Tradies, caught up with the stereotype of rocking late, carrying by the nose and then leaving a mess, are used to getting a bad reputation. With nearly 40 percent of Britons admitting that they've had a bad experience with a trader, it's not surprising that many of us are reluctant to ask for professional help. Call a tradie and most of the time phone calls are not returned, scheduled appointments are elastic on a timescale and getting a quote is similar to drawing blood from a stone. Having mentored more than 300 tradies over the past decade, business coach Andrew Pride is still shocked by the bad business practices he encounters.
To improve communications, Madden says Eve merchants provide their customers with a progress report at the end of each day, to allay concerns or answer questions. Good tradies) charge enough for the jobs they take on to be able to give enough time for that job (with free time) so that they don't have to rush and can do the job properly with enough time to get to the next one on time. After 30 years in the construction industry, Newcastle contractor Adam Burrows* is still annoyed by tradies who don't respond to him, but admits that the general caution towards customers remains a good reason.
