EP 539: Good Windows Start With Trust And Follow-Through

What makes Marny Webster with Advanced Windows Doors & More a good neighbor?

We talk with Marny Webster about what homeowners should expect from a window and door replacement company and why the buying process does not have to feel like a high-pressure sales presentation. Marny shares how her experience in the industry inspired her to build a business focused on education, transparency, and helping homeowners make informed decisions at their own pace.

Marny explains how more than a decade in the window industry led her to launch her own company in 2024 with a mission to provide a more consultative experience. Rather than relying on fear-based sales tactics or one-call-close pressure, she believes homeowners deserve the time and information needed to choose the right products for their homes and budgets.

One of the biggest misconceptions we discuss is the belief that vinyl windows cannot withstand the Texas climate. Marny breaks down the differences between premium and lower-quality products, explains why vinyl sometimes gets an unfair reputation, and shares what homeowners should ask about when comparing options. The conversation offers practical insight into durability, energy efficiency, and long-term value.

We also explore who is most likely to benefit from replacement windows and doors. From older homes built before 2000 to newer properties with builder-grade materials, Marny explains how upgrading can improve comfort, efficiency, appearance, and overall performance. She also shares why many homeowners begin exploring replacement options after noticing rising utility bills, drafts, or maintenance concerns.

The conversation touches on the business side as well, including how social media helps educate homeowners and why being a woman-owned company often creates a different dynamic during consultations. Marny emphasizes the importance of communication, service after installation, and paying attention to the finishing details that homeowners notice long after the project is complete.

If you are considering replacement windows, exterior doors, or simply want to better understand the options available for your home, this conversation provides practical guidance to help you make a confident decision.

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Guest Info: Advanced Windows, Doors & More https://advancedwindowsdoorsandmore.com/

Transcript

Welcome To Good Neighbor Podcast

SPEAKER_01 0:00

This is the Good Neighbor Podcast, the place where local businesses and neighbors come together. Here's your host, Sophia Yvette.

SPEAKER_02 0:10

Welcome to the Good Neighbor Podcast. Are you in need of a windows company? Well, one may be closer than you think. Today I have the pleasure of introducing our good neighbor, Marnie Webster, with Advanced Windows Doors and more. Marnie, it's lovely having you on this morning. Now we are excited to get to know more about you and your business. So go ahead and tell our listeners just a little bit more about yourself and your company.

Why Marnie Started Advanced Windows

SPEAKER_00 0:38

Perfect. Thank you so much for having me, Sophia. I'm super excited to be here and to talk about Advanced Windows Doors and more and how it came to be. I have been in the window industry just over 10 years, worked for several different companies, and honestly felt like there was a huge miss in the market for people that were more consultive and having the ability to help homeowners with their windows, not just sell them. I opened up Advance in 2024 and really just wanted to get out there and have homeowners be able to make good decisions and not have the pressure of the one-call close that most of the industry really pushes.

SPEAKER_02 1:21

So, Martin, you said something there that really grabbed my attention. You said that you have 10 years experience in this industry prior. So where did your passion for this type of industry even come from?

SPEAKER_00 1:36

It's a really kind of a unique story. I was um working for a gentleman who had ALS and he used to tell me all the time, Marnie, you're in a dead-end job because the moment he passed away, I would not have a job. So I started selling Windows part-time on the evenings and weekends and really enjoyed it, enjoyed the flexibility, getting to meet people. And, you know, once unfortunately, when he passed away, I started doing this full-time in 2018.

SPEAKER_02 2:05

Wow.

The Truth About Vinyl In Texas

SPEAKER_02 2:06

So, Marnie, today, what is the number one misconception you get asked with all this experience that you have in your industry?

SPEAKER_00 2:16

Really, I think the biggest misconception is that here in Texas, vinyl isn't good for the environment and it isn't good for the products that we sell for the heat. Um, vinyl windows get kind of a bad rap um in general. And that's why a lot of companies want to sell you a window that's three, four, five times the price because they convince you that vinyl windows are gonna warp in the Texas heat, which is really an unnecessary, um, not unnecessary, it's it's a misconception completely. And the premium vinyl products that we represent at Advance will last longer than you and I will be alive.

SPEAKER_02 2:59

Wow. Now we're gonna go ahead and switch gears here for a

Who They Serve And How They Market

SPEAKER_02 3:03

second. Now we do know that marketing is the heart of every business. So ideally, who are you looking to attract and how are you attracting them?

SPEAKER_00 3:13

Absolutely. We are looking for homeowners that want value for their home to upgrade their home. We have a product that, like I said earlier, that will last longer than you and I both. Um, the target market is really people that have purchased their homes within the last five to 10 years and are looking to upgrade. Um, any homes that were built prior to 2000 and really 15, um, homes that had metal windows, those windows are still in those homes. They have lasted the 30 plus years. Unfortunately, the builder-grade vinyl products that are being put in homes today will not last that 15 to 20 years. I always joke around and say, you know, the more builders that use builder grade product, it's more job security for me in the future. We are yeah, we're currently using a lot of social media marketing, um, is kind of where our biggest focus is right now.

SPEAKER_02 4:08

Wow, along with social media marketing, have you ever thought about having your own podcast with a business before? You surely have a lot of education to give.

SPEAKER_00 4:15

You know, it's funny is I actually have thought about it just from a from a female perspective, being in the construction industry is something that, you know, when I walk into an appointment, a lot of people are shocked that I'm a woman. And a lot of the the wit the women of the home are very much more relaxed. They're like, wow, it's so nice to speak to another woman and not feel like they're being sold at the table. So I have thought about it and thought about how I can help, you know, expand the female and the woman aspect and being a full woman-owned business, I feel like I have opportunities to, you know, grow this industry and to make people feel more comfortable about their decisions and not feel like they're they're, you know, really getting strong-armed at the table.

SPEAKER_02 5:00

Wow, I truly love that. So diving deeper here into your business for a second, if there was one thing you could leave our listeners with from learning about your business today, what would that one thing be?

Service After Install And No Pressure

SPEAKER_00 5:17

My passion for my business and my passion for my customers, honestly, I tell my customers our relationship doesn't start the moment that your windows are installed or once you've signed the contract. It starts once they're installed. I don't walk away. I'm gonna be here for the long haul. I make sure that every single thing gets taken care of. I actually, my installers joke with me because I'm always literally on edge for every install because I want it to go perfect. I want the customer to be happy. You know, if if you know the customer's not happy, we I jump through hoops to make sure it gets done. Um, honestly, we paint where most installers don't paint. If you know, we have to replace some wood. A lot of um companies will leave the homeowners with raw wood and tell them that we have they have to paint it themselves. Um, we take care of that. So we go the extra mile for the customer after the fact, not just before to earn the business.

SPEAKER_02 6:09

So, Marnie, for our listeners here who may be interested in your services today, do you offer any free consultations? What does that first step really look like?

SPEAKER_00 6:19

Absolutely. Um, and when we say that it's a free estimate, we'll come to your house. You know, I want people to understand like when they choose to make book an appointment with us, we truly mean that we're gonna come, we're gonna be consultative, we're gonna give you the option, we're gonna give you a price that's good for 30 days, not for 30 minutes. We're gonna make sure that you feel like you have time to make that decision, um, discuss it with your family, your spouse, whoever needs to be in the room to discuss it. And it doesn't have to be a same-day approach.

SPEAKER_02 6:49

Why is keeping it from being a same-day approach so important to you?

SPEAKER_00 6:54

Well, I want to make sure that people feel like they have that choice and they don't have to, they won't lose something by not making that same day choice. I, you know, met with two homeowners last week. They both bought on the same day, but they are the ones that accepted that the same day, not me pushing them. And so that to me, there's a big difference between a homeowner feeling comfortable and making that decision in that first appointment versus being forced to make that um decision based on pricing and losing discounts. I always tell people, you know, there are three reasons that people buy our product. It's people, price, and um, and product. And if you don't like me, then we're done. You know, price and product is something that, you know, a lot of people can get windows from a lot of different companies. You have to like to work with me and trust me to be in your home.

SPEAKER_02 7:45

I love

Where To Find Them And Nominate

SPEAKER_02 7:46

that. And final question before we close out where can our listeners go to learn more about advanced windows doors and more?

SPEAKER_00 7:56

Um, you can catch us on social media. We're on Facebook, Instagram. Um, we do have a website. We are local here in the Van Alsteen area, covering all of DFW. Um so advance windows doorsandmore.com.

SPEAKER_02 8:09

Well, Marnie, I really appreciate you being on the show today. We wish you and your business the best moving forward.

SPEAKER_00 8:16

Thank you.

SPEAKER_01 8:17

Thank you for listening to the Good Neighbor Podcast. To nominate your favorite local businesses to be featured on the show, go to gnpfrisco.com. That's gnpfrisco.com or call four six nine two two one nine three four five.