MAY 2020 | 41
Business
Read online at www.proinstaller.co.uk
DON’T LEAVE COMPANY
DIRECTORS HIGH AND DRY
there is a core
‘ group
who will
miss out ’
Greater support is needed
Tell them what
they told you
If you let them, your custom-
er will tell you a lot about what
they want or the problem that
needs fixing. It’s critical that you
understand what they tell you by
listening carefully.
After that it’s a really useful trick
to feedback what the customer
has said in your own words. This
gives them confidence in you and
also lets them know that you have
heard them. Naturally, they will
agree with you!
Don’t forget to thank them
the homeowner you are speaking
to. But always listen before you
start telling them the answer.
That’s for several reasons.
It lets you understand how
much they know. It helps you
realise what they want and
probably hear some nuance you
wouldn’t otherwise get. Also,
people want to have their chance
to talk, they don’t want to be cut
across and made to feel stupid.
You have two ears and only
one mouth. A ratio of two to
one listening versus speaking is
always a good rule of thumb for
customers and prospects.
People buy from people like
them, so if you can find any com-
mon connection, it helps. It might
be football, something you both
like on TV or anything else. Just
don’t stretch things too far.
Every opportunity to bid for
work and find a new customer is
invaluable, so always thank the
prospect for considering you. Even
if you lose the bid, thank them.
You never know what the future
holds so leave the door open.
Of course, to do well you have to
do a good job. But to do that you
have to win the business in the first
place. Making a good first impres-
sion is a key to that success.
Finally, if you have done
everything already discussed,
you will almost certainly be
asked to produce a quote. This is
where it is imperative to generate
the quote quickly. Keeping the
customer waiting after they have
chosen you and are anticipating
the next step is the sure-fire way
to undo all your previous good
work. All the best!
for those running small business-
es who fall between the gap in
schemes to support employees
and the self-employed, said the
Federation of Master Builders
(FMB).
Key statistics from a survey of
589 FMB members – small and
medium sized builder companies
across the country include:
• 4 in 5 (80%) responders were
Directors of Limited compa-
nies, of which more than half
(58%) receive most of their
income through dividends;
• Two-thirds of Directors
(69%) said that 80% of their
monthly PAYE salary (availa-
ble as a furloughed employee
through the Coronavirus Job
Retention Scheme) would not
provide enough support to
them during the lockdown;
• Of those who said 80%
of their PAYE salary was
insufficient, 63% work in the
domestic renovation, repair
and maintenance sector, the
part of the construction in-
dustry least able to continue
to work in line with Public
Health advice, and therefore
hardest hit by the virus.
Brian Berry, Chief Executive of
the Federation of Master Builders
(FMB) said: “The Chancellor has
been generous in his support for
workers and the self-employed
in this time of crisis, but there
is a core group who will miss
out. The vast majority of small
builders have seen pretty much
all their work dry up over the last
few weeks, and naturally those
running these companies are
anxious to know how they will
support themselves, their work-
ers, and keep their businesses
solvent in the weeks and months
ahead.”
www.fmb.org.uk
GGF Fund Ltd Closes to New Business
The GGF Fund Ltd Board,
having sought and taken specialist
legal advice from several experts,
took the decision to close the De-
posit Indemnity Fund to any new
deposit registrations from 1st April
2020; due to the uncertain and
unprecedented market conditions
caused by the COVID-19 crisis.
The implications of this
decision now mean that GGF
Deposit Indemnity Fund Mem-
bers will need to take their
own actions to ensure that they
comply with the requirements
of their chosen Competent
Person Scheme in England &
Wales. Examples of compliance
may be;
• That companies wish to
encourage consumers from
whom you take a deposit from
to pay some or all of the de-
posit by credit card (as long as
the total contract value is above
£100 and below £30,000). The
GGF Fund Ltd, advises that all
companies who take deposits
seek their own specific legal
advice on this compliance.
• That customers buying prod-
ucts via credit finance agree-
ments should have their de-
posits protected under Section
75A of the Consumer Credit
Act as long as the total contract
value is under £60,260. Again
the GGF Fund Ltd, advises that
companies seek their own spe-
cific legal advice on this.
About the author
Benjamin Dyer is CEO and
co-founder of Powered Now.
Powered Now’s mobile app aims
to take the pain out of paper-
work for heating and plumbing
engineers as well as other field
trade businesses. The GGF Fund Ltd will still
provide cover for deposits taken
by GGF Fund Members up to 31st
March 2020 as long as any premi-
ums for deposits taken up to that
date are paid to the GGF Fund
Ltd., by the 30th April 2020.
www.powerednow.com www.ggf.org.uk