Door Industry Journal - Summer 2015

industry news 25 THE door industry journal summer 2015 Also online at: www.dijonline.co.uk NEW APPOINTMENTS TO MANAGEMENT TEAM OPEN DOORS FOR HÖRMANN Garage and industrial door manufacturer Hörmann has strengthened its management team with two new appointments. Kevan Barker joins Hörmann as its new projects installation manager with a wealth of experience having worked at automatic and industrial door manufacturer, Gilgen UK for a number of years. He will supervise the on-site management of new door installation projects. Kevan commented: “I’m very excited to be working with such a respected brand. I believe strong communication is key to providing a great service and I’m keen to find a way to open up more of a dialogue with our customers to further improve working relations.” Hörmann has also welcomed Phillip Clark on board as its new industrial service manager. With over a decade of customer service experience behind him, Phillip will be overseeing the operations of Hörmann’s 17-strong service team of engineering and office staff. He will be responsible for all aspects of industrial service at Hörmann, from on-site maintenance and repair, through to the technical advice and spare parts provided to end customers, such as Sainsbury’s and Network Rail. Phillip commented: “It’s great to be part of this growing service team. The department which has huge potential; I’m looking forward to driving further progress and providing the best possible support for customers.” In their new roles, both Kevan and Phillip have been tasked with strengthening the manufacturer’s relationships with trade partners, increasing efficiency and enhancing the service provided to Hörmann’s end consumers. David Newcombe, managing director at Hörmann (UK), said: “Phillip and Kevan are both assets to the Hörmann team. We were looking for new recruits who understand our customers’ needs and also have the experience to be able to lead a busy team. I am confident that we have found this in both of them.” For more information on Hörmann’s product range or its service packages, call 01530 513000 or visit www.hormann.co.uk . TRADE BUSINESSES SPLIT INTO DIGITAL DOERS AND DENIERS REVEALS NEW STUDY Over half of trade businesses are being left behind by the digital revolution according to a new study, allowing their more tech savvy competitors to win new customers at their expense. Ironmongery Direct , the UK’s largest online and mail order supplier of ironmongery products to the trade, invited 10,000 tradespeople to take part in an annual study which examines the marketing habits of trade businesses across the UK. The findings show a clear split between those companies investing in growing their business using digital marketing, developing effective websites as well as harnessing the potential of Google ads and social media. 59% of businesses admitted that they currently spend nothing marketing their business online, with just under half this number (25%) wanting to harness digital marketing but admitting that they didn’t know where to start. A hardcore of digital deniers (13%), were insistent that they didn’t need anything more than word of mouth to bring in new work. In contrast, 33% of businesses are using digital marketing to grow their customer base, spending on average between 1 to 5% of their annual turnover on digital. A smaller number were also using social media as a tool to bring in new business. The most popular was Facebook (12%) followed by Twitter (5%). Wayne Lysaght-Mason, managing director at Ironmongery Direct , said: “The results of the study clearly show the growing importance of digital marketing within trade businesses, but also show that many feel they are being left behind as customers use digital media more and more to find trades people with a good reputation. “Clearly digital marketing isn’t the only thing that’s important, it’s clear from the study that traditional word of mouth is still the dominant way through which people are gaining new work. However, as the growing use of social media as a marketing tool shows, savvy businesses are using digital marketing as a way to tap into people using sites such as Facebook to pass on recommendations.” To help those wanting to begin using digital marketing to help grow their business, Ironmongery Direct has created a downloadable guide with some basic tips and plans to create further support for both novices and those already investing in digital marketing, plus top tips on how to save hundreds of pounds on marketing activities. The guides can be downloaded from www.IronmongeryDirect.com/toolbox Wayne adds: “There are simple things all tradespeople can do – even if they are just a one man band – to help them keep up with the changes in how people use the internet to find and choose people for jobs. “We want to help pass on our expertise as a digital business to help our customers grow and continue to be successful.”