Happy Holidays!

As 2011 draws to a close and we all focus on family and friends, the NGA and WDDA wish you a wonderful holiday season.

It has been a challenging couple of years for the glass and window and door industries, but we've seen the power of working together and learning from each other to grow businesses. By working together on policy issues and learning from each other, our member companies have become even stronger.

We have so much to be grateful for this year. Your support has enabled us to keep working for your business with policy initiatives, educational programs, and money saving services.  Membership has enabled us to have a strong voice on policy issues and best practices.

We still produce the finest publications in the business -- Glass Magazine and Window & Door -- and the top trade show for our industries in North America -- GlassBuild America: The Window & Door Expo. Thank you for your support - it makes all that we do possible. We believe that together we will make 2012 an even better year for our industry and your business.

Happy Holidays!
NGA & WDDA Staff

Free Webinars for NGA Members

Do you need to learn more about running your business? Are you interested in social media, customer service, or public relations? If so, then the new NGA Member webinars are for you!

Join us the first Monday of every month at 2:00 ET for an informative session. NGA members can attend these webinars for free*! We will even post the recordings after the fact and so you can learn anytime! Visit http://www.glass.org/education-training-webinars.html to view a schedule or to register. Member Webinars include:

February 6, 2012
Consulting Collaborative: Management System Self-Evaluation Seminar

March 5, 2012
LocalBasix: Social Media

April 2, 2012
UPS: Topic TBD

May 7, 2012
ContactPoint: Topic TBD

June 4, 2012
Sole Source Consultants: Topic TBD

July 2012Champion Management: Power of PR: Helping small and mid-size businesses grow

Webinars are just one of the benefits you get by being an NGA member. Learn more about your NGA membership benefits!

*First 25 members to register can attend for free. All other members can watch the free recordings.

December News & Links

1. Auto Glass Week 2012 Dates Announced.  The event is September 20-22 in Louisville KY.
2. NGA members can attend the 2012 Member Webinar series for free.
3. Start planning for GlassBuild 2012!  View the 2012 floor plan and Exhibitor list and sign-up to exhibit today!
4. Join the NGA and get 2 months free – that’s 14 months for the price of 12! New members who join in December 2011 qualify.
5. Join the WDDA and get 2 months free – that’s 14 months for the price of 12! New members who join in December 2011 qualify.
6. Window & Door’s IBS 2012 preview – an advance look at doors, windows, and industry related products to be featured in Orlando.
7. Reward your employees with industry best training on MyWindowClass.com.
8. New Bill Seeks to 'Cut Energy Bills at Home' and would provide as much as a 30% tax credit for upgrades.
9. Introducing LogMyCalls brought to you by ContactPoint – the solution for any business that wants to measure and optimize the effect
10. Glass Magazine’s Top glass fabricators: A breakdown of leading companies in the U.S. and Canadian markets
11. Money Saving Trick: Get Clients to Make Your Bill a Priority  with Transworld Systems.
12. Introducing LogMyCalls brought to you by ContactPoint – the solution for any business that wants to measure and optimize the effectiveness of marking and improve sales performance.
13. Something new - Companies up the ante in hardware product development for bath and shower enclosures.
14. Welcome new NGA and new WDDA members.
15. Have a safe and happy holiday season!

Auto Glass Week 2012 Dates Announced

Auto Glass Week™ 2012 has been scheduled for September 20-22 at the Kentucky International Convention Center in Louisville, Ky.

The annual event will again bring together all of the industry’s major auto glass groups, including AGRR™ magazine, the Auto Glass Safety Council (formerly the AGRSS® Council), the Independent Glass Association, the National Glass Association and the National Windshield Repair Association, along with AGRR magazine’s repair and replacement competitions.

A room block for Auto Glass Week will be available at the nearby Louisville Marriott Downtown. Reservations can be made online by clicking here, or by calling the hotel at 800/266-9432 and asking for the Auto Glass Week group.

The International Window Film Conference and Tint-Off™ also will be held concurrently.

Visit www.autoglassweek.com for the latest information as it becomes available.

New Product to Optimize Marketing and Sales Performance

ContactPoint, a member service for both the NGA and WDDA, is announcing the immediate availability of the beta version of their groundbreaking new product, LogMyCalls. LogMyCalls is the solution for any glass and window & door business that want to measure and optimize the effectiveness of their marketing and improve their sales performance. 

LogMyCalls also records incoming customer phone calls and allows users to search them, group them and even score them. This can be used to gather real-time customer feedback and dramatically improve sales and customer service performance. LogMyCalls provides insight into the whole process—from advertising to closed sale. You spend a lot of money on marketing to get the phone to ring—make sure every call is being handled effectively.

So, whether you’re a big business that needs sophisticated marketing analytics tools and call recording, a medium sized business that wants to set up an IVR or geo-route calls to the nearest location, or a smaller business that simply wants to know if you wasted money with that latest marketing effort and improve your ability to sell—LogMyCalls is for you. (And it’s much cheaper than you think).  

Visit LogMyCalls.com to sign up or call 866-811-8880.

Money Saving Trick: Get Clients to Make Your Bill a Priority

The month of December can be a crucially important month for you, your business and your cash flow. If you are like most companies, you have some accounts that are past due. Some may be a little past due, others may be very past due.

Ask yourself this: If some of your customers owe you money and haven’t paid you in months, and have ignored you for months, what makes think they will pay you now? It’s holiday time! Your bill is the last thing they are thinking about. This is the time of year when people start saving money, working overtime and will be looking forward to their end of the year bonuses. They are building a bundle of extra spending money for the holidays.

I know that the economy is sluggish and people are struggling, but remember: No matter how bad the economy is, or how bad someone`s personal financial situation is, people ALWAYS spend money during the holidays. And most probably spend more than they should.

It`s really imperative that you get after them right away otherwise your money is going to end up underneath someone else`s Christmas tree. Seriously, December is consistently one of the most successful months in the collection industry for that very reason; people have the extra money. That said, also keep in mind that January and February consistently bring the lowest recovery rates of the year because that money is long since spent.

In fact, many people spend much more than they intended to on their holiday shopping and January is when they`re just starting to get those huge credit card bills. The decision your debtors will be making over the next few weeks will be “Should I pay this bill or should I go to Best Buy and get something for Uncle Jack and go to Macy`s for Cousin Jane?”

Unless you do something to make your bill a priority NOW you will lose that battle every time.   

• If you don`t take action soon the money that is owed to you will be spent on bonuses and office parties for someone else`s employees, not yours!
• Your money will be spent on food for other families` holiday dinners, not yours!
• Your money will be spent on other people`s travel expenses, not yours!
• Your money will be spent on Christmas gifts for someone else`s friends and families, not yours!

I don`t think that`s right, and neither should you!

The WDDA and NGA have partnered with Transworld Systems to help you get paid more often and on time. For more information, contact Brian A. White, Senior Cash Flow Consultant, at brian.white@transworldsystems.com or 703-556-3424 ext 23.