Last week I wrote about how it was the fault of the industry how we’ve allowed customer’s to have far too much control over us, but I also mentioned that the media, more specifically TV has also had a part to play in this.
Over the last few years, one of the worst offending programmes and the one that specifically gets my back up is Don’t Get Done Get Dom. Half the show is dedicated to Dom sorting out some sad soul’s problems. Usually people that should have been smart enough to avoid the situation they were in anyway. The other half of the programme is dedicated to showing people how to barter down everyone for absolutely anything! One example a couple of years ago really got my back up. Dom was talking to a woman who wanted to buy two PlayStation consoles from high street chain HMV. Now lets remember that HMV is struggling badly and has done for a few years. It’s a store that needs every help it can get. It does not need Dom Littlewood ushering in Joe Public and forcing them to barter the living crap out of the poor sales assistant and the business. From memory, I think that woman he shoved in the HMV store bartered the guy for about half an hour, made the manager come out just to give her a piddly amount off just so that she would leave the store. She got her two PlayStations and of course Dom Littlewood saw that as a success on behalf of the consumer.
Here’s where my problem is with this little cretin and his awful TV shows. He’s conditioning the general public to think that businesses have this big fat profit margin which is there to just be nibbled away at by bartering for everything! This is NOT the case! Businesses are here to make profits. Not disgustingly large amounts. The profits at oil companies for example cannot be compared to normal businesses. But many of the tens of thousands of SME’s in this country are here to make a decent profit, employ people, provide jobs to make sure that other people are able to pay their own bills. It is not there for the benefit of the customer to take off!
All the way through this recession, all the focus has been on normal householders trying to save money. There is page after page, resource after resource and programme after programme dedicated to showing how people can save money, usually at the expense of businesses. Well now it’s time for businesses to have a bit of focus and teach the general public that they need to support their businesses. By forcing the business to give you money off, in turn it is their profit margin that is suffering. If they were to do this to everyone that asked, they wouldn’t be making money. Expand that further, and jobs could be on the line, making the economic situation worse.
Expand this even further. Imagine that woman who got the two PlayStations. Imagine the company SHE worked for, being bartered and hounded for discounts all the time. Their profit margin being eaten away to the point where her job isn’t safe. Would she think it is OK to hound for discounts then? I doubt it.
I was looking around on YouTube for video clips of Don’t Get Done Get Dom, when I came across this comment from a user who summed the whole thing up nicely: yes carl you right most of the idiots watching this clip dont get it.dom has now put into peoples minds that every thing should be for trade price. he does know better he just feathering his own nest. this country now in serious trouble because its also an attitude problem not just financial.i hope hes proud of himself he has single handidly ruined the economy and all the dumbies cheering him on will also be affected. morons.
Spelling is a bit bad, but the sentiment is spot on. Though I hasten to add he hasn’t ruined the economy on his own!
Unfortunately, while the nationals and short sighted companies in our industry carry on offering discounts when they really don’t have to, attitudes in our industry at least will now change. What you do have to ask is if the managers and people in charge of the sales departments are the right people in charge. They clearly aren’t driven enough to make as much of a margin as the business needs to make.
I might email Dom Littlewood a link to this. Hopefully he might read it. Would be good to get his opinion!
So your company doesn’t hassle it’s suppliers for extra discount, wave competitors quoted under there noses etc if you don’t then you will be the only customer around that doesnt………
Dave – our main supplier is John Fredericks Plastics, @jfplastics on Twitter. I can honestly say we have never waved another suppliers pricing structure under the nose of our sales rep from Fredericks. It’s rather arse-holey, not required and makes you look like an arrogant git. The only time we might ask them for some help with prices is on the massive jobs where we’re quoting schools or a series of properties in one go. I don’t think we’re the only ones to behave in the correct manner towards our suppliers.
What do you exect, the internet is full of stories about “Sales men on the phone to their manager and low and behold the price drops £5,000 etc. the whole industry has a reputation for inflated prices and the kind of antics that salesmen pull (and anyone who hs bought windows etc will have witnessed it) only encourages people specifically in this industry to barter. You reap what you sow
Andy – this is true. This is something I alluded to in a previous post. But it’s the whole consumer culture that is putting unnecessary pressure on SME’s. It’s Dom’s programmes that are conditioning people to think it is OK to beat down the smaller businesses in this country for money off when it has never been so important for businesses to maintain their profit margin.
Thanks for your comment.
Well that’s just one supplier and even then you will go back to them for extra discounts on your bigger purchases well a house full of windows to the average home owner is a big purchase so why should they not ask for extra discount, or be looked at differently to anyone else asking the same ???????
Because Dave, if you understand economies of scale, you will know that the truly big jobs, i.e. 30/40+ windows/doors do demand a slightly better material discount rate. Though I hasten to add that we don’t hound or hassle our suppliers to give us that. They gave us that option themselves, this isn’t something that we demanded from them. That’s what having a good relationship with your suppliers means.
And you really think an extra 30-40 frames to a 2-3000 FPW makes any difference to material costs lol
You ask for discounts from your suppliers your customers ask you for a discount that’s the way of the world or do you only want the benefit in your favour
I’m guessing from your staunch defence of discounts that you either support them, or work for a company which applies a discount structure, which if you have read some previous posts of mine, you will know that my opinion of discounts typical of the industry make us look cheap, low-end quality and un-credible. You also keep missing my more general point about the consumer and the increase of bartering for discounts when there’s non to be had. This isn’t a post just focused on the double glazing industry but on the whole consumer culture in this country. On another note,… Read more »
No I dont work for a company that offers discounts as we have a fixed cost policy, and I explain that to my customers, I certainly don’t get upset when they do ask for discounts.
I just find it funny that you feel that your customers are out of order for asking for discounts yet you expect them from your suppliers.
Dave – you know as well as I do the B2B market allows for a very inflated pricing structure which allows for such things. My point is that by the time the business selling on to the end user has got the best price possible for the materials, it can’t possibly give any more away to the end user.
Well the customer doesn’t know that so like you is just wanting the best price possible and the only way they can get that is by asking for a discount. Yes I am aware that B2B generally has some form of discounting but then again since time began the double glazing industry has conditioned the general public that they get massive discounts when they buy new windows and doors ala bogof deals, 60% summer promos etc etc so then blaming a TV show for the failings of the industry/for asking for the best deal (something you expect from your suppliers)… Read more »