Now Hiring: Marketing Manager

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Marketing Manager needed to work in our Bloomington, MN office.

 

Who we are:   

  • We are a local, family – owned company with offices in Bloomington, MN.  

  • Steve the Window Guy is a brand of our business.   Universal Windows Direct is our company name, and ties us to a pretty awesome group of dealers and resources throughout the country.

  • We work hard, we take our work seriously, and we laugh a lot.  

  • We love cheeseburgers & popcorn and some days we have a toddler in the office.

What we do:

  • We make homes warmer, cozier, and prettier.

  • We sell and install windows, siding, roofing, front doors, patio doors, and attic insulation

  • We do what we say we’re going to do and we take pride in our work.

  • We all pitch in.  We all share ideas.  We all work together to meet our goals.

What you’ll do:

  • You’ll make sure we have appointments in the books for our sales guys to run.

  • You’ll hire, train, and manage a small staff of people who will set appointments by

    • Working home shows and events

    • Marketing our products door to door

    • Working in a call center

  • You’ll work shows, you’ll market door to door, and you’ll make phone calls, too

  • You’ll work tirelessly to help the team meet our goals.

Your background will include:

  • College degree in business, management, marketing, or similar field.

  • 2+ years in a customer service field;

  • 1+ years supervising staff

  • 1+ years working in a call center or canvassing preferred

  • Proficiency with Microsoft word, excel, and internet programs. 

  • You will need to be able to lift 50-75 pounds. 

  • You will need to be able to stand on your feet for up to 8 hours a day.

 

To apply: Send resume and letter of interest with salary requirements to Melissa at mbrager@universalwindowsdirect.com.

To learn more about us, please visit our website at www.SteveTheWindowGuy.com   or www.UniversalWindowsMN.com

 

 

 

Friday Things.. Weekly Recap from Steve the Window Guy

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Happy Halloween from your favorite window guy!

Enjoy this blog post showing our top 8 highlights from the past week!

  1. We are blessed with an incredible team of installers  - from windows and doors to siding to roofing.   This week we blessed them right back with the addition of a fenced in dumpster on site by our warehouse.  

  2. Installs include not one but two amazing bay windows, several houses full of windows, and a patio door.   

  3. The siding on the duplex was completed and Jamie and the boys rolled right into their next house.  

  4. Our warehouse is taking shape with the addition of a wall to really clarify our space.  It's been a long time coming and we're thrilled.

  5. We joined Instagram!  Follow us at StevetheWindowGuy for a behind the scenes look at our business.

  6. We somehow managed to return calls and run all of our appointments even though Steve the Window Guy lost his voice.   Nothing creepier than a sales guy who shows up and just whispers, right?

  7. We are loading up for a show in Maple Grove as we speak.

  8. And...  we managed to find time for pumpkin carving.  Our little window toddler didn't like it so much.  It was too messy for her.  Who does that sound like?

We hope your week was grand!  Have a safe and SWEET Halloween.  Don't forget to turn your clocks back on Saturday night!

County Fairs: Universal Windows Direct works the County Fair

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Read this blog for a behind the scenes look at Universal Windows Direct working the Anoka County Fair.

It’s a glamorous life. County fairs.

The view from my booth today is much the same as it has been every day with one small exception. Today there is a cheese curd sitting in the doorway.

I am fortunate to have a great spot. We are the first booth you can see when you enter the building and our display spreads out across the entire wall. This allows us to display windows, siding, asphalt shingles, steel roofing, entry doors and we even have a little patio door sample here!

During the day I love watching the 4H kids come through here. The wild messy hair, the dirty jeans and the cowboy boots are perfectly accessorized by the pride those kids have and their super confident walks. When a group of kids walks through you can always tell which kid is the 4H kid and which ones are friends and family here for a visit. They just carry themselves differently.

Have you ever been to a county fair?  If you have, I bet you went at night. Or over the weekend. Day times at the fair are slow. People meander. They stroll. They generally look around at what the fair has to offer, then they indulge in a corn dog. Or mini donuts. Well, and cheese curds. Always cheese curds.

I think most people check out the animal buildings. Then they walk through the midway, and then MAYBE… just MAYBE they decide to go into the commercial buildings.(Just to get out of the sun for a minute or two.)  Very seldom do daytime fair people come in to the commercial building with the intent to truly visit with the vendors, to learn about products or to schedule appointments. The meandering county fair crowd is not known for having an agenda.

County Fairs get exciting at night time. That is when they have bands play, the grandstand hosts their festivities and the Midway lights up. The energy is just different. Crowds flood the streets and people want to stay and soak it all in. This includes the commercial buildings. And talking to vendors. And scheduling appointments. Nights and weekends at the fair... that’s where it’s at.

As I write this it occurs to me that when you staff a county fair you want to do it in a way that is opposite of how you train a horse. You do not want to “break” your best sales people early. You don't want them to be so bored and hot and burned out from the week that they are worthless all weekend.

Those employees that are the best at working with people and asking for the appointment should only work nights and weekends. For example, Steve the Window Guy will be here Friday night and all day Saturday.  He will burst into this building like a game show contestant  - smiling from ear to ear and clapping.  He will infuse the  building with energy.  That is perfect.  You should really save the boring early week day time hours for other people. Like me.

I love working the slow daytime hours. My typical days look like this. The fair opens at 10am. I walk into the building and set up the booth. I greet the same handful of  people that have been around me all week. We exchange quips about our night. We speculate on the weather. We comment that it is at least 15 muggy degrees warmer in the building than it is outside. We see the other vendors wandering around doing their thing too.

Side note:  If it is 10:20 am and a single man in a polo shirt slowly walks by the booth looking curious he is working at the fair. At another home improvement company. Without exception. They aren’t sneaky.  They are all nosy.    I hope they like our booth. I think it looks amazing.   I like that they notice.

I bring a laptop. Most everyone has their phones, or puzzles or a newspaper or novel to keep them occupied.   The fair has been open for 90 minutes right now and there is only one person in this building. I can get some work done. I am accessible if needed, but I am productive.

Later this afternoon I will wander and find a snack. Maybe a Dole Whip and maybe some Kettle Korn. I promised the girls at Tessie’s Daycare Cotton Candy. A bit of fresh air will do me good. In the meantime, I sit. I hold down the fort.    I am proud that I am keeping my sales guys fresh so when the crowds arrive and the buyers flock in they can work their magic.   We are poised to have a great Fair.

If you are at the fair this year, stop out and say HI.  We'd love to see you! Reporting live from the Anoka County Fair… peace out.

Author: Melissa Brager

My week in review: Universal Windows Direct talks Small Business Ownership

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Small Business Ownership.  Have you ever wondered what it would be like?  This blog post will give you a small glimpse into what it has been like for me this week.

First of all, I should say I am writing this on a rainy Friday morning.   I am super casual, barefoot in fact, and alone in the office with the latest Cities 97 sampler playing loudly.    On my desk is a large very dark roast from Starbucks and a container of fruit that I picked up at Kowalski’s this morning.  I have the freedom to stop and pick things up for my day, just as I have the freedom to snuggle my little girl for as long as she wants before leaving daycare.   Other parents come and go while I’m there and I let them.  They have bosses, deadlines, meetings and people waiting for them.

I have work.

Enormous, never ending piles of work.

You know when your order a huge salad at a restaurant and you feel like you’ve been eating it forever but it still looks like a full bowl?  That is how my work is.  Effort and result doesn’t impact volume.  It is weird.

Some days I have constant interruptions – the drop everything and do this right now kind of interruptions.  Are you familiar with Covey’s Time Management matrix?  Those are quadrant 4 days.  THE WORST kind of days.   I had 2 of those days this week.

Other days I just give in to the work.  I literally pile it up on my desk and dedicate myself to touching each paper only one time and just doing it.  I don’t care how random the task is or how many programs I have open on my desktop.   I just work on eliminating the pile.   According to Strength finder I am and ACHIEVER.  I need to get something productive done every day to stay in balance.   I had one of those days this week.

Still other days I am alone for the entire day and I have the freedom to jump into a project and give it the real focus and time to do it right, and help it move forward.   The days I get to put plans and ideas into action to help our business move forward are my favorite. They feed my other strengths of STRATEGIC ANALYTICAL and RELATOR.   I also had one of those days this week.

Looking at the last four days, I have at some point or another I have functioned in each of the following roles: • Bookkeeper • Accounts Receivable Rep • Customer Service Rep • Job Estimator • Job Scheduler • Office Manager • Search Engine Marketer • Copyrighter • Project Manager • Office Manager • Graphic Designer

I also managed to work one entire day with my 2 year old in the office with me.

Crazy, right?

Once upon a time, in what seems a lifetime ago, worked for a very large company in Human Resources.   I thought I had variety but mostly what I had was a lot of the same.  A tremendous amount of the same.   I was a machine going through the motions.  I was unable to shake the feeling that I was working in an alternate universe.  Within the 4 walls of that building, nothing (and I mean nothing) was actually as important as what people thought.   The urgency that existed from 8-5 (or 6 or 7) was gone when I got to my car.   It seemed the work didn’t matter.   I knew that life wasn’t for me.

I came away from that alternate universe with tools and systems and processes.   Peggy taught me a mess is fine if you can find what you need.  Heather gave me great time management skills like Covey’s matrix and the pink folder daily system.  And Mark taught me the “touch it once” philosophy and encouraged me to track weekly progress against goals.   I use all of these things.   I know that no matter what my week throws at me I can keep this machine moving forward.

Business ownership still contains long days and it does put us in a constant on call situation.  Our nights and weekends are interrupted more often than not.  But the work matters.  We work with our customers making decisions to improve their homes.  We offer products people can afford.  We help them improve curb appeal.  We repair damage.  We keep their homes safe.  We increase the energy efficiency of their homes and we help them lower their heating and cooling bills.

There is no alternate universe here there is only our universe.

And we wouldn’t trade it for anything.

If you have a home improvement project and are looking for a quote on it, call us.  We'd love to meet you.

Author:  Melissa Brager

Famous Wife of Steve The Window Guy

Steve the WIndow Guy films TV Commercial

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Join us for a behind the scenes look at the filming of Steve's TV Commercial

 Steve theWindow Guy will soon be on TV!

Imagine this.It’s 5:00 in the morning.You wake up, shower, and then wander into the kitchen for your morning coffee.You turnon WCCO to get the morning news and some insight into the weather.You slowly sip your coffee and zone out at the TV.Then,all of a sudden, BAM!!Steve the Window Guy.He is there on screen, in your face, and exuding WAY MORE enthusiasm than any human should really have at that hour of the morning.

Sounds great, doesn’t it?

The decision to go on TV wasn’t an easy one.We wanted to make sure when we did it, we did it right.We are results people.We will be on TV for a year.We will change our messages, but Steve the Window Guy will be a constant visitor in the homes of people throughout the Twin Cities during their morning routine.Get used to it.Make him your friend.You’re going to love him.

Our whole team is amazing.From our marketing agency to the camera guy, to our WCCO account rep to our producer…. Everyone was awesome and positive, and super professional.Here is how the day went:

Our studio time was at 10:00am.Steve and I met ALO (our agency rep) at WCCO studios downtown.We scored some on street parking in our window-mobile and were buzzed in to the reception area.We were then treated to WCCO visitor badges and ushered into the cozy waiting room.We spent the next 10 minutes tightening up our ad copy and running through the storyboard.

When the filming space was ready we got the quick tour on the way up there.First we saw the Newsroom(SO COOL), then the actual News set (WAY COOLER) and then our space (THE COOLEST).We met our camera guy and producer, and then I stepped to the side to powder Steve’s nose.

We taped on the green screen so luckily we didn’t wear green.(HA HA)

Steve stepped in front of the camera and was a total natural.I know it was nerveracking.He just stood there and delivered his lines and smiled that big goofy smile that he is known for.It was awesome!

We had multiple takes that were so good they could be used.It felt so good to know that we’d end up with a great commercial that represented him so well.After all, if Steve the Window Guy is coming out to your house, you really want to know what to expect, right?

Feeling much more calm on our second pass through the TV set we hopped up on the anchor’s chairs for a photo op.I’m not ashamed to say that I needed help getting up on my chair.It was super high and the wheels looked serious.I was afraid the chair was going to roll away and leave me in a crumpled mess on the floor!Here we are.Hamming it up.

Our last stop in the magical TV tour was the Rooftop Space.AMAZING.We live in the most beautiful city.

Our commercial will start airing on Monday, May 12 in the 4:30am – 9am time slot.We can’t wait for you to see it.When you do, drop us a line and let us know what you think!

Author:  Melissa Brager

Contact us for more information at 612-866-2888

Busy Busy... What has Universal Windows Direct been up to?

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It's been a month, dear reader.    Sadly we have allowed ourselves to get behind in our blogging but do not worry, we did not forget about you!    We are back at it and ready to get caught up.     Business has been good, our personal lives have been good, we've just been running like crazy. 

We have successfully finished our summer show and event season.    Gone are the days of hanging in the tent, hoping for good weather overnight, and searching out our next great meal from a food truck.   I think that Taco Cielo from the Dakota County Fair was my favorite this year!   Mmmmmm!!!

Our fall and spring home show season gets underway soon and we have all of our dates finalized.   Sometimes I feel like we're a rock bank booking our next great tour.   We always have free or discounted tickets for shows so definitely check our website or call us if you're interested in enjoying a home show and vising your favorite window company!

Speaking of home shows, we are moving forward with some awesome new displays for our larger products.   They will debut in 2012!

New product options!   Our UniShield siding has come out with new colors to provide you with even more options for customizing your home and creating the look you've dreamed of.     Our UniShield fiberglass entry doors have just release new styles that include 3/4 glass on the front.   A nice way to get the look on the front of your home "just right". 

We are growing!   We have brought on another installer and are currently looking to grow our sales department.   If you know anyone looking to get some sales experience, send them our way. 

All work and no play?  No way!!   We have a vacation scheduled in December and are looking forward to our annual sales meeting in January.    Not only that, but with fall TV underway, we are glad to "see"  all of our old friends.    Hey, there is nothing wrong with some quality couch time, right?

Beyond all of that, we are happily selling high quality, energy efficient windows, siding, and doors at factory direct prices to homeowners all across the Twin Cities.    To learn more about our products or to schedule a free, no obligation estimate, contact us today.

UWD MN at a Summer Events: A behind the scenes look at UWD working outdoor events

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Raise your hand if you've been to a Fair or Outdoor Festival this year.    Raise both hands if you've been to more than one.   Now smile because you feel silly with both your arms in the air.

Summer in MN is the best thing on Earth.  Every weekend you can find a summer festival in a local city,   Celebrations center around everything from raspberries to potatoes to stock cars to just the city itself.   No matter what they are celebrating you are almost guaranteed to find yummy food, activities for kids, a midway, a live band, a car show and a business fair.

Show and event marketing is a huge part of our marketing plan at Universal Windows Direct MN.    Throughout the summer (June - August) we spend the majority of our weekends working in a booth to promote our business, and our awesome line of UniShield windows and doors.  Needless to say, we have it down to a science.

We can go from everything in the truck to "open for business" in about 20 minutes.

We have the perfect size cooler that ensures we drink a gallon of water a day.

We have perfected the "show food" shopping trip to keep us eating and snacking right in the midst of full on fair food temptation.

We have made events into networking and social events.  Building relationships and enjoying the connections with familiar faces and other local business owners.  Some days would get very long without our friends.

We have a section in our closets dedicated to UWD wear - which ensures that no matter how many days the event is, and no matter what the weather has in store for us...  we will be branded.  In layers.

Last but not least, we know that working these summer shows are different than working home improvement expos.  We know you didn't head out to the fair with a window replacement project in mind.   So we show you our windows, we give stickers to your kids, we answer your questions and if you don't want to schedule a free estimate, we'll give you a brochure to take home.   We know that when you're ready, you'll call us.

Thanks to every single person this summer who stopped by our tent to talk with us. Days can get long and we can get a little crazy.

Thanks to previous customers who made a point to visit.  Thanks to all the show sponsors who make us feel appreciated and welcome, and thanks to that girl at Pride with the pink and purple pigtails who bounced in to give us a smile because we looked lonely.   It isn't easy to work those events, but it's worth it.   We love our company and we  love offering such a great product at a factory direct price.

If you're looking to get a free quote on replacement windows, sliding glass patio doors, front entry doors or vinyl siding, contact us today.   We'd be happy to stop out.

Focus: The Personal Side of UWD is all about Focus

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Today is shaping up to be one of those days.   I am sitting here in my "backyard office" welcoming the breeze and enjoying my  iced coffee.  (Thank goodness I can still drink coffee when its 97 degrees outside. )   My favorite productivity book ever is called "Never Check Your Email in the Morning".   Julie Morgenstern wrote it and I believe she is spot on.    Sometimes when you have projects that need attention the best way to make sure they get done is by ignoring the nagging email box.

Which is why I'm in the backyard.   It's lovely out here and I find it to be the perfect place to think.   This morning I'm working on getting you this blog, obviously,  but I'm also planning some new web marketing ideas, making changes to this blog structure and getting ready for our upcoming shows.   If I have time I'll start planning the dealer newsletter before I scoot down to Farmington to help my sister with a quick home project.   This evening will probably find me grilling dinner before heading back to the office to finish up some tasks and finally to check email.

June is going to be a very busy month for us.  In addition to a full install schedule and lots of new appointments (we LOVE referrals!), we have outdoor marketing events planned every weekend.   We also have a week with my lovely niece and nephew, drinks with friends, a grade school reunion, tickets to Cirque du Soleil, and of course, graduation parties, birthday parties and Fathers Day Celebrations.   Hopefully we'll even find time to sneak away to a cabin!

You see, keeping busy at work is one thing, but keeping balanced and happy in your personal life is what it's all about.   Focus on what is important and everything else will fall into place.

One last tip before I go...  Always check your Facebook account in the morning.    Sometimes the best way to start your day is a picture of your 18 month old nephew peering in a bucket at a frog he just discovered he is in love with.

If one of those "big things" you've been meaning to focus on is getting quotes on replacing your windows, siding, or doors, contact us today. We'd love to make time to meet you!

Universal Windows Direct can be reached at (612) 866-2888.

Just another day in the office: Behind the scenes with Universal Windows Direct

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Hi!  Welcome back to our blog.   I know I promised a more personal glimpse into the business, so here I go.

I started work today at 8:30 and this was my morning:

  • General administrative paperwork

  • Finishing up the blog on vinyl siding

  • Receiving the latest window and door shipment   (everything we expected arrived, except the brochures for the upcoming show, of course)

  • A meeting with a potential new credit card processing company.

On the way to the meeting we got a call from a lady who was referred by a customer of ours we installed a year ago.  I love that!   She was hoping someone had time to meet her at 1:00 today and luckily Steve was open.   He spent the afternoon with her talking about windows and ultimately selling them to her.   Of course, on the way he stopped to drop off some materials for the installers and on the way back he visited the install site again to check on progress and make sure the customer was thrilled.

Meanwhile, I ate my lunch (leftover spaghetti!) and planned out menus for the next week. You see, we have a big home show coming up this weekend and nothing - I mean NOTHING - makes you want to plan a menu more than the thought of being trapped in the convention center eating grease for 3 days.   Not only that, but I have learned that a person who works quite a bit from her home office gets much lazier about meals than a person who leaves to work in a cube.   If I don't have a plan, nothing happens.   But I digress.

I ran to the bank to make our deposits from yesterday, dropped off a cable box at the cable company, completed the grocery shopping ($35 in coupon savings!) and then ran to meet a remodeler at our warehouse to pick up the windows he ordered.

Since I was so close I went into the office to check on the status of a few orders and to check emails.   I didn't get the email I was hoping for.  Apparently L&L Exhibition Management, the promoters for the home remodeling show this weekend,  are running a TV ad to promote the show that features Steve at the beginning of it!     A friend of ours called to say she saw it today while watching "The View".   I'm dying to see it and so I called the company asking if they could email me a copy of the commercial.  Stay tuned.  If I get it I'm posting it!

Here it is, 4:00pm on this beautiful day I'm finally back at home and ditching the office in favor of the sunshine and the fresh air.   This is my favorite part of the day because I get to blog a little and do a little work on our web marketing campaign.  When I'm done out here I'll  get a little workout in and hopefully get started prepping for my garage sale.   That is, unless I get tempted with a nice long walk outside.

If you want to be part of our day - in the form of an in-home consultation for windows, siding, or doors, contact me.  I'll send Steve out and you guys will have a ball!

The price reflects when you buy direct.  Universal Windows Direct, MN offers you the highest quality home improvement products at factory direct prices.