One of the north east’s leading home improvement specialists has invested more than £150,000 into a new training academy for its staff. Pennine Home Improvements, which has showrooms in Durham and Newcastle, is looking to build on a record year that brought in £10m of orders by taking a different approach to selling.
The Pennine Way Sales Academy aims to create employees that are focused on listening, and having conversations that deliver real value to homeowners. Salespeople are now employed directly by the company and will all complete a 14-module course that covers product knowledge, building regulations, codes of conduct, softer selling skills and how to use digital tools to provide an enhanced customer experience. It is hoped that this ‘syllabus’, which has been designed by the most experienced people at Pennine Home Improvements and its parent company, the Conservatory Outlet, will create experts that can guide clients through the home improvement journey and help bring their visions to life.
“Covid-19 has been a very difficult period, but it has taught us many different lessons, some of which gave us food for thought on how we could deliver even better levels of service,” explained Jonathan Young, Pennine Home Improvements’ managing director. “We had switched the sales process from face-to-face to virtual, carried out initial consultations by video call and used our own, specially designed app to bring the homeowner’s vision into reality. Despite not having the showrooms for a long period of time, we still managed to break our record order intake.”
He continued: “This gave us the confidence to press the button on the Pennine Way Sales Academy, a new way of selling that could transform our sector forever. The emphasis is on creating salespeople who take an even greater consultative approach, have excellent product knowledge and are employed by us from the start, meaning we have the best possible chance of nurturing talent and they have access to excellent training and mentoring from experienced staff.”
Pennine Home Improvements, which sells conservatories, doors, extensions, orangeries and windows, has enjoyed a strong start to its new academy. Six members of staff have been recruited and are completing the 14 modules, with one of the newcomers using their initial knowledge and training to secure a £40,000 sale for a major living space extension.
Many of the firm’s products are exclusive, including the Extreme collection of PVC-U windows and doors and its Envisage flush casement window range, a stylish suite of windows that come in a huge choice of colours to ensure that they make a real mark on a home. Jonathan concluded: “Our ranges really excite homeowners, but it’s the people that really make Pennine different and our recent investment will ensure we continue to set the standard when it comes to customer service.” For further information, visit penninehome.co.uk or follow @penninehome on Twitter.
