33 THE door industry journal spring 2025 Also online at: www.dijonline.co.uk Industry News doors. They also run a successful blinds and awnings division. A new Perimeter Protection division is also taking shape, with the company now offering Hörmann gates, barriers and fencing. 2025 will see the further expansion of this side of the business, with Cooks planning to offer a wide range of automatic bollards and barriers alongside the more sophisticated vehicle mitigation systems offered by Hörmann. This anniversary year will also be key for the company regarding the expansion of its green credentials, making sure it continues to meet the ever-expanding sustainability standards required when working with key stakeholders and developers. But it’s not ‘all work and no play’ at Cooks. As a long-established family business, it has strong ties with its local community. The company attends the Royal Norfolk Show every June, showcasing its products and getting to know the locals. The sponsorship of Norwich Football Club and continuous support for many local charities are all part of what makes Cooks tick. The company is now preparing a complete celebratory programme to mark their anniversary year, with plans to hold a charity ball and a family day. With the first 60 years now in the bag, Cooks is well set to move forward with confidence, safe in the knowledge that with the solid foundations in place, they are set fair for a very bright future. Founder of the business – Bernard Cook The Directors The Importance of an Email Footer By Karen Hibbart, Creative Director, Door Industry Journal Have you ever needed the contact details for a supplier, can’t lay your hands on them and thought, “I know, it will be on their email footer” only to get there and find it is affectionally signed “Regards, Fred”? (My apologies if your name is Fred, I mean you no ill will or discrimination!). I have said in the past “A company with a professional image can win business from a competitor that lacks one, purely by the way in which it is perceived”, yet still I receive emails every day from companies that don’t have an email footer. Maybe they presume that the recipient will just ‘email them back!’ Well as a famous advert once said “It’s good to talk”. How can you create a rapport with your contacts, be it business or supplier, if you aren’t prepared to talk to one another? Isn’t it a sad state of affairs, that the next generation of business people don’t know how to, and are afraid to, pick up the phone? Yes time is precious and in times like that, an email is fine. We all know that an email can take a few seconds, where a phone call can take up minutes when there aren’t enough in the day. BUT…… An email footer is very important in business, as it serves as a crucial element for reinforcing brand identity, providing essential contact information, building trust with customers and promoting social media presence, essentially acting as a digital business card with every email sent, thus enhancing professionalism and credibility with each communication. In the past (and yes, I am showing my age now), the business card was the most important piece of marketing literature you could pass to anyone because you were able to put it in the hand of the person you wanted to deal with, not go through the ‘Gate Keeper’ on reception, whose job it was to filter out the trash. It had to look professional, not be created on a home computer using lots of different typefaces, printed out on perforated cardboard via an inkjet printer and torn out as and when needed, leaving a lovely fluffy edge on all sides if you were lucky enough to be able to tear it in a straight line! Next time you send an email, think “Does my communication look professional? Have I spell checked it?” (and the amount of emails I receive where they can’t even spell their own name or business details), or worse still “Do I add an email footer?” If the answer to that is “I can’t be bothered”, then I hate to say it, but you may be in the wrong job! Take pride in what you do. Appearance isn’t just about what you wear, it is how you are perceived. The recipient may think you are wearing a suit, but you can still be in your PJ’s (and if you sometimes work from home, you know you do right?). So maybe don’t forget…it’s good to talk! As a graphic designer, I cannot emphasise enough, how it is the little things that we think don’t make a difference in business, that are the ones that really do.
RkJQdWJsaXNoZXIy Mzg2Nzk=