“I think that it is great that window film is recognized for the credit … though it is very restrictive at this time,” says Patric Fransko, chief operating officer of National Glass Service Group. Frasko explains that the tax credit program is segmented geographically, so, for example, in the Southeast or Southwest, only certain films qualify.

“Also, in a lot of regions of the country it’s a non-issue, so a big portion can’t take advantage of the tax credit,” says Frasko.

Jeff Thompson with JAT Consulting Services, which handles window film consulting agrees, “The good news, is that this was another step of our industry to become more legitimate. The bad news, no window with metal framing can qualify. Promoting and participation is a key thing here—even though this program is very restrictive, it still needs to be promoted.”

Fransko adds, “I think as this decade plays out, we may find that credits issued by the power companies may be more lucrative than the credits coming from the federal government. I know in California this is already in full swing.”

Donna Wells, an industry consultant and owner of Image Imagination, agrees that California is leading the way for this type of tax credit.

“As I speak with clients, most have not used this as a marketing tool yet. I find this very interesting. A tax credit can open the door to a sale, even if the end user does not take advantage of the credit,” says Wells.

Jared Gray, owner of Pacific Window Tinting Inc. in Portland, Ore., agrees. “The tax credit helps raise awareness of the benefits of window film,” Gray tells WINDOW FILM magazine. “While it hasn’t necessarily brought new business in, it does help close deals. Just [recently] I closed a deal by discussing with the homeowners how they could use the tax credit to save money.”

And, as more and more companies continue to promote the energy-efficient benefits of window film, some dealers expect the interest in the tax credits will continue to grow.

“I think the tax credits will expand the residential market because it’s never been heavily marketed by the manufacturers,” says Peter Mott, owner of Sunmaster in Napa, Calif. “The [manufacturers’] marketing material now is promoting energy efficiency much more extensively than it used to,” Mott adds.

Read more about the industry’s response to the window film tax credit in the March-April issue of WINDOW FILM magazine.

You can also post your comments on the subject in the spaces below.

“Certification of the products is important to show that the products’ specifications are reported as tested by a common method acceptable by the industry,” says Brandon Lane, technical services manager for Commonwealth. “Additionally, certification ensures that the products are being manufactured consistently within specification by a conforming quality system. Proper testing and reporting of the specifications is also important for energy credits from various utilities and tax credits from the IRS.”

Liza Bradford, Commonwealth’s manager of sales and marketing – North America, adds, “By gaining NFRC certification and the ability to more accurately estimate energy savings, we hope to provide our dealers with the opportunity to capitalize on the “green movement” and further grow their business.”

Lane adds, “Everyone is trying to be more green. Reducing energy consumption for cooling a building, but maintaining appropriate daylighting at the same time, can help reduce the total energy requirements for that building. Reducing the total energy requirement lowers the carbon-footprint and lowers energy costs as well.”

The company currently has 12 products certified and has also submitted seven more films to the IGDB, including its Ultra-Vision DS series, DRMPS, and DRM DS.

Terri Fair, general manager of Sagr Products in Gettysburg, Pa., says she received a call this week from someone claiming to be an AT&T operator calling for a deaf person. However, just hours prior to the call she learned of the scam through one of her dealers who had received three calls previously.

“[The caller] says she is speaking for a deaf person whose vehicle was in an accident and is at the body shop for repairs—repairs that include the re-tinting of windows that were shattered in the accident,” says Fair. “The caller indicates that payment has to be made to the body shop before the tinting can be scheduled then asks the tinter to pre-charge a personal credit card and have the money (check or cash) in the charged amount, ready for pick up to be delivered to the body shop, but the vehicle never shows up for tinting and a month later the charges are declined as they are using stolen credit cards.”

While this may be a new occurrence in the film industry, it’s something that many dealers are already seeing.

“Some are telling us they get one call a month and others say they get as many as five a day,” says Fair, explaining that when she received the call she was prepared.

“I answered her questions at first, to get her to trust me, and then I challenged her,” says Fair. “I asked her if she was really an AT&T operator and she said yes. So then I told her that the people she was working with on the other end were scammers and then she hung up on me.”

So what should film companies do if faced with a similar situation? Fair says the best bet is to always deal with the customer directly and never take the credit card information over the phone or wire money to anyone, anywhere.

“Deal directly with the vehicle owner and be on the defensive,” she advises.

According to the announcement, Sunmaster was chosen from more than 500 dealers in CPFilms’ elite dealer program. The award was based on several criteria including dealer loyalty, growth, and the use of CPFilms exclusive sales and marketing programs.

Pro-Film of Torrington, Conn., won the Eastern Regional Dealer of the Year award, while Sunbusters of Austin, Texas, took home the Western Regional Dealer of the Year award. Several tiers of dealer loyalty awards were also presented at the event.

“Our annual elite dealer conference provides a unique opportunity to share best practices among our world class dealer base and to recognize outstanding achievements,” says Sal Abbate, CPFilms’ vice president, global sales and marketing. “We have been delighted with the engagement and turnout of our last two annual conferences in the midst of the economic storm. Sunmaster, as well our regional winners, have appropriately diversified their businesses and gone where the work is. Their adaption of the latest programs, products, techniques and unique selling propositions keep them on top of their game and the industry. We sincerely congratulate them and applaud their determination to succeed.”

“I am extremely proud to have been selected CPFilms National Dealer of the Year for 2009,” says Peter Mott, Owner, Sunmaster. “While most dealers consider their manufacturer in terms of a supplier we have always considered CPFilms a partner in our company. Utilizing their various programs, including co-op, their business builder tools, and the commercial energy analysis program, we have been successful in growing our business, particularly in the commercial market, far beyond our budgeted projections. In 2010 we fully expect that trend to continue as well as seeing the residential market return.”

“I enjoyed my years in the window film industry, and the working with film dealers who are small business owners just like me,” says Diaz. “So when the opportunity arose to join forces with Global, it really appealed to me. When I did my research, I was so impressed with the products, the value, the company and the dealer loyalty, that I was convinced this was the smart move for me.”

According to an announcement issued by Global, Diaz is able to draw on the established infrastructure of Impact Industrial Supplies to provide Impact Film Supply with support resources.

“I have a full staff of customer service, shipping and sales professionals on board to really get Impact Film Supply moving and help the Global dealers in our territory,” says Diaz. “We’re totally committed to giving dealers value-added services. I see myself and my company as a solution provider, delivering much more than film in a box. I plan to support the dealers in my region with a continuous array of incentives, rebates, special events and other programs to boost their sales.”

Diaz continues, “As a small business owner myself, I know the challenges dealers face today and I want to bring them effective tools to help them market and grow their businesses.”

One feature of the new app is the InfoZone’s Estimator, which is designed to calculate project sizes quickly and without errors; an installer enters the project details into InfoZone, which then calculates the total glass area of the project plus the amount of window film needed in each size for the project.

“We know that each window film installer has his or her own way to calculate film use for each project,” says Jim Black, HanitaTek president. “We believe our estimator delivers an instant, efficient estimate for most projects, and we are hoping installers will challenge us to keep making it better. The purpose of the tool is to help a window film dealer estimate projects faster and more efficiently. Also, InfoZone allows a prospective client to see that you are on the cutting edge of technology, presenting a positive image for any film installation company.”

The estimator’s output can be emailed directly from the iPhone (or iPod

Touch) to installers, shop managers, or even the prospective customer. The new app is available through iTunes and the Apple App Store.

And social media sites are also a great way to stay informed about the latest news and happenings in the business world, including the window film industry. In fact, WINDOW FILM magazine has also just jumped on the social media bandwagon and is now on Twitter. We’ll be updating regularly … or, rather, we’ll be “tweeting” regularly with the latest news, headlines, reports from industry events and much more. Check us out at http://www.twitter.com/windowfilmmag and become one of our followers to become among the first to know “what’s new” in the film industry.

But our Twitter site is not all that’s new with WINDOW FILM magazine. Starting with the May-June issue we will be including a new column: Ask the Expert. This new editorial section will be written by Donna Wells, an expert in window film sales, consulting and marketing, who will address your top questions and concerns in each of her columns. Got a question? Then we have the answers. Maybe you’re looking to expand your business to include new products or services and you’re just not sure the best path to take. Maybe you want to enter new markets or begin working with architects. We can help. Simply send me an e-mail to erogers@glass.com with your questions and we will forward them on to Donna. Prefer to remain anonymous? No problem. Just let us know and we will make sure your name and company name are withheld.

Enjoy these new features and, as always, your ideas, questions and concerns are important to us, so feel free to post your comments in the spaces below.

When I was ready to present my findings, he began the meeting with an abrupt request for a short, to-the-point explanation of why his business was shrinking. I had planned to lead up to the reason by first citing my analysis. Caught off guard, I smiled and said, “It’s not your price; it’s not your quality; and it’s really not the economy. The core problem is that your customers are not feeling the love anymore so they are finding it elsewhere.” This was met with dead silence.

The content of my report clarified that his company had slowly been damaging relationships with customers by cutting back on the very things that had differentiated it from its competitors. Eliminating newsletters, personalized invoice notes, customer birthday cards, incentive promotions and even cutting back on Christmas gifts were collectively stripping the company of its character, thereby damaging relationships with customers. While some of these cut backs yielded a short-term improvement in profits, the changes didn’t go unnoticed.

The company had gone from “fun and unique” to “boring and robotic.” During the “fat” years, this company had lost touch with the very elements that had been its signature – the things that gave it character and made it memorable. Management got so caught up in cost cutting that employee attitudes soured and the overall corporate culture shifted to a quest for bottom line maximization at all costs.

Unfortunately this spilled over to the customers as well. Instead of “Hey, ‘Jim’ don’t worry, I’ll get that order to you right away,” it became “Well sir, you’re going to have to pay for the extra shipping.”

It was these cut backs that had been strangling the company more than the economy or the competition. They had become their own worst enemy because they had abandoned what had made them a great small company.

There’s a great lesson here about balancing the need for profit against the cost of stripping passion and fun from the workplace. In our business where there is so much product parity, often the only way to be better than your competition is to be more fun to do business with.

As we enter into another selling season, it’s time to take a closer look at how you plan to do business this year, specifically with regard to how you did business in your early years; those years when you had nowhere to go but up; when you had a smile on your face, enthusiasm in your voice, and were happy to have a chance to earn new business. Has your attitude changed since then?

Ask yourself if you are treating customers the same as you did during your growth years. One effective way to do this is to put yourself in your customers’ place and pretend you are a customer of your own business. Ask yourself if you are “feeling the love.” If customers don’t feel the love, it could be the very reason you are feeling the pain.

Taffera’s article, “Millions Spent, Nothing Gained,” appeared in the April 2009 issue of USGlass and was one of 700 entries submitted for the ABM’s Neal Awards. Of those 700 entries, only 124 were selected as finalists; Taffera’s article was one of just three to rank in the finals for the Best Single Article category for publications that have less than $3 million in gross advertising/circulation revenue.

Taffera’s investigative report detailed how, despite the fact that design work for One World Trade Center (formerly known as the Freedom Tower) had been done by multiple North American glazing suppliers, the glass selected ultimately was outsourced to foreign companies.

“We are thrilled beyond words to be a finalist in the Neal competition—long known as the ‘Pulitizer Prize’ of business-to-business journalism,” says Key Communications president Debra Levy. “Tara Taffera did an incredible job of investigative journalism to shine a light on a very sensitive subject. The report resulted in stories in the Wall Street Journal, New York Times and ABC News, among others. It also led to a call by one U.S. Senator for a congressional investigation and, just this week, was cited in the case being argued about glass tariffs. We have always believed in the importance of fair, accurate and unbiased journalism and it’s nice to see these efforts recognized.”

“We’re extremely proud of the recognition that Tara and USGlass have received for this important feature,” adds Megan Headley, editor of USGlass magazine. “And while this recognition from our peers in the publishing industry is very gratifying indeed, it is made even more so by the flood of feedback we received from our readers on the value of this article.”

“It is an honor for our magazine to be recognized in this way,” says Taffera. “Our staff does a great job every day to bring stories of importance to our readers. That often means digging deep into stories others don’t want to tell and our readers compliment all of our editors for those efforts. It is nice to be recognized for this by an organization such as ABM.”

Award recipients, including the Grand Neal winner, will be unveiled and honored during the Neal Awards luncheon on March 11 at the Mandarin Oriental in New York City.

CLICK HERE to read the article.

“Our spectrally selective window film consists of high-quality, laminated polyester layers fitted against the window from the inside, while the optical view remains optimal, which is why we call it ‘clear view,’” says Luc Michiels, Luxafoil chief executive officer. “More importantly, it keeps 93 percent of infrared rays out and lowers indoor temperatures up to 10 degrees C [50 degrees F]. This makes it an ecological replacement for an air conditioning unit. Even in buildings with air conditioning, the film ensures that the energy costs of air conditioning do not go into overdrive. Sun heat up to about 22 degrees C [70 degrees F] is let in and the rest is filtered out by film. The higher the temperature, the more the temperature is lowered thanks to this intelligent film. In the winter, indoor heat, which is normally lost with large panes of glass, is kept in the room and increases the average temperature by 2 to 4 degrees C, saving an average of up to 30 percent on heating costs, depending on the type of glass. This is also why the film is placed on the northern side of buildings. As well, 99 percent of the UV rays are kept out, stopping any coloration of carpets, furniture or works of art.”