Today, as usual, we received many calls, emails, requests for prices and all kinds of quotations. I would stop here immediately and speak to you informally. I know this is not recommended because people are quick to judge personal attitudes, but this time I do not mind. I am telling this story not on behalf of the whole company, but in my own name, because that is the only way I can tell it.
Conversations about windows often resemble one another
To be clear, when someone has been doing a job for years—selling windows in my case—most people ask the same questions and have the same concerns about the products, while I have the same answers. And this has gone on for years.
Customers call me, ask the same questions and request a quotation. I know that I am only one of the many calls they are making that day as they look for someone who can make them the best windows at the lowest price. That is perfectly all right. Most conversations therefore begin in a cool tone and follow a familiar course. So familiar, in fact, that I am on “autopilot” and often do something else while listing the features.
Yet I can somehow always sense the “person” at the other end of the line. After so many years, I can already feel whether someone is complicated or nervous, whether they understand anything I am telling them or merely pretend to, and whether I am simply another person that day who will “give them a sales pitch” to push a product on them.
In the end, a person should surely have some empathy in all of this, because I behave the same way when I am interested in something I do not understand.
The question that interrupted the autopilot
But today I was asked an unusual question. An older lady from Belgrade called to ask about windows. The Stari Grad municipality was providing subsidies for replacing old windows, and she wanted to use that opportunity to replace the windows in her small flat. She explained that she was older and did not understand windows very well. Following my usual routine, I raised my voice, slowed down and began explaining. At one point she interrupted me in surprise and said that she actually wanted PVC because she had heard it was the least expensive option. She had also thought that every company here now made PVC windows, and said: “Of all the companies, I happened to call you. I love wood, and now you have really touched a nerve. I grew up in Homolje, surrounded by nature and fresh air, and now I live in this cage. Tell me, are wooden windows much more expensive?” I replied: “They are somewhat more expensive, but…” Without waiting for me to finish, she said: “I knew they were more expensive. You see, my pension is small, I live alone, I have many cats that I look after, and I am old.
Tell me, is it worthwhile for me to invest in windows now when I am going to die soon anyway?”
She paused and waited for my answer.
When human advice is more important than a sale
Now, that is the moment that takes you out of autopilot. You realise that this woman truly has no one. You realise that she is asking someone she is hearing for the first time on the telephone for advice about her life. Your throat tightens, and your heart and breath stop for a moment. You feel that you have to be responsible. You feel that you genuinely need to put the intention to sell aside and give the most well-meaning and sensible advice you can.
A few seconds of silence…
I have two answers for you. The first is that, for precisely that reason, you should choose what you truly love and enjoy! The second is: do not replace any windows! Do not install wood or anything else. Put your cats in a cat hotel and use the money for the windows to pay for a lovely trip. Go and travel. There are so many beautiful spas in Serbia. Go back to your Homolje. Spend time with people!
There was silence again. Several seconds certainly passed. I asked: “Are you there?” She replied: “But what will I do with my cats?” “And what will happen to the cats when you are no longer here?”, I answered. The same pause followed again.
“You know what, I will think carefully about your suggestion.” I asked her to let me know what she decided and told her that I wanted to receive a call from Homolje. She laughed. That was how we ended the conversation.
I saved her number and hope that she will call me from Homolje! ❤️❤️❤️
This story still reminds me that a good conversation about windows must begin with the person’s real needs. If you are considering replacement windows, see the options for wooden windows or send us an enquiry so that we can consider the project together.