Making Assumptions…
This article by Ryan Bromley, Co-Founder of Kubu Smart Security 🔒 was first published in Total Installer Magazine May 2023 Edition.
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It takes a lot to admit you were wrong.
But alongside mistakes, comes experience, and with experience comes solutions.
Just take a look at the recent faux-pas from Google when they launched their Bard AI platform. AI is everywhere in the news, and is hotly tipped to take over the world, but one simple factual error while answering a simple question at their launch event cost Google $102Billion on their business valuation!
The problem was that they didn’t want to admit their shiny new thing could be wrong, so they had allowed it to guess (or in some cases – completely make up) facts which sounded plausible. The issue came when the general public were involved, and there were plenty of people with first hand knowledge that could fact check.
Google (inexplicably) assumed this wouldn’t happen, and you could say somewhat missed the mark.
When we started Kubu, we knew there was a market for Smart in fenestration. We just knew it. Yes, there were other options already in the market, but they just weren’t hitting the mark. So we researched what consumers wanted from Smart technology on their windows & doors, and set off down the long and winding path to deliver on that research.
The thing is, as we’d been involved in both fenestration and Smart technology for so long, we assumed (there’s that word again) that we knew what the tradespeople wanted, and that was our first mistake!
We assumed that the last thing our installers would want is to be faffing with tech. We assumed they wouldn’t want to be handling the sensors. We assumed they would only want to use Kubu as a sales tool, while providing products that aren’t actually Smart, but are merely Smart Compatible.
How wrong we were!
A bit more research and a whole lot of customer testing later, and we’ve realised that the absolute best way for our installers to win with Kubu is to become ‘Smart as Standard’ – quoting and supplying the tech alongside the windows and doors.
So we developed our PRO Installer Scheme to provide all the sales, marketing, after-sales and product training & support you will ever need. We’ve been working hard to make the process as hands-off and simple as possible for the installer, while providing additional profit on every job, and helping to convert more leads.
With the COVID peak subsiding this year, differentiators have become key to winning business, and our ‘Smart as Standard’ sales strategy has been converting consumers like crazy and Installers have been seeing major increases in sales on their UPVC and Comp door ranges.
At last year’s FIT show we teased a number of new products and collaborations, including some pretty exciting ways to add Kubu functionality to “Any door, Any window, Anywhere.”
Well finally, we are getting to the end of that road, and will soon be publicly launching those products, which means “Smart as Standard” will soon be a viable option for all installers, no matter what product, profile, material, cylinder, handle set… is being sold.
The options are endless, and the opportunities are huge!
Talking of the FIT show, it would be remiss of me not to mention this year’s show, considering how close it is…
After such a successful time last year, you might think it strange that we’ve made the difficult decision not to exhibit at this year’s show.
Rather than having our own stand, we decided it’s a better option to support our many trade fabricators that are showing Kubu products on their stands, so we’ll be there en masse helping to support them instead.
So if you’d like to come and see what all the fuss is about in person, you won’t have any issues finding one of us!
You could even nip over to the PiGS stand and grab a goody bag, which has some exclusive Kubu blue sweets in there to help you re-energise for the rest of your visit 🙂
Be Smart. Work with Kubu.
