ROADSHOW REPORT

[thelloydgang]

Re: ROADSHOW REPORT
« Reply #14 on Today at 1:12pm »

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Karen but seriously what did you think of the" new " woodenblinds and the honeycomb blinds

Reg

Hi Reg

Were you at Bristol last night..........if so, why didn't you introduce yourself to me?!

Like we said last night, think the Wood blinds are a vast improvement on the old lot. We've been lucky enough to have been selling these the past few weeks and the Alaskan White is going down really well........probably because I really like it!

The new system for over 82cm width blinds is great and makes the blinds far easier to control. We fitted our first lot last Friday and the customer was over the moon with them and so was Alan (my other half and fitter).

The honeycomb blind is great if it does the job it says it will. I'm not overkeen on the pastel colours, but I'm sure there will be customers out there who love them. I like the white and beige colours. I'm sure they'll go done well with customers who don't like to see the cords running thru the 25mm and 20mm pleats and also others who want to cut down on heat loss due to drafty doors/windows.

Like we were told last night, if we don't talk to our customers about these blinds they won't know too much about them and may stick to ordering traditional rollers etc.........although I must admit I love the new roller collection and the romans so will be selling loads of them in the future I hope!! (That's when I finally get the books to show the samples to the customers!)

Karen ;D

[grumperbear]

l have my samples of the new honeycomb blinds,

plastic headrails.........not good.
clips / brackets ..........look good, but not tested.
colours.......................half are pastle colours!
cordless blind.............how do you get the blind to go back up,
when the blind is fitted in a reccess.
could have done with a tab, so that you
do not have to touch the fabric.

New wood venetian looks OK, but then it is only a sample, What are the real blinds going to be like.

[grumperbear]

l see Mark Lucas is on line, it would be nice if he would care to post.
He has only ever posted once, and that was in Nov 2005.

[greenpesto]

There is a clear plastic tab that is in your sample pack.

it clips onto the bottom of the blind.

GP

[thelloydgang]

Posted by Grumperbear
Re: ROADSHOW REPORT
« Reply #16 on Today at 5:15pm »

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l have my samples of the new honeycomb blinds, plastic headrails.........not good.
clips / brackets ..........look good, but not tested.
colours.......................half are pastle colours!
cordless blind.............how do you get the blind to go back up,
when the blind is fitted in a reccess.
could have done with a tab, so that you
do not have to touch the fabric.

New wood venetian looks OK, but then it is only a sample, What are the real blinds going to be like.

Grumperbear........do you not bother reading my posts! Take a look at the last few regarding the new woods. We've been selling and fitting for past few weeks and think they're great! ;D

Karen ;D

[grumperbear]

Yes l do read your posts.

A few early released blinds that are good does not mean a lot. What counts is when every advisor gets selling them, what will happen to quality then.

[dibsdobs]

Its a shame that we are still deceiving the customer into thinking they are getting a made-to-measure product, with the new woodens.

When in reality these are again, the inferior "Asian cut-downs" sold by others at half our price.

However saying that they seem to be an improvement on the old ones. Emphasis on the word "seem".

It remains to be seen if "Hanoi Lucas" can redeem himself!

(Yes I do know Hanoi is in Vietnam and not china.)

Shanghai Lucas. Or "we've all been Shanghaied by Lanzhou Lucas"

[thelloydgang]

Here we go again!

Karen ;D

[dibsdobs]

Just stating the facts

[reginald]

Karen sorry but I was not with you at the roadshow . I will have to wait till 17th Oct for my chance to see the "new " blinds Reg

[mendipmagpie]

Evening all
At the risk of tempting fate I will agree with Karen, nice to meet you flower. I think all but the Honeycome are an improvement and hope the quality is sustainable. The only negatives I can see are the deposits the nasty insects leave. It would be a help if Hillarys did some tests BEFORE we get a problem. How about the pleated we used to have with the insect repellant. Not sure about the heat retention as there was no comparison with any other blind,ie only no blind and honeycomb but I think they are going to do more tests. All in all not a bad evening nice to have the opportunity to bend a few ears and hope it makes a difference. Sorry Pete nice to see you again.
There see I am possitive,I think???

MM

[dolly]

We all seem to be in agreement that the the Honeycomb leave a bit of a question mark hanging over us. It seems Hillarys dont know enough about them, neither do we and next we have to try and answer customers questions and convince them to buy probably the most expensive blind ( at a guess) in our range.
I understand Hillarys thought process of rolling them out ready for winter BUT;

How insulating will they prove to be?
How long will the rather delicate looking fabric last?
Will they really justify the cost?
Will the new type of controls withstand the use?


Not negativity. Just genuine concerns.

[lesroman]

was at notts roadshow. Asked the ques how much honeycomb, answer approx same as 20mm freehang pleated.

recieved wood sample today, it dont work, cant make it up can u

[greenpesto]

I just had my Roadshow this evening!

1.
The evenings presentation was up beat although a little wooden but they did do a fair job of it.

2.
The evening was a waste of time in as much that most of it was watching DVD's which will be sent out to us anyway.
The rest of the information is in the info sheets with the new presenters & samples.

3.
Most advisors appeared up beat ... that is until you ask them how things are going!!!!
Most complained they are quiet.
Most hated the 99 for 3p offers.
Everyone was sceptical about Sillards delivering a decent wooden.
( Yes! Karen, I know you've been selling them & they seem O.K.! )
There was mixed feelings about the 'J' cloth Honeycomb blinds.
Those that have the new Rollers/Romans presenters liked them.

4.
It was stated that Sillybillys are aware of new blinds on the market but would prefer to wait to see how other companies get on with them for a few years first.
Strange!!!! You'd think they'd want to be market leaders & show themselves as innovators!!!!!!
All the other companies would have had all the customers before Sillyrees could even get a hold of them.

5.
There is apparently £2.8m of commission to be paid between now & Xmas between us.
However, in order to get that we need to increase our orders by 70% ( I think he said? ) but we also need to increase our availability each by 30%. in order to achieve that figure.
If we don't volunteer this availability then it will be Forced!!!!

So, it appears that not only can Sillyhairys force 4 hours into a 3 hour slot ... they can also force a 9 day week out of us too!!!!

6.
The buffet looked good.

7.
Overall, it was a good evening if you like 'bullsh1t' or like to socialize.
It was a waste of time if you don't.
Personally, I would have preferred to have stayed at home & waited for it to come out on DVD!!!

PLUS!!! The M6 to & from the venue had the entire national quota for Road Cones in both directions.

I 'Bid you' goodnight!!!!!!

[saxman]

greenpesto said:

7.
Overall, it was a good evening if you like 'bullsh1t' or like to socialize.
It was a waste of time if you don't.
Personally, I would have preferred to have stayed at home & waited for it to come out on DVD!!!

thats why i stayed in me local.............. ;D