in that spirit it wasn’t too much of a stretch to team up for a promotion.”

Mr Richards said other dealers are following the Shire & St George Built to Last dealers’ example by planning similar promotions. “We have other accredited dealers who’ve shown strong interest and are already planning campaigns.”

DeAleRS CollABoRAte foR loCAl CAmPAIGN

From left: B&D Doors and Openers former state sales manager - NSW, Damian Richards; Shire Garage Doors principal, Rod Field; Deville Garage Doors installation manager, Gregory Sims; and Value Garage Doors principal Gary Stephens

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“we’re putting the word out that we want dealers to approach us with their promotional ideas”

CASh-BACK PRomotIoN to SuPPoRt ACCReDIteD DeAleRS B&D Doors is offering a special cash-back promotion nationally to drive premium products and encourage consumers to buy from Accredited Dealers.

B&D is offering those dealers’ customers up to $200 cash-back on eligible purchases of a Panelift® door and Controll-A-Door® P Diamond door-opener on the same order, which meet the minimum spend requirements.

“We want to reward customers who use our B&D Doors accredited dealer network,” B&D Doors marketing communications manager Stacey-lee Smith said.

In order to let consumers know about the cash-back promotion, accredited dealers all received campaign flyers to spread the word in their local area.

A national radio advertising campaign, including traffic advertising for four weeks was launched in metropolitan centres in August.

For Fairfax listeners there was a “What’s Behind the B&D Door?” promotion with instant cash giveaways to drive brand exposure. This was managed by the radio station network but complements the $200 cash-back campaign.

Regional radio promotions also commenced on 15 August in areas where there are Accredited Dealers.

Dealer News

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for suggestions or feedback on Doortalk, please contact the editor on email marketing@bnd.com.auThe opinions, advice and information contained in this publication may not necessarily be those of B&D Australia Pty Ltd trading as B&D Doors & Openers. They are solely offered to provide an information service to its Customers. B&D Doors & Openers does not invite any person to act or rely upon such opinions, advices or information. B&D ex-cludes liability for any such opinions, advices or information. Readers should rely on their own enquiries in making any decisions about any of the products or services referred to in this publication. B&D Doors & Openers is a division of B&D Australia Pty Ltd, ABN 25 010 473 971, 34-36 Marigold St, Revesby, NSW 2212. © B&D Australia Pty Ltd.

CoNfeReNCe Re-CAPheld from 18-21 July in tropical Port Douglas at the spa-and-golf course-equipped Sea temple Resort, the 2013 B&D Dealer Conference was a great success.

Interspersed with sumptuous breakfasts and dinners – it mixed business with pleasure. The presentation sessions and trade show culminated in the gala dinner and Awards. A group activity day provided opportunities to experience pristine rainforest and wildlife as well as toad racing, off-road four-wheel driving and quad bike tours, horse-riding and – for the more combative dealers – paintball.

Thanks to all our dealers and their families. A fine time was had by all.