Excellence in Marketing
Getting the Word Out

Window & Door Alternatives Uses Online Sales to Support Charity

What started as a simple marketing push to encourage customers to buy their windows and doors online, soon became a distinguishing characteristic of Window & Door Alternatives, a mostly retail operation that services the California market from its offices in San Diego and San Jose. For every online credit card transaction the company processed, 1 percent of the total purchase was donated, in the cardholder’s name, to the San Francisco Bay Area school of his or her choice.

“We’ve always felt inclined to support our local school systems,” says Frank Jewett, president of Window & Door Alternatives, who runs the company with his wife, Patty. “Patty and I started by contributing things like encyclopedias and printers very early in our married life. Our goal was to help build chances for children in our area to receive a better education, but we eventually realized that there was only so much that we could do as a married couple. That’s when we started to explore opportunities to make a difference through our business.” With this thought process serving as their motivation, Frank and Patty developed their 1 percent marketing program.

So how did the program translate into a drive for online sales? Jewett says he saw it as a clear opportunity to increase sales through the company’s virtual channel. It was ‘marketing with a purpose’ as well as leverage for Window & Door Alternatives to build total profits by pushing for a higher volume of online transactions by its customers.

Jewett, whose company stocks products by Simonton Windows, CertainTeed and others that receive high ratings by J.D. Power & Associates, says he created his online store in an effort to stay ahead, and followed a similar path to generate business. “We used to run a lot of print advertisements, but we eventually realized that people in our market weren’t reading newspapers and magazines anymore,” Jewett explains. “We started to advertise online because that’s where the people were getting their news.” He admits that the 1 percent marketing program has become somewhat of a hallmark for the company—helping to boost the company’s overall referral rate to about 85 percent, so that he no longer needs to advertise on a regular basis. “Our customers have become our best source for generating business,” he says.

While Window & Door Alternatives’ online store is perhaps an ideal shopping space for customers who wish to avoid unwanted sales pressure, Jewett says that less than 40 percent of the company’s orders are processed online. The balance comes from in-home sales. Jewett adds that they have a growing presence in the new construction building and development sector, despite the fact that they’ve never marketed to this portion of the industry.

While its program giving back to schools helps build positive word-of-mouth, another key ingredient is professionalism. The company employs factory-trained installers to complete its projects. “I recently completed a 21-unit project, using windows that I purchased from Window & Door Alternatives,” says Mike Coleman, president of Coleman Construction. “They were clean, organized and efficient. They’re a company that says what they do, then does what they say—and they are one of a very select few companies that I can say that about.”

Peter Palmer, a senior project manager for Gold Coast Renovations, agrees with Coleman’s assessment. “Frank Jewett is a fair, personal and honest man,” Palmer says. “He runs a tight ship, and his company is always professional.”

WIDENING THE SUPPORT
With two school-age children of their own, and another who recently started college, Frank and Patty Jewett continue to place a high level of importance on the future of their local schools. “When Patty and I were growing up, we were fortunate enough to attend schools that offered safe campuses and programs for activities like sports and music,” Jewett says. “Now, because the state of California is cutting these types of programs, kids are left to fend for themselves. We have some very rough school systems in California and it’s not unusual for kids to do things like store guns in their lockers. We enjoy the feeling of giving to these types of schools, with hope that it will give these kids a chance.”

Karen Delgado of Castlemont Elementary School in Campbell, Calif., says the students have benefited from donations made by Window & Door Alternatives. “Each contribution helps,” she says. “Their donations have gone toward field trips and additional support in our classrooms.” She adds that the company also donated blinds for the windows in the school’s administrative office.

As the 1 percent marketing program caught on, Window & Door Alternatives began to get requests for the 1 percent to be gifted to other organizations—a departure from local school system support. Jewett agreed to meet these requests wholeheartedly, and soon he was writing checks to medical facilities, research programs and various charities across the nation. “We’ve donated to all kinds of organizations on behalf of our customers, like Guide Dogs for the Blind, the American Cancer Society and the Emergency Housing Continuum, just to name a few,” Jewett says. “We’ll send the money anywhere as long as its intent is to support a charitable cause.”

HAVING A PRESENCE
Marketing programs aside, Jewett understands that having a presence in his community is a way to drive business, as well as encourage other local businesses to be charitable. Jewett, who recently was appointed to the Campbell Chamber of Commerce Board of Directors, sets an example for fellow business owners each year by donating 40 tons of snow to his community’s annual winter festival called The Snow Park. When the city of Campbell could no longer afford the materials needed to build The Snow Park each year, Jewett was one of four local business owners who formed a committee to donate the necessary supplies and sponsor the event. He admits that producing a snow-focused event in southern California is no easy feat. “We have to bring in blocks of ice and machinery to produce and blow the snow,” Jewett explains. He adds that while it may be a lot of work, sponsoring The Snow Park is well worth the effort.

Jewett often says, “Patty and I try to be good people. And we know that good people breed good people.” Coupled with his strong desire to give back to his community, Jewett takes this philosophy to the workplace. “We created a fun working atmosphere to attract employees that are enthusiastic and love their work,” He explains. “We’ve experienced very steady growth over the years and have only employed who we’ve needed to in order to sustain that growth. As a result, Window & Door Alternatives is a fun place to work because everybody knows everybody.”

Also from a business perspective, Jewett has set goals for Window & Door Alternatives that include solidifying a strong market presence as the company that prides itself on knowledge, professionalism, integrity and unsurpassable customer service. “In a nutshell,” Jewett says, “we want to be known as the company our customers can trust.”