Replacement Windows Sales Pitches & Tactics

Explore replacement windows sales pitches, tactics and scams that certain companies use to get consumers to purchase their windows and products.

The point of this article is to help consumers identify some of the more common sales tactics before they happen and to suggest some ways to avoid them and hopefully save money in the long run.

The Hard Sell

Some companies are rather notorious for their hard sell approach when it come to replacement windows (we won’t name them, but our replacement windows reviews section includes some excellent consumer reviews on many of them.) The hard sell works something like this; you allow the company into your home and they spend 60 to 90 minutes telling you how great their windows are. (One of the tell tale signs is that the company requires that all “decision makers” of the house be present for the presentation.) At the end of the 90 minutes, they ask if you are ready to sign on the dotted line; right then and there. Often, the company representative acts like they’ve just done you a favor by giving you their spiel, instead of the other way around.

Buy Now Pricing

Another tactic works like this. At the end of the presentation they give you a per window price that often sounds quite high. When you express your concern at the per window cost, they tell you that if you sign right then and there, they can knock off 20 to 30 percent of the original price they just quoted. This is one of the most common sales tactic and it is actually quite effective (if it wasn’t, they wouldn’t use it.)

Neighborhood Pricing

Neighborhood pricing is another common sales tactic that tricks consumers into thinking that, because they live in a certain neighborhood, they are eligible for super competitive pricing. There is one sure fire way to check whether you are getting a competitive window and installation price; get multiple bids. This will show you whether the prices the company is offering is really as good as they make it out to be. Usually it isn’t, they are just blowing hot air.

Fancy Program Name Or Promotion

An offshoot of the neighborhood pricing is the special program or promotion approach that companies often offer (and always seems to be ending very soon). You know the spiel – This week only or this month only, we are running a super duper promotion that is only good through tomorrow. Many companies do this and it isn’t always a scam, but we still would urge consumers to get the three bids to make sure that the price they are getting quoted is the best they can get.

Avoiding The Hard Sell

Many consumers simply avoid these companies altogether. One way to do this is to not schedule any window company that requires that the decision makers be present. Another approach is to tell the company that you are collecting your three to four bids from local companies and then will make your decision after that. This puts it all out there and the person giving you the quote knows that they must come in with their best price at the get go. It also gives you time to process the bids and properly compare and contrast the specifics and pricing offered by each.

Quality Companies

Most quality companies don’t use the hard sell because they don’t have to. Their reputation and customer service has been tested and proven over the years and they usually have jobs lined up anywhere from one to three weeks in advance. It makes no sense that the quoted price should somehow fluctuate by a third if you “buy or sign now.” Quality companies should be offering you their best price and that price should, if anything, go down with negotiation and time, not up.