24
APRIL 2014 PRO INSTALLER
PRO NEWS
www.proinstaller.co.uk
WHAT DO
HOMEOWNERS
WANT IN A HOME
IMPROVEMENT
CONTRACTOR?
In the world of home improvement, prices have become more competitive over recent
years and contractors have had to use inventive ways to market their services.
Whether you’re an architect, builder, double glazing
installer, carpenter, plumber,
electrician, decorator, roofer, landscaper or handyman,
these tips from the Consumer Protection Association
can help you discover what
homeowners want, so you
can tune your marketing and
your sales pitch to perfection.
2. REPUTABLE TRADESMEN
No matter how persuasive you
are, a homeowner will always be
reluctant to trust you 100% until
they’ve seen the evidence that
you can do what you’ve promised.
Online reviews, interactive social
media accounts and case studies
of similar projects undertaken are
all great ways to show off your
work and build a fantastic reputation. Personal recommendations
are also great for referrals.
1. RECOGNISABLE BRAND
Branding is incredibly important.
A great name, an attractive logo
and branded business cards might
just give you the edge over the
competition. But more importantly consumers want to know
why they should purchase from
you rather than your competitors.
Promote yourself by telling them
more about your company, such as
how long you’ve been in business
and what your team are like!
4. PROFESSIONAL
TRADESMEN
As well as friendliness, potential
clients need to know that you
are professional in all aspects of
your work. Take time to complete a full preliminary inspection
and don’t be afraid to talk to the
homeowner in depth to find out
exactly what they want. Provide
them with a comprehensive and
detailed job description tailored to
their specific project, rather than a
handwritten quote.
3. GOOD RAPPORT
In order to maintain a trustworthy relationship with your client,
it’s important that you make a
good first impression. Homeowners are looking for pleasant and
approachable tradespeople who
can help them realise their dream
improvement project, rather than
pushing them into choosing a
product that might not suit their
property and they don’t want.
5. WORKABLE TIMEFRAME
Owners will understand that
contractors need to take the time
to do a thorough job, but they
will also want to minimise the
disruption to their lives. Give
them an accurate timeline as far
as possible, and if the project will
take longer than a couple of days,
let them know how you will be
spending your time.
Transparency is important here
– homeowners just want to make
sure that contractors are using
their time efficiently.
Make sure you’re offering a range
of quality products borne of the latest technological developments and
with high specification features.
6. FAIR PRICES
8. ACCREDITATIONS
Whilst it’s true that some consumers will be swayed by slashed
prices or buy one get one free
offers, a vast majority care more
about a job well done and a high
quality, long lasting end result. As
long as your prices are fair and
you have a history of meeting
the budget you quoted, then
homeowners will be more than
satisfied with your proposal.
Most homeowners nowadays ask
to see a contractor’s accreditations.
No matter what industry you’re in,
registering with the CPA will give
your clients the peace of mind that
their deposit and home improvement investment are guaranteed
and that, should anything happen
to your company in the future,
their new installation, build or
decoration project is still under
warranty. Find out more about the
CPA deposit protection insurance
here on the website.
Above all, homeowners just want
to be sure that contractors are who
they say they you are, know what
they’re doing and that their project
will be a worthwhile investment.
It’s all about consumer trust.
7. QUALITY PRODUCTS
Now more than ever before,
consumers are more aware of the
options available to them and
they research products before
even contacting installation
companies, let alone making a
purchase.
Consumer Rights Bill - GGF Campaign Gathers Momentum
Following the GGF’s recent press release “GGF
Members Quiz BIS”,
the Federation submitted its evidence to the
Parliamentary Public
Bill Committee on 12th
February 2014, allowing
plenty of time for the
21 MPs who sit on the
Committee to consider
the GGF’s concerns.
The Consumer Rights Bill
was laid before Parliament
in January and is expected
to be implemented this autumn. Its aim is to simplify
consumer rights for both
consumers and traders.
The key concern submitted is that the Bill will not
protect businesses from a
small number of consumers
who may look to take advantage of the Bill in order
to gain what they might
see as “free goods”. As the
Bill is currently drafted, a
consumer could reject a
houseful of windows, or
even a whole conservatory,
based on one fault, even if
the overall installation was
satisfactory.
The GGF believes that the
Bill should be amended to
make a distinction between
generic goods (such as TVs
‘This amendment
would provide
protection to
consumers and
businesses’
and toasters) and goods
made to a consumer’s
specification. Taking an
example of replacement
windows, if a consumer
were to order 10 windows
made to their specification
for their house, and one
of these windows had a
fault, then the GGF would
propose that so long as the
trader is able to repair or
provide a replacement for
the faulty window from
the same design suite as
the others, then consum-
ers should only be able
to access the remedies
under the Bill to the one
window rather than all 10
windows. This amendment
would provide protection
to consumers and businesses, particularly as the nine
windows which are not
faulty would be impossible
for the trader to resell at
their normal price.
Brian Smith, GGF Director
of Home Improvement, will
be presenting at the GGF
Regions from February to
May, explaining to Members the detail of how the
Bill will work, along with
the workings of the Consumer Rights Directive and
its impact on cooling-off
periods. Brian will also be
presenting updates during
the FIT Show Seminars at
Telford International Centre
in June.
The Directive will be implemented by the Government on 13th June 2014.
To read the GGF’s
submitted evidence to
the Parliamentary Public
Bill Committee go to:
http://www.ggf.org.uk/
publication/submission_
to_public_bill_committee