World leaders…

May 17th, 2010 — 1:31pm
I’ve just been having a quick look at Google
having typed in a keyword relating to our
business.
 
And I was astonished to find on the first page
alone not one..Two…Three..But actually FOUR
companies proclaiming themselves to be the
world leaders!!
 
Wow, that’s impressive….But what does it actually
mean??
 
Other than, they’ve got nothing else to say, because
they’ve got nothing which sets them apart and NO
reason for anybody to do business with them, or for
them to even exist….
 
A very successful man once said to me, “usually Antony,
the best way to tell who the market leader is, is to
find out who’s doing the most business, and there you
will find the market leader”
 
Isn’t it interesting then, when you put this man’s theory
to the test, and look at the credit ratings of these companies
who proclaim themselves as world leaders, or market leaders,
Global market leaders, Leading Global specialists, or any
other empty bullshit phrase they can come up with….
 
Isn’t it interesting that, their credit ratings
suggest anything but ‘global dominance’
AND the success they so obviously
crave….
 
Bet their MD’s have all got little willys and drive Porsches too…

2 comments » | Company Policies

Hire or buy a temporary building, what’s best for YOU?

May 6th, 2010 — 12:27pm
Before you make the decision to buy a
temporary building with a PVC roof
(such as the type we use for our hire stock)
if you own the property and land where you
want the new building installed, you are
probably going to make a big financial
mistake if you do so…
 
You see, we use two different designs of
buildings because there isn’t one, which is
suitable for both temporary and permanent
use…
 
One is temporary because it’s re-locatable from site
to site with a PVC clad roof.
 
The other is a ‘HYBRID’ system which is a quick to
install as a temporary building, but is supplied with
steel clad roofs, just like any other permanent unit.
 
Therefore, If you rent your property, then
you may well be best buying the temporary
building with the PVC roof because they are designed
to be moved from site to site (which is why we use
them for our hire stock) so if and when you do move
on, you can take it with you….
 
Whereas, if you own the property and the land, you
are far better off buying a ’HYBRID’ design because
it will appreciate in value as the land appreciates, just
like any other unit you have built….
 
What’s more, the ‘HYBRID’ buildings actually cost less
than the temporary type, because they are fabricated
using steel, whereas the temporary type are made using
aluminium and PVC, which costs far more to buy….
 
So before you make a big potential long-term blunder,
you really should make your decision based around whether
you are going to profit from the appreciating value of
the ‘HYBRID’ design, or profit from the flexibility to
take the building with you…..If and when you move on..
Or want to sell it on…

2 comments » | Steel Buildings, temporary buildings

A Marketing Gimmick??

April 29th, 2010 — 3:29pm
I reckon we must be the most sceptical
generation of people to have ever lived!
 
Seriously, I’ve just spoken to a lady who
just happened to mention almost off the
cuff “I like the idea of your free camera,
that’s a great marketing gimmick”
 
?? I don’t know much about gimmicks,
but having spent nearly 12 years supplying
temporary buildings, I know a lot about temporary
buildings…
 
And the things that can go wrong and cause nightmares…
And always, at the worst possible time.. 
 
Which is why we supply a free digital camera
to every new customer when they hire a temporary
building for the first time..
 
Here’s an example….You’re in Portsmouth, or Liverpool
or wherever….The point is, you’re 120 miles away from us.
 
You call up and say “the forktruck’s just driven in to the
wall of the building, can you come out and sort it out
please?”
 
We say, “sure, can you take a picture and email it
to us, so we can assess the damage before we come
out?”
 
“Er, no…I don’t have a camera…You’ll have to come out
and have a look for yourself”
 
And believe me, that’s what we used to do, until I hit
upon the idea of supplying the digital camera as part
of the deal…
 
It’s best all round because travelling all over the
country just to assess damage is a complete waste
of time and money, and that’s why we supply the
camera…..
 
We don’t do gimmicks…..
 
The camera is a serious commitment because we’re
as serious about our buildings, as you are about your
business.
 

1 comment » | Company Policies, temporary buildings

Where’s The Catch???

April 23rd, 2010 — 6:01pm
That’s a question I’m asked, over and over again…
 
You see, when you offer a service which guarantees
to install within 21 days of order…With no up-front payments,
no minimum term hire contracts, and only seven days notice
to terminate the hire, people DO actually question the
sincerity of the offer…
 
I know, because I’ve lost count of the amount of people who
have asked me, over the years….
 
But the reason I do it, is simple…It’s because if there’s no
barrier (up-front cost) to get started, and no barrier (minimum
-term contract) to hire, people are far, far more likely to feel
comfortable with it - once they believe it to be true – than
they ever are by being legally bound by the pages and pages
of legally enforceable small print my competitors all favour.

Comment » | Company Policies

A Temporary Building – Cheap?

November 17th, 2009 — 7:01pm

Three Times The Price!!!!

That’s what a guy just told me…he said
“I’ve had several quotes, and yours is three times
the price of the cheapest”

To be precise, we quoted £48000.00 and he’s
telling me he’s had a quote for £16000.00.

Ummm…Something fishy going on if you ask me.

Even more so when you consider his next comment
was “it’s a building. A building is a building”…

Try telling that to a Jaguar driver, when you ask him
to jump in an Austin Allegro….

Yes, a building might be a building, but there are so
many ways to cut down on the spec of the building
when designing it…
Ways to cut corners in the manufacturing…
Ways to cut corners in the installation…
Ways to cut corners in the accessories supplied….

Yes, there are a number of ways to cut down on
the costs of supplying your building..

And if you really do believe a building is just a
building, you may well be happy with the result…

I doubt it though, because in my experience,
we all like to feel we’re getting value for money
in whatever it is we buy, but when it comes to
buying a building, I think it’s well, well worth
thinking long and hard about why there’s such
a difference in prices, from one company to
another…

Because let’s face it. Really, what are the chances
of this guy ultimately being happy, with a building
which costs a third of the price….

But given he’ll have to pay for it up-front and will
have absolutely no guarantees at all – Only the
guarantee of the cheapest price – he’s most likely
going to find his ‘cheapest’ deal wasn’t such
a good deal, after all.

temporary buildings

5 comments » | Costs

It’s All In The Finish

November 12th, 2009 — 3:33pm

It’s nice to get feedback from people talking about
how they are impressed by the speed of installation
AND the finish…

And it’s that word FINISH which is so important with
a new building..

Cladding and flashing can hide a multitude of sins, especially
when the building has been supplied with minimum profit
margin and installed by sub-contractors working on a fixed
price….

Our policy is to ensure our own full time employed staff
have the necessary time to install the building correctly
and that all of the necessary parts have been supplied
to ensure the finish on the building is 100% perfect, too
every time….

The devil is in the detail, and the finish of the building
is very important to us, which is why it’s nice to get
feedback about the level of finish.

temporary buildings

Comment » | Company Policies

What Is A Temporary Building?

November 10th, 2009 — 3:46pm

Is it a building which is used temporarily,
or is made of a different construction to
a permanent building?

It’s always interesting to have this conversation
when people call us because often they will
say they want a temporary building because you
don’t need planning permission for a temporary
building…

They may well intend to use the building for 5, 10
15 years, but they want a TEMPORARY building
as opposed to a permanent one to ’skirt’ around
the delays and beaurocracy of applying for planning
permission…

It’s wrong though….Planning permission has nothing
at all to do with the type of building used.

It has everything to do with the period of time it’s
used for….

And this is where I believe people wrongfully assume
that because it’s a temporary building, they do not
need planning permission.

So if anyone tells you, “it’s a temporary building, you don’t
need planning permission”, you are listening to someone
who doesn’t know what they’re talking about.

If you plan to use the building, or shipping container or
cabin….Whatever construction….For more than 28 days,
then you should apply for planning permission.

It doesn’t matter whether it’s a temporary building, or any
other kind of temporary construction, if it’s there on site
for more than 28 days, you should apply for planning
permission…

So the next time someone tells you you don’t need
planning -permission for a temporary building, you can
tell them they don’t know what they’re talking about.

Temporary Buildings

Comment » | Planning Permission

Buildings Built On Trust

November 8th, 2009 — 10:25pm

‘trust’ is a word which is very rarely used in business, these days….

Take the buildings we supply and sell as an example.

The companies who supply buildings want full payment
up-front because they don’t ‘trust’ you to pay them.

And you want to pay them when the building is
completed because you don’t ‘trust’ them to do
a good job…

It’s like a financial tug-of-war is going on because
there is no trust generally between supplier and
customer…

And then there’s the cost…You say, let’s buy
a building as ‘cheap’ as possible, and the supplier
is thinking, let’s keep our costs to a minimum so
we can offer the building as ‘cheap’ as possible.

He wants his money up front and you want to pay
after the building is installed…..It’s a disaster waiting
to happen…..Because there’s no trust….

But our terms are different….There’s no need for this
financial tug-of-war and lack of trust because when
we supply a building, you pay a deposit with order.

Then you pay a percentage when the building arrives on site.
Then a percentage when the building is complete.
And finally, you also retain a percentage of the building
cost for three months….

This gives you three months to ensure everything is
exactly as you want it, and it also gives us the time
to complete any ’snagging’….

I’ve always felt our approach is a much more trustworthy
way of doing business because we trust you to pay
when you’re 100% happy…..Not a day before.

Temporary Buildings

Comment » | Company Policies, Costs

Pricing A Temporary Building

November 6th, 2009 — 11:34pm

Pricing a temporary building can be confusing
and frustrating to say the least..

If you want to hire a building, companies will
want to set the (minimum) hire period, and
then you are committed for that period..

Just like renting a warehouse from a landlord
or agent, they will expect you to pay a chunk
of money – typically – three months in advance,
and then you will be expected to pay your rentals
in advance too…

This way, the company who hire the building to you,
just like the landlord or property agent, are always
protected because they’re being paid in advance.

Good for them, but not so good for you….Which is why
we decided to do the opposite of how everybody else
does it, and charge in arrears, as opposed to in advance.

What are the advantages? You don’t have to shell
out thousands in advance before you’ve even had the
building installed, and you just pay your rent as
you go.

Then, when you finish, pick up the phone, and say
“Antony, we’re finished with the building, come
and take it away”.

And that’s how easy it can be….

Temporary Buildings

Comment » | Company Policies, Costs, temporary buildings

Temporary Buildings – Materials Matter

November 3rd, 2009 — 12:26pm

Something to consider when buying a temporary building is the materials used for the building.

More and more now, insurers are becoming very reluctant to provide cover when the temporary
building has a pvc fabric roof.

There are insurers who will provide insurance, but it’s very, very expensive compared to a building with a ‘proper’ steel roof.

Which is one of the reasons we introduced our range of
steel-clad buildings.

PVC is combustible, whereas steel is not.
PVC has a fire-retardant life span of a maximum of 10 years,
whereas steel is warranted for up to 35 years…

And insurers are more and more likely to insist upon
steel cladding because their exposure to risk of payout
is significantly increased when you use a temporary building
with a ‘tented’ PVC fabric roof cover.

Obviously, a building with a steel roof and walls is far more secure from a theft angle, than a pvc one is..

Temporary Buildings

Comment » | Costs, Steel Buildings

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