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PRO INSTALLER OCTOBER 2013
PRO BUSINESS
@proinstaller1
SURVEY SHOWS 92% OF GLAZING
CUSTOMERS ARE ONLINE
INTERNET expert The Consultancy has emphasised the importance of a digital presence in the windows and doors
industry after statistics revealed that three out of four potential customers log onto the Internet every day.
The official figures,
from the Office of National Statistics, show
that daily internet use
has doubled from 35%
to 73% since 2006.
80’s and 90’s when you got
the traditional salesman turn
up with a briefcase and a
mountain of brochures and
take hours going through
the whole process.
And a staggering 92% of
25-35-year-olds regularly buy good or services
online.
Richie Thornton, Director at The Consultancy, a
specialist in digital sales
and online communications
in the windows and doors
industry, is not surprised at
the figures but said firms
who do not have online
ordering or quoting systems
are being left in the dark
ages.
He said: “The industry has
come a long way since the
‘Customers are a lot more
educated these days’
“Customers are a lot more
educated these days and
have the ability to research
companies and communicate with others at the click
of a button, particularly
price checking a lot more,
especially in the current
climate. They can also visit
social media sites and learn
about a company’s reputation, good or bad.”
Stronger Prompt
Payment Code
Commenting on the
Business and Skills
Minister, Michael Fallon
MP speech to Conserva tive Party Conference,
John Allan, National
Chairman, Federation of
Small Businesses, said:
“We welcome the recognition from the Business
Minister of the importance
of small businesses for
growth and employment,
and his commitment to do
more to encourage enterprise and remove barriers
to running a small firm.
That is the strong voice our
members need at the heart
of Government.
“One issue that needs to
be tackled, and highlighted
by the small business people speaking to Conference,
is the serious impact late
payments can have on cashflow. It means firms struggle
to pay their suppliers on
time and in some cases can
The digital revolution has
not been confined to the
younger generation either.
Statistics show that daily
internet usage by the over
65s has jumped massively
mean they struggle to pay
their staff.
“What we need to see is
a much stronger prompt
payment code. It needs to
be able to stop any big business that tries to squeeze
their small suppliers by
extending payment terms in
some cases to as much as
three months.
“To help new entrepreneurs start up, keeping the
landscape simple for Government schemes to help is
important, this is why the
FSB has called for a Small
Business Administration,
modelled on that in the
USA, so new businesses can
get help and advice they
need to get going.
“The support from Government to help businesses get
off the ground is welcome.
The Minister’s support and
focus on small firms shows
he is listening to their
needs.”
over the past seven years. In
2006 just over 9% reported
using the internet every
day compared with today’s
figure of 37%.
Richie believes that it
will become the norm for
customers to have chosen
their products before they
make any contact with the
companies. Systems will become fully automated from
the point of sale, through
the invoicing process to the
manufacturing and delivery.
He continues: “The glazing
and door industry was never
traditionally at the forefront
of the digital revolution but
thankfully the majority now
know that to compete they
must have a good online
presence. That does not
necessarily have to be an
expensive high-end website,
there are plenty of lower
cost solutions. For example,
we offer packages through
www.theglazingvault.co.uk
which start at under £800.”
For more information,
visit www.theconsultancy.
co.uk or call (01429)
239689.
SMALL FIRMS
SPEND HALF A
BILLION ON TAX
ADMIN PER YEAR
New research from the
Federation of Small
Businesses (FSB)
shows the UK’s small
business owners are
losing around 12 days a
year keeping on top of
their tax administration
costing them half a billion pounds per year.
The FSB’s findings show
that half of respondents
spend between two to eight
hours per month understanding, calculating and
completing tax forms. A
further 11 per cent spend
between two and six days
per month, hindering their
efforts to grow their businesses.
More than three quarters
(77%) say they spend up to
£5,000 in addition to their
tax bill paying professionals
and for software so they can
keep up-to-date with their
latest obligations.
Further analysis of the
data shows that around two
thirds of the respondents
estimate an annual cost of
£3,651 spent on tax obligations, accumulatively this
means a minimum of £490
million per year is spent in
additional costs.
‘£490 million per
year is spent in
additional costs’
Worryingly, almost a third
(30%) of firms say that cashflow problems have prevented them from paying their
taxes on time, while one in
five (19%) say that difficul-
ty understanding what is
required or confusion over
payment dates has meant
they’ve paid late.
John Allan, National Chairman, Federation of Small
Businesses, said: “There
have been long-running
issues with complex tax statuses if you’re a sole trader
or running an incorporated
business. Creating one new
tax system, removing the
choice will make it simpler.
It will free up time for businesses, giving them the time
to grow.”