Following on from the success of its annual Brett Approved Installer Award ceremony, Brett Landscaping has undertaken key research – using opinions and experiences of past and current award-winners – to discover why Brett Approved Installers find the scheme so beneficial, both for their individual business development and professional progression.
Key findings include the marketing support provided by Brett Landscaping to BAIs, reward incentives that can be used to obtain discounts on paving purchases and the boost in credibility that comes from winning a BAI Award.
Now in its eighth year, the Brett Approved Installer (BAI) scheme serves to offer specialist help to an ever increasing number of paving contractors and individuals who independently supply and install driveways and patios using Brett Landscaping products, while also assuring their customers of the outstanding quality and expertise they can expect.
Explaining the philosophy behind BAI, Calvin Jackson, Scheme Manager at Brett Landscaping, comments: “In devising the BAI scheme, Brett has created an ethos based on quality rather than quantity. As such, our scheme is driven by member recognition and reward, together with an aim to strengthen and further validate independent installation businesses. In doing so, we feel we have assisted some of the most reliable and skilled tradespeople around the country, and helped their businesses to do more.”
The scheme is supported by an annual award ceremony, now in its eighth year, which acts to acknowledge and commend partner installers of particular exception. The independently judged awards serve as a platform to the paving industry of installers’ capabilities, reflected in the record number of applications – well over 300 – received this year. Speaking to winners, past and present, the Brett team has benefited from gathering insightful information that clarifies – from the installers’ position – the exact benefits of the BAI scheme, as Calvin Jackson explains:
“We developed the BAI scheme with the particular intention of providing a series of advantages and rewards to our experienced independent installers - allowing them to enhance their professional development, while simultaneously developing further skillsets to help carry individual businesses to the next level. Whilst we openly see the benefits from our point of view, it’s also invaluable to learn how the scheme supports its actual members in practice, so we feel confident that we’re keeping up the good work.”
One of many installers who has profited from the scheme is Benfleet-based paving installer Woods Paving, a long-standing BAI Premier member and the 2014 BAI Installer of the Year.
The firm, which specialises in the installation of bespoke drive and pathways, was also awarded with the Brett Regional Installer of the Year 2014 (South East), accolade; commendations which have brought additional kudos to the firm, as company Managing Director, Rob Woods confirms.
“Without doubt, being acknowledged not once, but twice by such a well-regarded supplier for our installation practice was extremely gratifying, and furthers our reputation with customers and within our sector, but for Woods Paving being part of the BAI scheme is about more than recognition.”
Rob refers to the wide-ranging assistance his company has received since being a member of the BAI scheme. His firm has had support with the production of PR, flyers and advertisements, with Brett helping Woods to promote its business in regional press. In addition, Woods has been provided with all the necessary documentation to show its full compliance with industry regulations and has also received financial funding towards specialist training.
“By becoming a BAI, we have remained independent, but also benefited from the support afforded by being part of a larger team,” explains Rob. “Brett has supplied us with workwear, literature and guarantee information packs - in essence the materials any customer would expect to see when employing the services of a large, reputable installation outfit, which with the addition of Brett’s support, we feel we are.
“In addition, Brett regularly gives us and fellow BAI members a push on its social media channels. In fact, we’re building quite a community on Twitter to celebrate each other’s work and generate further word-of-mouth marketing,” Rob adds.
Another of Brett’s award-winning installers is ProPave, a Reading-based paving specialist partner chosen as Brett’s Regional Installer of the Year 2014 (South West). John Wheeler, Founder of ProPave is speaks highly of the support Brett has provided to his firm and further details the assistance the company has received.
“In our case, we were able to really benefit from the reward incentive offered through the BAI scheme. In essence, points can be accrued with relation to how much Brett product we use and install. The rewards can then be spent in-full to fund support items intended to benefit business development, or be converted to a quarterly or annual cash payment at half the original value.”
ProPave used the points it collected to help towards the purchase of necessary equipment, namely a new saw, which has helped the business to improve performance and quality.
“The whole team at ProPave has benefited in some way from the scheme, which has a two-way structure, because Brett gives us the opportunity to give feedback regarding our membership, so improvements can always be made if needed.”
While organisations such as Woods Paving and ProPave have been members of the BAI scheme for several years, others are new to the programme; but already realise the advantages that the Brett affiliation affords.
Paul Williams of Middlesex-based paving installer NH Home Improvements Limited explains that while this is the first year his firm has been part of the scheme, it has also been a year of success – as NH Home Improvements has been awarded the national recognition of being Newcomer of the Year 2014 as well as attaining Premier status in their first year of membership.
“We view the Brett Approved Installer Awards as a prestigious showcase, designed to acknowledge the best paving installers in the industry. Receiving an award and being considered a premier member within our first year of association strengthens our reputation no end, which in this industry is a valuable asset.”
For Brett Landscaping one additional advantage of working with such great contractors is access to fantastic projects which feature extensively in their highly regarded Gardens & Drives brochure. As Andrew Gill, Marketing Manager at Brett Landscaping explains “We pride ourselves on using real projects in our literature as opposed to set building. This enables our future customers to see just what our products will look like when professionally installed. It also provides BAI’s with a great opportunity to see their projects showcased for a national audience and use this to promote their business to their customers.”
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