One of our biggest gripes as an industry is the amount of programmes on television that paint the various trades, including our own, in a bad way. Programmes like Rogue Traders, Don’t Get Done Get Dom and many others in the past always tend to make a very good job of showing that particular trade in a very bad light, spoiling it for the rest of us that try to conduct business in a very professional manner. In fact it these programmes which we all firmly blame as the reason why customers are becoming so unreasonable, demanding and down right rude towards us as companies.
So, I found the Twitter account for Dom Littlewood (@dominic107) and asked him this question: @dominic107 evening sir. Any chance you could host a series of telly shows dedicated to showing ONLY great trades? Like with most TV celebrity accounts, I didn’t expect to get a reply. But credit to Dom, he did reply, with this statement: @glazingblogger I hear that question on a daily basis but the answer to that is, who would watch it?
There we have it folks, pretty much an admission from the man himself that he and others would only make programmes that show trades in a bad light because it pulls in the viewers. Well that’s the way I see it anyway. Unless I’m wrong and he’s genuinely asking a question – but that’s not how I would read that statement.
I would argue that there is plenty of material out there to make a programme showcasing the positive companies that people would watch. Just look at Grand Designs for example. They showcase some of the most outstanding new build and renovation projects undertaken by members of the public. How about a new programme that goes one step further and create a show that not only showcases the project, but also goes in depth into the company that does the work. It could shed more light to the viewers on the hard work companies do to make these projects happen? I think a show like that would not only show our businesses in a better light, but also help to educate the consumer about the processes involved inn our line of work. Neither can be a bad thing.
Anyway, just a thought. Would be nice to get Dom’s view on it.
There are actually positive programs, and the numbers probably stack much more in the favor of the positive outlooks over the negative. You mention Grand Designs for one, but there are all those emergency home renovation and make-over type of programs, which in small ways showcase and plug what firms can do, and are very positive for attitudes towards helpful small business. Most firms gets people in day to day having seen looks and ideas on these sorts of shows. The trade benefits even when they don’t realize, and if those like Dom’s show highlight some of the rogue tricks,… Read more »
What a contradictory response from Dom… Whilst the show Cowboy Traders shows what the bad guys leave behind the bulk of the show is pretty much dedicated to showing what the good guys do to put it right… does he actually watch the programs he makes?
There is absolutely no point in getting wound up about consumer programmes of this type. They’re a fact of life and that isn’t going to change. As an industry, we have, in the past, given them plenty of ammunition to fire at us. In reality we’re not as bad as we were but we’ve still got a long way to go before we can claim to be a modern market led customer focussed industry. Let’s put our energies into things we can affect. Things like operational excellence, customer service and 21st century marketing.