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DaveCSC
Good thread.
A lot of people do get roped into training courses on the belief that they will earn £50,000 per year. I recently contacted a company that were advertising plumbing courses through distance learning. The course cost approx £4,000, when I queried the cost he replied that doctors leave college with debts of £15,000 and they won’t earn £50,000 a year and why wouldn’t I book on the course and did I still want to be in a dead end job in 12 months – total hard sell. (Just to let you know I am from Construction Skills College in Stoke, I told this company though that I worked in a factory and was depressed with my job so that I could find out what they were all about).
Customer service is very important and it can be the little things that make a big difference, for example, if you went to price a job wearing jeans and a top or you went to price a job wearing work trousers and a top with your business name printed on the difference in the customer’s eyes is massive. Their first impression of your professionalism is key, and the cost of a couple of tops is very low.
And the basics – be on time, be friendly, be confident, be tidy – when you have finished a job a customer does not want to have to clean up after you. AND don’t forget to take photos of your work and build up a portfolio.
Did you know that organisations such as business initiatives and business link occasionally run courses on working for yourself covering areas such as marketing, book keeping, etc? These courses are free and in Stoke you can attend either during the day or evenings.
A lot of people do get roped into training courses on the belief that they will earn £50,000 per year. I recently contacted a company that were advertising plumbing courses through distance learning. The course cost approx £4,000, when I queried the cost he replied that doctors leave college with debts of £15,000 and they won’t earn £50,000 a year and why wouldn’t I book on the course and did I still want to be in a dead end job in 12 months – total hard sell. (Just to let you know I am from Construction Skills College in Stoke, I told this company though that I worked in a factory and was depressed with my job so that I could find out what they were all about).
Customer service is very important and it can be the little things that make a big difference, for example, if you went to price a job wearing jeans and a top or you went to price a job wearing work trousers and a top with your business name printed on the difference in the customer’s eyes is massive. Their first impression of your professionalism is key, and the cost of a couple of tops is very low.
And the basics – be on time, be friendly, be confident, be tidy – when you have finished a job a customer does not want to have to clean up after you. AND don’t forget to take photos of your work and build up a portfolio.
Did you know that organisations such as business initiatives and business link occasionally run courses on working for yourself covering areas such as marketing, book keeping, etc? These courses are free and in Stoke you can attend either during the day or evenings.