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'Pin Points' is very popular with its subscribers and keeps candidates and clients informed of industry news and research, and allows interaction in our special industry polls and insightful interviews. It also provides expert recruitment and job seeking advice, as well as, advance and exclusive notice of some of our exciting new initiatives planned for later this year. 

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We offer some of the best sales, marketing, management and board level jobs in the building products industry – including high quality roles from junior to senior level in the building materials, KBB, Interiors and DIY sectors. 

Visit www.pinnacleconsulting.co.uk to see all our latest jobs and support services.

Operations and Sales - Part 4: The benefits of a close relationship

In the last part of our in-depth focus on the relationship between Sales and Operations at a manufacturer of building products, we look at what the benefits of Sales and Operations working closely together can bring and also who should be driving this change.

The benefits of being customer-focused
The perfect team is a Sales group who follows through until delivery, and an Operations group who supports the Sales group throughout the whole sales cycle...one team, one goal providing the following benefits:

• A company that customers view as ‘reliable & trustworthy’ and come back to 
• A company which has everyone working in the same direction
• A company where people want to help and support each other and show loyalty
• A company which has fewer headaches and problems to deal with internally and can concentrate on selling and growing
• A company with quality and customer service at the heart of their culture
• A company with a structure and ethos in place that means the system will work even when people leave
• A company that knows their customers and communicates with them

The whole company needs to find out what the needs of the customer are and then deliver it to them to give you meaningful competitive advantage.

You can really flourish by bringing these key factors into your everyday approach, but everyone needs to support each other for short and long-term improvement. It is vital that you aim high and deliver even higher. The challenges that Sales and Operations face need to be overcome by working together in order to meet customers’ needs. 

Who should drive this change?
One person cannot make this change happen, but everyone will benefit when it does. Ideally the Managing Director should be recognising the necessity for such an approach, but Martyn suggests that the best way is for the Head of Sales and the Head of Operations to get together and start the process rolling:

“Taking that first step is the most difficult one, and it takes more than one person to implement the change. I would advise that if you are in Sales or in Operations then consider making the first step and approach your counterpart and start the process – it is better than continuing with mistrust, conflict, stress and unhappy customers. You will soon start to get the support to implement the culture change.”

So ask not the question: ‘What can your company do for you?’ but ‘What can you do for your company?’ and the first part will fall into place. Think of others, improve for long-term and not short-term gain and you will meet customers’ expectations and enjoy your jobs with less stress and more time to concentrate on your actual job.

Catch up on our series: 'How to establish a team relationship between Sales & Operations'
Part one: Understanding the issues between Sales and Operations
Part two: Creating a new culture and the role Operations play
Part three: How Sales can help and gain competitive advantage
Part four:  The Benefits of a close relationship

Pinnacle Consulting would like to give special thanks to Martyn Wilks for his time and expert opinion on this issue. Martyn has worked in managerial and directorship positions for market-leading companies including: manufacturers of sprinkler bulbs used in fire protection systems; catering fit-out equipment for hotels, restaurants and commercial kitchens; commercial ventilation extraction units; and domestic plastic piping systems and accessories. Martyn currently works for Day-Impex.

Pinnacle Consulting specialise in construction sales recruitment attracting the best building products sales jobs from some of the best manufacturers and distributors of building materials throughout the UK. Call us on 01480 405225 to discuss either your next career move or if you are looking at bringing high quality salespeople to your company who can understand the needs of the whole company.


Feature Image: PVC Pipes Stacked by Toa55 / FreeDigitalPhotos.net

Operations and Sales - Part 3: How Sales can help

In part three of our in-depth focus on the relationships between Sales and Operations, we discuss with Martyn how Sales can work together with Operations to achieve the company’s aims and what the benefits are when you have successfully implemented this new culture throughout the company.

What should Sales be doing?
It is often not the fault of the Salesperson that unrealistic promises are being made to the customer. Again, this is where communication, education and understanding are important.

The role of the Sales Director is vital to ensure that his team understand the new policies and procedures of the company, as well as the benefit of the increased communication with Operations. If he does not accept the new culture then it will fail, if he does the results will be very rewarding.

It also brings up the subject of recruitment and employing the right kind of person. If you can find the right team members who can adapt to this environment, then they will be very successful and reap the financial and personal benefits.

Martyn has provided us with his list of requirements and attitudes, which he believes is a useful blueprint to ensure that they benefit and maximise their relationship with Operations. If you really want to set yourself apart from other salespeople, this approach is essential reading.

How to lead the way in Sales by enhancing your relationship with Operations

• Understand your route to market
• Understand what your company can achieve
• Feed back information from the customer to Sales/Operations about how you can improve on an ongoing basis
• Know your customers well
• Communicate to all your customers and your colleagues
• Remember that your customer is not the only customer in the company
• Be a team player and respect other departments
• Realise that the Production and Warehouse staff are on your side and your relationship with them is important – build it and they will support you, destroy it and you will not be supported
• Understand what is involved in preparing an order, system difficulties and processes and ensure you are aware of manufacturing lead times, dispatch slots, packing time (including products that need to be assembled), transport implications and possible surcharge costs
• Considering spending some time working in the warehouse
• Be aware that the wrong kind of pressure can create errors (eg Warehouse staff pack without care) and more of a problem than you had in the first place
• Understand your standard lead-times and procedures and don’t make decisions that you have no basis or authority to make
• Don’t lie: ask, check and seek advice and then go back to the customer with an informed solution
• Good customers are long-term customers. Don’t over-promise so that all the stops have to be pulled out on every occasion, it will only lead to letting them down. A customer wants a reliable and trustworthy partner that keeps their promises and meets their needs

In the final part of our feature, we look at what the benefits of Sales and Operations working closely together can bring and also who should be driving this change.


Catch up on our series: 'How to establish a team relationship between Sales & Operations'
Part one: Understanding the issues between Sales and Operations
Part two: Creating a new culture and the role Operations play
Part three: How Sales can help and gain competitive advantage
Part four:  The Benefits of a close relationship

Pinnacle Consulting specialise in construction sales recruitment attracting the best building products sales jobs from some of the best manufacturers and distributors of building materials throughout the UK. Call us on 01480 405225 to discuss either your next career move or if you are looking at bringing high quality salespeople to your company who can understand the needs of the whole company.

Martyn has worked in managerial and directorship positions for market-leading companies including: manufacturers of sprinkler bulbs used in fire protection systems; catering fit-out equipment for hotels, restaurants and commercial kitchens; commercial ventilation extraction units; and domestic plastic piping systems and accessories. Martyn currently works for Day-Impex 

Featured Building Products Sales Jobs: June 2013

June 2013 - This month we focus on a number of excellent UK based management and internal/field sales opportunities, including some superb National roles. If you are interested in the plasterboard, civils, DIY, heavyside and heating & plumbing sectors you should take a look.

• Call us on 01480 405225 to discuss any of our current vacancies 
• Email us on recruit@pinnacleconsulting.co.uk
• Visit our website at www.pinnacleconsulting.co.uk to find out about our full range of recruitment services for the building products sector.

Keep informed of ALL our latest jobs when they become available on our Facebook page. Remember to click LIKE! to ensure you receive the full benefits of news, jobs, entertainment, articles, events and promotions.

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See below for full details of our featured jobs (click 'Read more' if required).

UK jobs market begins to bloom after record Spring

In April, we reported encouraging news on the job market for the first quarter of 2013. We are delighted to hear that the latest figures for May indicate even better news. The latest Reed Job Index shows that we are currently at a five year high for new job opportunities. 

You can download the full report here. 

The jobs market is at its healthiest since 2008 following a record surge in new positions being made available by employers from nearly all industry sectors. Overall, the Reed Job Index now stands at 165, compared with 153 last month and 141 in March 2012.

Figures released for May 2013 show that there were 8% more opportunities on offer in May than in April. Annually, the growth in new positions stands at over 17% with the Reed Job Index achieving 165 points in May, the highest yet.

Job demand

Overall demand for staff grew in over 90% of the UK's employment sectors in May, with a thirteen point rise across the UK compared to April, with one in four sectors making over 10% more job opportunities available. The index now stands at 165, 17% higher than May 2012 and 21% higher than the 2012 average.

Among the sectors enjoying the most notable growth were the education and health and medicine professions, both experiencing annual growth of around 60%. The training sector proved the biggest monthly riser, up by 26% compared with April.

Salaries

Overall, the Reed Salary Index now stands at 98, compared with 99 last month, meaning remuneration is at the same level it was this time last year.

Regions

On average, there are 8% more positions on offer in every UK region compared with last month, with the number of new opportunities available in the capital up 14% year on year.

Steve Rogan, Managing Director of Pinnacle Consulting, commented:

"We are pleased with the news released in the latest Reed survey, it confirms what we have been seeing for ourselves in recent weeks - that employers are becoming more confident in their desire to recruit. However, it is also clear that employers are being very careful to recruit in the right areas to stimulate growth or maximise the chances of turning enquiries into orders. 

"One thing the recession has taught companies is to consider the importance of the recruitment process much more carefully than before, rather than having to pay the cost later".

If you are currently looking to recruit or need a new challenge, please contact us to discuss your needs on 01480 405225. We promise to provide you with expert advice on the best way to address your requirements and to avoid recruitment mistakes being made.

Image courtesy of 'Job Interview' Ambro / FreeDigitalPhotos.net

Operations and Sales - Part 2: Creating a new culture and the role of Operations

In the second part of our interview with supply chain expert, Martyn Wilks, on the relationship between Sales and Operations in the building products sector, we discuss in more detail how to implement a new culture to allow the functions to thrive. We also cover the role Operations play to ensure it is a success.

You can catch up and read part one here

Implementing a new culture
The best way to bring about this kind of culture and structure change, is to strip back and question everything in your current processes to find out where the problems are, then establish a system that makes your customers happy, your Sales department happy, your Operations team happy, your Finance team happy and your competitors livid! 

If we go back to that often-repeated accusation from Sales “Why can’t you supply what we are selling when we have promised it?” and dig a little deeper, you discover how few companies operate and communicate in unity. Perhaps the Salesperson has a valid complaint to Operations and perhaps the Operations team has a valid reason to be frustrated at the demands from Sales. These problems are usually created due to lack of education, communication or effective planning as Martyn explains:

“In these instances, I look at on what basis the products have been promised.  Are they realistic and in line with the agreed lead-times and guidelines that Sales have been advised they can promise customers without conferring with Operations? If they were, I would question the robustness and quality of our system and make changes accordingly. If they were not, as well as questioning why the customer has been told something that is not possible, I’d also consider if what they are asking is feasible and necessary for the future and then ask: do we still need to question the robustness and quality of our system? That is a key point: always move forward and evaluate. However, it is equally important to address why the Salesperson has not acted as a team member by their actions”.

It is clear that confused messages to customers and lack of consistency within companies can cause major problems, even resentment and division between people and departments and needs to be avoided.

What should Operations be doing?
An Operations Manager/Director needs to make sure they are in control of what is being made and what is going out, rather than letting his team take total control, as otherwise the easy order will be picked by the Warehouse, rather than the larger one, the one that needs more time to prepare, or the one that is awkward to pick. This way an Operations Manager/Director is in control of what is going on and is able to react more quickly to emergencies, as well as knowing exactly what is coming off the production lines and out of the warehouse. However, as Martyn points out, this will slowly change over time, as it becomes more of a team environment:

“Although you always need to be in control and aware, once the process of communication and education starts to become enshrined throughout the company, all members of your team begin to take responsibility and become true team players. You are then able to rely on people to make decisions that are for the good of the company and the customer.”

Martyn thinks that the key to success in Operations is to have an effective Material Resources Planning System (MRP System) with its parameters established around a mixture of knowledge, facts and commonsense. Martyn has put together a list of considerations to assist Operations in the effectiveness of their planning process. 

A guide to success
Below is a guide for an effective planning system to improve the relationship. Although this is aimed at Operations, it is exactly the sort of areas and points that Sales Directors, Business Development Managers and National Accounts Managers should be aware of, and embrace and encourage in their new closer relationship with Operations.

Know the role of Sales and the needs of the customer and be involved

• Speak to your counterpart in Sales on a regular basis and ensure that relevant people from Operations are talking with Internal Sales
• Make sure you are involved/aware of new product launch plans and promotional activity or new business that might affect demand of any product
• Attend key sales meetings and gain a better understanding of the pressures and processes of the Sales team and vice versa
• Find out on what basis sales forecasts for production are being made and have an expert input at an early stage
• Ask yourself if you know what customers actually want in terms of service. If necessary meet your customers to enhance your understanding and process
• Make sure that you communicate to the customer any changes to the original agreement. This should be done as early as possible and preferably via the Sales department (internal or external)

Look at your systems

• Ask yourself if your company’s lead times are realistic and evaluate on what basis they have been made and by whom. This is especially important when you move to a new company or position
• Look at your maximum/minimum stock and re-order levels and how often you check them for excessive demand and review the norm
• Know what you can actually achieve per day and how you can achieve it
• Know what you need to achieve on each individual trading day and how you are going to achieve it
• Strive to always deliver on time and in full
• Know (and evaluate) where and what the potential process hold-ups are in order to successfully achieve the company’s goals
• Look at the robustness of the purchase order/supply trail and if delays and errors are created as a result

Know your team, plan ahead and adapt

• Know and evaluate what everyone under your control does in their role and what their value is. This applies to your staff and suppliers
• If your team are making errors that cause problems to the customer, have a plan to prevent them happening again, eg picking errors, goods arriving damaged, goods being sent to the wrong place, substandard product being manufactured 
• Evaluate if you have the right people, right machines and right processes in place and always consider if you need to recruit, make redundancies, change roles, or automate manufacturing/assembly, streamline operations, change packing materials and processes, evaluate transportation methods or improve IT
• If possible have an alternative in place in the event of machine breakdown or a supplier letting you down
• When required, consider if you need to employ more people or introduce overtime to meet demand

These points are geared towards meeting the customers’ requirements now and in the future and should to be addressed on an on-going basis, otherwise you will soon be back to square one. 

In part three, we will be looking at the role of Sales and how a Salesperson’s behaviour and attitude needs to change in order to make the new culture work. We will also be painting a picture of how your company will look if you succeed in making this change.


Catch up on our series: 'How to establish a team relationship between Sales & Operations'
Part one: Understanding the issues between Sales and Operations
Part two: Creating a new culture and the role Operations play
Part three: How Sales can help and gain competitive advantage
Part four:  The Benefits of a close relationship

Pinnacle Consulting specialise in construction sales recruitment attracting the best building products sales jobs from some of the best manufacturers and distributors of building materials throughout the UK. Call us on 01480 405225 to discuss either your next career move or if you are looking at bringing high quality salespeople to your company who can understand the needs of the whole company.

Martyn has worked in managerial and directorship positions for market-leading companies including: manufacturers of sprinkler bulbs used in fire protection systems; catering fit-out equipment for hotels, restaurants and commercial kitchens; commercial ventilation extraction units; and domestic plastic piping systems and accessories. Martyn currently works for Day-Impex 

Some workers are on site! They think it's all over! It is now!

After years of hurt, all this means that the UK construction industry is back in growth after six consecutive months of decline, according to a new survey from the Chartered Institute of Purchasing and Supply.  

The improvement has been mainly due to residential house building growing at its fastest pace for 26 months. However, the report also showed supplier performance deteriorated in May - but suppliers should be encouraged that it is down to demand exceeding supply. If this can be resolved, then Pin Board is confident that the growth in the industry will continue to increase in the coming months.

The Markit/CIPS Purchasing Managers’ Index® (PMI®) for the construction sector posted its index at 50.8, up from last month's 49.4, showing a moderate rebound in output levels & new work.

David Noble, CIPS CEO said: "The construction sector seems to have turned a corner after six dismal months. The improvement has been fuelled by a boom in house building, but the sector remains bogged down by contractions in commercial construction and civil engineering. Whilst confidence for the year ahead remains high, the poor performance of suppliers and flat levels of employment will serve as a reality check to construction and the wider UK economy.

"The Government's attempts to boost house building has given months of lacklustre growth a shot in the arm, but the continued decline in civil engineering can be largely attributed to the lack of public sector projects, which show no sign of increasing. This, coupled with poor performance in the commercial sector, means house building alone is driving industry growth.

"Supplier performance in May was the weakest since 2007, reflecting the slow pace of growth filtering through the supply chain, which continues to recover from the recession. This is typified by shortages of capacity, low stocks and worsening lead times which have reduced suppliers' capacity to meet demand as the sector tries to gear up for recovery. This will need to improve, before the sector sees a return to previous levels of output."

All at Pinnacle Consulting, leading recruitment specialists for sales and marketing professionals in the construction and building products sector, hope that the manufacturers and distributors within the industry are able to move quickly and help the recovery. 


Image courtesy of artur84 / FreeDigitalPhotos.net

How to establish a team relationship between Sales and Operations - Part 1: Understanding the issues

In our recent survey, sales professionals from within the building products/materials industry were asked to express their opinion on the biggest obstacles that prevent them from achieving success in their jobs. The results show one of their main frustrations is poor operational support. 

We thought we’d look at this problem from the view of Operations and try to discover why there is division between the functions and how to establish a positive team relationship. For an expert opinion, we spoke to Martyn Wilks, who has been running the supply chain for companies within the industry during the last twenty years. Over a four part series, Martyn will be giving us the benefit of his experience and knowledge of the Operations function and its relationship with Sales.

Understanding the function of Operations
The crux of the division is perfectly illustrated by these statements, firstly from Sales: “Why can’t you supply what we are selling?” and from Operations: “Why are you selling and promising what we can’t supply?” 

Who is and who isn’t doing their job correctly? Like most things, it’s not quite that simple. We started our discussion with Martyn by asking him what is the main function of Operations at a manufacturer of building products.

“Operations is at the centre of the company and, although our jobs don’t exist without an order, it’s no good having an order if the products can’t be made and to the correct standard and quantity. It is also equally pointless having an order if it cannot be dispatched to the customer when they need it. 

"Additionally, there are many wider company issues that need to be considered by the person in charge of Operations: manpower and recruitment, logistics and budgets; for example, a company may not be financially viable if stock value is too high or if processes are too costly or unreliable. These challenges normally sit firmly in the domain of Operations - Sales can be blissfully unaware that we have other things to do than assist them! However, this does work the other way round too, which demonstrates why ‘understanding’ is one of the first barriers that needs to be broken down if you want to create a true team relationship between Sales and Operations.

"I see the role of Operations as ensuring there is always the right stock of the right products at the right time, and within a system that provides flexibility for those inevitable emergencies. 

"There is, of course, the equally important requirement to ensure processes are efficient and accurate, to maximise margins and create a climate where growth is possible. This has to be achieved with the focus on the needs of the customer, which is often forgotten by Operations and, yes, Sales too!”

So far, this all sounds perfectly sensible: a Salesperson wants to sell a product and Operations want to make and dispatch the product. Both are seemingly doing their jobs and are working for the same company with the desire to make it a successful one by meeting customers’ requirements profitably. However, things go wrong. Why?

What causes the issues between the functions?
Martyn considers that the problem in many companies is that the real needs of the customer are not at the centre of decision-making.

“This is one of the main causes of the problem as self-interest, combined with a general lack of communication, understanding and process, results in everyone forgetting what is important: the customer. Generally, a Salesperson only focuses on their quota. Once they make a sale, they move on. It is not their concern how orders are fulfilled. As soon as they have their order, any problems that may arise are an Operations problem. The key to resolving this line of thought is to drive home that a sale is not a sale until the customer is happy.

"Operations tend to view Salespeople as an annoyance to their daily work. An Operations employee focuses on the many tasks involved in running a business. Although the obvious goal should be to drive sales, many don't look at it that way and will put a sale at the bottom of the pile...’I'll get to it when I get to it’."

So, rather than accuse, blame, defend and have an ensuing state of chaos, Operations and Sales need to focus on how the requirements of the customer can be met and how the company can operate efficiently and effectively, leaving the competition to fight over the unwanted scraps.

The need to view Sales and Operations as one function 
Many companies are beginning to realise there is no dividing line between the two departments. Operations should be a function of Sales and Sales should be a function of Operations. This is a view shared by Martyn:

“Believe it or not, we do like to say ‘Yes’ to Sales. That is always our goal. Perhaps fifteen years ago I may have thought differently and would have seen them as a hindrance and they viewed me as some kind of miracle worker! However, unless you realise that your common goal is the customer, nothing will ever change. If the blame culture continues to be rife in your company, the customer will be the loser, which ultimately means everyone loses.

"I strongly recommend that the only way to move forward and stop having the same problems and issues is to create an environment where everyone is on the same side, acting with one voice and in one direction. So, rather than moan, find out the solution to the problems and issues and don’t let them happen again, wherever the blame lies.”

How do companies go about creating this change of approach? 
Martyn believes the following guidelines should be at the centre of any approach a company adopts:

• Understand the needs of the customer and focus your actions around them
• Understand the current limitations of the Operations and Sales departments and find a way to solve them - permanently and perpetually
• Create a climate of education and understanding of each other’s role within the company 
• Work together and communicate as one team, creating a happy working environment where people want to work for each other and take responsibility
• Be consistent but flexible in your approach
• Create a climate for growth and market-leading excellence, to give your company a competitive advantage

In the second part of our interview with Martyn, we will be discussing how to implement this new culture and the role Operations plays to ensure it is a success.

Catch up on our series: 'How to establish a team relationship between Sales & Operations'
Part one: Understanding the issues between Sales and Operations
Part two: Creating a new culture and the role Operations play
Part three: How Sales can help and gain competitive advantage
Part four:  The Benefits of a close relationship

Pinnacle Consulting specialise in construction industry sales recruitment attracting the best building products sales job opportunities from some of the best manufacturers and distributors of building materials throughout the UK. Call us on 01480 405225 to discuss either your next career move or if you are looking at bringing high quality salespeople to your company who can understand the needs of the whole company.

Martyn has worked in managerial and directorship positions for market-leading companies including: manufacturers of sprinkler bulbs used in fire protection systems; catering fit-out equipment for hotels, restaurants and commercial kitchens; commercial ventilation extraction units; and domestic plastic piping systems and accessories. Martyn currently works for Day-Impex 

Fall in construction output is suffocating growth and costing jobs, TUC warns

The government did not deliver for the construction industry in the Budget earlier this year but it is about time some real investment was given to boost the industry - especially as we learn from the TUC that the UK economy would have grown three times faster over the last year if the government had stopped the decline of the UK construction industry. 

Our simple message to the coalition is the way to build a real recovery is to invest in building a prosperous future through reconstructing the construction industry.

The analysis by the TUC shows that had construction output remained the same over the past five quarters economic growth would have increased by 1.2 per cent instead of just 0.4 per cent.

The UK construction industry has shrunk, overall, by ten per cent since the government came to power, the study reveals. Construction output is now at its lowest level since 1998.

The main reason for this fall has been recent cuts to publicly-funded construction projects, which account for a fifth of total construction output, says the TUC.

Since the election the government has slashed Treasury support for public construction works by over a quarter (27.3 per cent). During this period public money for house building has been cut by a fifth (20 per cent) and spending on school, hospital and transport building projects cut by over a third (37.8 per cent).

The fall in public sector construction projects has not been made up by the private sector, the study shows. Private sector funded construction works have declined by 4.5 per cent since the government took office.

The government's failure to support the construction industry has also resulted in huge job losses, says the TUC. The research highlights how construction employment has fallen by 70,000 over the last year and by 89,000 since the coalition took office.

In addition, wages for those workers who have managed to survive the cull have shrunk in real terms by over £3,000 a year over the course of this parliament.

Unless the government provides more public funding the construction industry will continue to be a drag on economic growth, says the TUC.

The TUC wants the government to kick-start an ambitious programme of affordable house building and investment in infrastructure projects. The government's refusal to borrow to invest, and instead wait for private money that isn't arriving, is preventing projects getting off the ground, says the TUC.

Research carried out for the TUC by the National Institute for Economic and Social Research (NIESR) shows that a £30bn investment in infrastructure would boost growth immediately and increase economic output by 0.5 per cent a year on a permanent basis. It would also pay for itself in the long run, if implemented in 'crisis' times.

TUC General Secretary Frances O'Grady: 'The government's failure to support our construction industry has been terrible for jobs, growth and wages.

'This research shows what happens to the economy when you cut back on vital state funding and why we need urgent investment in new affordable housing and infrastructure projects.

'Without this stimulus the construction sector will continue to struggle and slow down our recovery.'

Take a look at the latest sales jobs in the construction industry.