DGCOS generates £2.58m extra sales for members in 2011
7th February 2012

The Double Glazing and Conservatory Ombudsman scheme (DGCOS) today confirmed it generated nearly £2.6m additional sales for its members during 2011, bringing the combined total for 2010 and 2011 to over £3.25m. Launched to consumers in May 2010, DGCOS saw an immediate influx of enquiries after appearing on BBC’s Breakfast TV, Working Lunch and the Simon Mayo show generating £673,000 worth of business in nine months. DGCOS invested further in its consumer marketing activity in 2011. This included the Consumer Protection Report by David Herman and national surveys on homeowner reasons for replacing windows, doors and conservatories, how they go about choosing installers, and how happy they are with them.

The £2.58m generated in 2011 was nearly four times that of 2010. It was driven by consumer PR activity resulting in media coverage on radio, TV, press and pay per click advertising online.

When a consumer calls, DGCOS gives the prospective customer information about the stringent vetting process and all the protection and peace of mind afforded them. Tony Pickup, DGCOS Founder; says, “Consumers ring DGCOS to find an installer they can trust and for confidence. When we explain the benefits and comprehensiveness of the scheme, they have a ’lightbulb’ moment. Once they see the protection they receive, they are convinced they must use a DGCOS member. We direct them to the nearest members. These pre-qualified sales leads are nearly all converted into business by one of our members.”

John Green is Managing Director of High-Tech Windows Ltd. based in Cheltenham.
He says: “The last 18 months have been tough and everyone needs whatever leads they can get. You still need to be active to convert them but DGCOS leads are good quality. The Peace of Mind pack and the association with Nick Ross are strong differentiators that give us the edge and it means we don’t compete on price. Our message to the discerning purchaser is to be careful who they deal with because companies that drop their prices all the time cannot guarantee they will be around to fix problems in a few years.”

John adds “When we’re pitching against other companies, I always encourage our sales reps to get the customer to ring DGCOS to verify our credentials. Like everyone; we’re having to work hard to win every deal but my salespeople regularly tell me we are definitely winning more orders as a result of being a DGCOS member.”

In closing, John comments: “DGCOS is a first class organisation - superb. What they say they will do, they deliver. I have been very impressed with how professionally they deal with matters.”

For more information on DGCOS and the consumer PR campaign, please visit www.dgcos.org.uk or call 0845 053 8975.