Talasey Business Development Manager, Becky Bryan, gives Professional Builder’s readers the heads-up ahead of the launch of its new Partner Programme later this year.
How can builders win more premium landscaping projects? Talasey may just have the answer. The leading independent suppliers of landscaping solutions is putting the finishing touches to a new programme specifically designed to enable builders and landscaping professionals to win more prestigious projects.
A lot of landscaping projects – particularly residential ones – are dictated by what a builder or landscaping professional can easily get their hands on through their local merchant. After all, merchants typically stock the best-sellers from a number of suppliers so contractors can see the products for themselves – and maybe even suggest the customer visits the merchant too.
But what happens when a builder or landscaping professional is asked to quote on a project where the customer wants to be wowed?
Before I answer that, it’s important to put this into context. We’ve read many reports and crunched lots of data, and the bottom line is that while sales of more-affordable paving products are now, and will continue to be, aggressively competitive, the UK hard landscaping market has experienced notable shifts over the past few years, with premium segments showing resilience and growth.
How to wow customers and win prestigious projects
For suppliers like us, the stock that a merchant has on display is often the tip of the iceberg. We go to great lengths to develop comprehensive collections (which include premium products) that can be used in combination to create stunning outside spaces. We showcase these through our product catalogue, which we update annually, print and send to merchants.
As part of our new Partner Programme, we will be putting greater emphasis on signposting our in-house support – including our design service – through which we can help partners to create plans for stunning outdoor spaces using an array of materials and products. This will enable us to help builders and landscaping professionals to create spectacular plans that will impress their customers.
It’s important to note
Our in-house team is already producing lots of breath-taking landscape designs that include products that will never see the light of day in merchants’ yards, as, frankly, they are more premium and niche.
But we’re not looking to cut merchants out of the loop with this service. Far from it. We are proud of the fact that we have a merchant-only supply policy, and that’s not about to change because it’s not how we do things.
If anything, the new Partner Programme will strengthen the relationships between us, merchants, builders and landscaping professionals into a win-win-win situation. We have done a lot of the work behind the scenes to make the process as easy as possible for merchants to order non-stocked items, meaning that products can be purchased via the merchant and then we can deliver direct to site.
So how will the new Partner Programme work?
We already have the cornerstone of an effective programme in our Designer & Installer Network – which has worked well for a number of years but has the scope to mushroom into something bigger, better and more beneficial.
In its current guise, the network is a select group of independent professionals who we have partnered with to deliver high-quality design and installation of our Talasey ranges.
There are no associated fees, and we work closely with members and their preferred merchants. We also add value through a series of exclusive benefits – such as having the support of our dedicated landscape consultants – as well as providing marketing and lead-generation support.
Benefits for builders and landscaping professionals
The new Partner Programme will place greater emphasis on seeing sales and loyalty increase. And as they do, so will the benefits package. This will give partners increased access to training and business development materials, exclusive promotions, and awards. Sales are also converted into points for leaderboard positions to win trips. All of these benefits and more will be accessible through a new portal exclusively for partners.
Coming this summer
We’re all very excited about the launch and roll-out of the Partner Programme – not least because it addresses two fundamentals. The first is that it enables us as a supplier to see the usage of a breadth of our products in projects that do our collections justice and turn the ordinary into wow. The second is that it makes the process of selling premium products much easier for our partners – which enables them to tap into a section of the market that I mentioned at the start that is showing resilience and growth.
For further information on the Talasey Partner programme visit Designer & Installer Network – Talasey.
