Episode Transcript
[00:00:05] Speaker A: Welcome to the Clear Impact podcast brought to you by PGTI University. Thanks for joining us today. My name is Sherry Connor, and I am your host.
[00:00:17] Speaker B: Good morning. We are here on the Clear Impact podcast, and we are recording from Anlin windows and doors in Clovis, California, just outside of Fresno. And super excited. We've got some folks who've traveled in just to do this with me, which I appreciate so much. And so across the table from me, our makeshift studio, which is actually just an abandoned office.
So the sound is a little wonky, but Bret Barridge decided to come in today. So welcome, Bret.
[00:00:45] Speaker C: Thank you for having me.
[00:00:46] Speaker D: Yeah, glad to have you.
[00:00:47] Speaker B: So tell us a little bit about know maybe your background, your career path, and then what you do currently.
[00:00:53] Speaker C: Well, I'm what is considered a district sales manager here at Anlin. I've been here now for closing in on two years. The territory that I'm currently covering is the Bay Area, the San Francisco Bay area, to be more precise. And then a little bit of Sacramento.
[00:01:08] Speaker B: So north of here.
[00:01:09] Speaker C: Correct. I also, prior to transferring back out to California, I was working in Texas, in central and south Texas from Austin down to San Antonio, doing the same job. My degree is in business sales management from Cal Poly, San Luis Obispo. So I'm a native californian, so kind of a homecoming for me. Glad to be back. After college, I went to work for John Deere industrial equipment, which is the little brother at John Deere, as composed to their ag division and their golf and turf. So that's how I got into construction and shortly thereafter got into windows and have been in fenestration in the window industry for over 20 years now.
[00:01:49] Speaker B: Wow, that's awesome. So, yeah, I grew up on a farm in eastern Iowa, and my dad is a John Deere green guy, and he was pretty excited. There's a big manufacturing plant in Moline.
[00:01:59] Speaker C: Yes, there's several manufacturing plants in Moline. The quad cities.
[00:02:03] Speaker B: Yes. So my hometown is just about 20 minutes from there. And one of my dad's pinnacle moments was driving a brand new combine off of the line.
So I'm familiar with John Deere.
[00:02:16] Speaker C: Nice.
[00:02:17] Speaker B: And so windows and doors are a little new for me. I've been in it just under three years. So just the depth of knowledge and the understanding of what goes into windows and doors was staggering to me. And I was like, oh, my gosh, how do people understand all of this? And, oh, I'm on the education team. Let's figure out how to make this digestible for people. So we've been working at that. So your current role and responsibilities is just to make sure your dealers are happy and they get what they need and they understand what they're doing.
[00:02:47] Speaker C: Correct?
[00:02:48] Speaker D: Right.
[00:02:48] Speaker C: End all of be alls is to hopefully help them sell more product and to grow their businesses. We want to be what we consider a value partner. And so we want to help them consult, educate their salespeople, educate the public, because like you said, it's a kind of a surprisingly complex topic when it comes to windows and make the homeowner feel like there's a value in the purchase that they've done.
[00:03:12] Speaker B: Yeah, we had the opportunity yesterday to walk the floor and just to appreciate some of the processes that you guys do differently than we do is very impressive. I was like, wow, this is no joke. These guys know what they're doing out here. So very impressed with the product and getting to see some of the just differences in what you do versus what we do. Obviously, Florida and California are very different market, so it's not a one size fits all at all. So with that, one of the things that I really love to know from people is around advice. And so what's a valuable piece of advice you've received?
[00:03:45] Speaker C: Well, at least the first one that jumps into mine is in my meetings with dealers. If I make a commitment, follow up on it immediately if possible. And then sometimes when you're working with dealers or customers and you have an in depth conversation, if it's personal, with many step points to it coming to some type of an agreement, I always like to follow that up. I had an instructor in college always tell me, document it. And so if you've had a detailed conversation, your perception of what the conversation was may differ from what the other person's takeaway is. Document it in an email and send it to them outlining what was agreed to. So later on there can be no misunderstandings.
[00:04:30] Speaker B: That's a good one. I like that. And I'm sure that just leads to that intimacy with the customers because they know that you're listening, they know that you're following up. They understand, oh, yeah, you're going to do this, but I'm going to do that.
[00:04:43] Speaker C: Especially if you've got any commitments involved. Yeah. Document what your part of it is going to be and so they understand what their part is.
[00:04:51] Speaker B: Exactly correct. And so you've just been introduced pretty recently to the university team and what we do. So the courses and the platform and all of that product training that we are going to have launching here very quickly. We want all of you guys to comb through it and make sure it's accurate. But by the time this episode airs, that will be done. And so it'll be ready for your dealers and their team members to get in there and take some courses. How do you see that as becoming an asset for you?
[00:05:19] Speaker C: Since I've come onto territory, there's been a transition. You're always looking at potentially adding new dealers, which means new personnel. In addition, you're going to have turnover. So you always have a new audience of fresh faces that may or may not have any experience in the window industry. So I appreciate the outline of the products in terms of it provides me an excellent starting off point, especially some of the introductory courses. Learning about title 24 as an example for some newbies to the industry, that's going to be a brand new topic for them that they don't understand, but they have to understand because they are perceived by the homeowner as the window expert. And so that education on product and the rules and regulations and building codes, all those things are important and can provide the details and help make them trusted advisor to their homeowners.
[00:06:11] Speaker A: Sure.
[00:06:12] Speaker B: And it'll be available at their disposal so they don't have to wait for you to get over there. Like, yeah, I can be there next Tuesday.
Okay. But this guy's starting on Monday and he doesn't know anything. So you can turn them loose in the platform and let them take the courses that are relevant to them, and then they're going to be overwhelmed and have to do it again. And do it again.
[00:06:32] Speaker C: Well, for salespeople, especially, time is probably our most valuable commodity. And I guess that would be for anybody. I appreciate the on demand flexibility it gives you that they can sit down. It doesn't have to be on your schedule. If they have the initiative, the resources are there.
[00:06:49] Speaker B: Yeah, exactly. Well, we found that even amongst team members within an existing dealership, there's a sense of competition, like who's going to get the certifications first, who's going to finish the learning, who's going to have the most points or the most badges, and we can set up contests and things like that. So it's been really fun to watch people embrace the content and to really understand that knowledge is power.
[00:07:11] Speaker C: Correct. A lot of salespeople and dealer people, entrepreneurs, they're type a personality. So if you can foster that. Oh, yeah, it works out. I'm a crossfit enthusiast.
[00:07:21] Speaker A: Okay.
[00:07:21] Speaker C: And you always want to see, and there's a reason why you keep score.
[00:07:26] Speaker B: Yeah.
[00:07:26] Speaker C: And you end up comparing yourself to your equals or who you perceive as your equals.
[00:07:31] Speaker B: Exactly. So we're excited to see what that's going to look like for you guys. And again, we're open to feedback and we kind of just took the content from what we had access to. And so I'm sure there's going to be some adjustments or additions that need to be made and we're happy to do that.
[00:07:45] Speaker C: Even then, the environment and the systems are always changing. So, yeah, changes and updates are always part of the program.
[00:07:51] Speaker A: Sure.
[00:07:52] Speaker D: All right.
[00:07:52] Speaker B: Well, Brett, I really appreciate your time today. Thanks for coming in and chatting for a few minutes and telling us a little bit more about you and the John Deere connection. That's kind of cool.
[00:08:00] Speaker C: Not a problem. Thank you very much. How we all got started in construction.
[00:08:03] Speaker B: Yeah.
[00:08:04] Speaker D: Well, enjoy your day.
[00:08:05] Speaker A: Thank you.
[00:08:05] Speaker C: You too as well.
[00:08:06] Speaker B: All right, take care.
[00:08:07] Speaker D: PGTI University is the customer education team for an entire family of brands. We began with the original easy breeze porch enclosure line, then became PGT, America's leading brand of impact resistant windows and doors. We then added CGI CGIC window, western window systems, new south windows, echo windows and doors, anlin windows and doors, and our latest acquisition, Martin garage doors. We create products built to withstand major storms, keeping people safe, secure and prepared. Our exceptional brands give you the protection you need without compromising design or functionality. PGTI University is here to educate you, our listener, so that you can be a more informed consumer of window indoor products.
