All I want for Christmas is...'a new sales job in the building industry'

It is not long now and if a building products sales job is high on your wish list this Christmas, then your dream present could be waiting to be unopened. 

Visit our grotto and...CHOOSE A PRESENT FROM OUR CHRISTMAS JOB LIST!

If you are interested in any our roles or are looking to develop your career, contact us today or take a look at our website for more details.

• 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.

We would like to wish everyone a Merry Christmas and a Happy New Year!

Christmas closure: Please all be advised that we will be closed for Christmas from 12.30 pm Tues. 23rd Dec. 2014 but will be open again on Mon 5th Jan. 2015 - all refreshed and ready for a great New Year!

However, please feel free to send your applications and interest to recruit@pinnacleconsulting.co.uk over the festive break.

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.

Sales Management Job in Focus: Regional Sales Director for Windows OTE £80-90k

Our latest Job in Focus is an excellent opportunity with a respected and high quality manufacturer of uPVC windows and doors. The role is aimed at the new build applications and targeting developers and social housing providers to generate sales and specifications.

This a fantastic role where you can create and develop a sales, operations and installations team. 

Each month our Construction and Building Industry Job in Focus feature takes a detailed look at some of the fantastic sales and marketing construction and building materials job vacancies currently on our books. Job in Focus is also promoted on our website. Visit www.pinnacleconsulting.co.uk 

Job Title: Regional Sales Director
Job Ref: J4939
Product: Windows
Location: North West
Salary: £65k

EMPLOYER: Our client are a major manufacturer of high performance uPVC Windows, Doors and Hardware, targeted specifically at New Build applications. The company have a fantastic reputation for quality, offering an innovative range of products tailored to the specific needs and performance standards of Developers and Social Housing Providers. 

JOB DESCRIPTION: Regional Sales Director - Unique opportunity to take ownership in the launch of a new region, proactively establishing business in the Northern region, targeting key Regional and Major volume Housebuilders. The role will initially focus on establishing and developing sustainable business relationships, identifying project and site builds and generating sales and specification. Once the individual has successfully made initial progress, they will be tasked with recruiting and managing a regional Sales, Operations and Installation team to drive and coordinate the growth of the region. 

LOCATION: North of the UK - Ideally located in North West - Greater Manchester, Merseyside, Lancashire, Cheshire, Staffordshire, West Yorkshire 

CANDIDATE: We are looking for high calibre proven sales management professionals, you will have existing experience in field sales management, leading and managing a team of field based sales professionals. In addition you will have extensive, proven track record in delivering sales within the New Build sector. Ideally you will have current, strong network of contacts with key national volume housebuilders. In terms of industry background, this role will be best suited to candidates from Windows, Doors, Roofing or related exterior building products. 

PACKAGE: On offer is a negotiable basic salary £55,000-£65,000 + Superb OTE of £80,000 - £90,000 + Company Car + Excellent secondary benefits 

For further information or to discuss your career options contact Steve Brennan on 01480 405225 or apply online.

What factors are underpinning investment in the Construction Products Industry?

A new study by the Construction Products Association has been published to help understand the economic, political and regulatory landscape facing the industry. 

The key findings in this report suggest how industry and government can work better together to develop policies that give greater certainty and confidence to industry to encourage investment, innovation and growth.


You can download the report here.


Summary of the key findings include:

• Effective regulations are clearly defined, target-driven and not prescriptive.
• Industry needs policy and regulation that is simple with minimal administrative burden.
• Policy works best when government consults industry early and regularly to identify problems, review measures, provide solutions and evaluate results.
• Government can create greater certainty for industry by providing a roadmap with a long term plan – not just over five-year parliamentary cycles – and clear goals which allow time for industry to prepare. 
• Once the roadmap is implemented, unplanned changes should be avoided.  Delivery according to the original plan is key.  Consistency of policy helps industry to invest.
• Cross-party consensus should be sought in advance for policies which are key drivers in major markets (e.g., infrastructure and housing), to prevent changes occurring due to party politics.

Industry also needs to demonstrate leadership and play its part in helping develop effective policy and regulation. We can do this by working together to establish a consensus and:

• Speaking as a supply chain with a consistent voice to government.
• Providing government with high-level, outcome-focussed, strategic input which avoids commercial differences.
• Supporting well-considered, effective regulations with credible, practical solutions that are fact and evidence-based.

Recruitment for the building and construction sector

If you are looking for a sales or marketing job with a construction product manufacturer, we can help. Find out more...

Job growth and creation are the highlights of the latest Markit/CIPS Construction PMI

The Markit/CIPS UK Construction PMI slowed to a 13-month low in November but more positively it is still the 19th consecutive month of being considered in growth. 

The good news was that job creation remains strong and UK construction companies indicated a positive expansion of business activity. However, construction and building products manufacturers are still under pressure with demand still exceeding supply and lead-times suffering. Although frustrating, we at Pinnacle Consulting take the view that it is better there is demand than not.

All three broad areas of construction activity registered reduced rates of expansion in November, led by a marked slowdown in civil engineering. The latest expansion of civil engineering activity was the weakest since July 2013. Meanwhile, residential building was the strongest performing area of activity in November. However, house building and commercial construction activity both expanded at the least marked rates since October 2013.

November data pointed to a rise in new business volumes for the 19th successive month. Reports from survey suggested that strong competition for new work and greater uncertainty about the economic outlook had weighed a little on client confidence.

Great News for Employment
Despite reduced rates of output and new business growth, the latest survey pointed to steady and strong job creation across the construction sector and the pace of employment growth picked up a little since the previous month and was still relatively close to the survey-record high seen in July. 

Meanwhile, increased workloads contributed to a solid rise in sub-contractor usage in November. Latest data also signalled the fastest rise in sub-contractor charges since the survey began in April 1997.

Building and construction materials still in short supply
Survey respondents generally commented on strengthening demand for construction materials and pressures on capacity at suppliers. Latest data also pointed to a steep lengthening of vendor delivery times, although the rate of deterioration was the least marked since June 2013.

Looking ahead, construction firms remain optimistic about the prospects for output growth at their units over the year ahead.

There was also evidence of improving underlying demand, strong pipelines of residential building projects and a general rise in new invitations to tender across the UK regions.
However, the overall degree of optimism eased slightly in November to a 13-month low, with some construction firms citing concerns among clients regarding the wider economic outlook.

Commenting on the report, David Noble, Group Chief Executive Officer at the Chartered Institute of Procurement & Supply, said:

“The sector continues to enjoy strong recovery and higher levels of activity, even if the rate of expansion has slowed a little compared to recent months.

“Led by an increase in residential housing activity,new orders and the accompanying rise in levels of staffing, the sector’s growth is no longer confined to the south of the country and is becoming more widespread.

“The flipside of this coin is the rise in demand for construction materials, which has resulted in capacity issues amongst suppliers. As the UK Government announces more detail around road expansion plans, this may add to the pressure on suppliers and their ability to meet the needs of the sector. Though delivery times from suppliers have lengthened, procurement and supply chain managers paint a picture of general optimism amongst the economic doomsayers as the index remains well above the no change mark.

“The one dark spot on the horizon is the danger of prolonged skill shortages across the construction sector. As sub-contractors are currently in high demand and becoming increasingly costly, the recruitment difficulties experienced by many firms in the sector may need to be addressed sooner rather than later; as the sector has some catching up to do to develop more available skilled labour.”

Housebuilding figures continue to grow but momentum must be maintained say NHBC

October saw the highest number of new home registrations recorded in a month since 2011, according to figures released by NHBC.

A total of 13,950 new homes were registered over the month - 11,151 for the private sector and 2,799 for public housing. The last high point during a month was in June 2011 when 14,565 homes were registered. October's figures were also a 10% improvement on October 2013, NHBC said.

NHBC commented that the figures were in part strengthened by the registration of 539 new units during the third phase of the Battersea Power station project.

Growth in the quarter of August to October - at 14% against the same period last year - was led by the private sector, where registrations grew 20% to 29,341. Public sector registrations dipped 7% to 7,799. In total, 37,140 new homes were registered during the three month period.

NHBC's CEO Mike Quinton said: "The October figures show that the UK housebuilding industry is continuing to build on the strong new housing volumes seen in 2013. All the signs are that 2014 will be another encouraging year with growth being registered across all parts of the UK.

"While this is obviously positive news, we know that the industry is working from a historically low base so there is still much work to do to ensure this momentum continues."

www.pinnacleconsulting.co.uk sales and marketing recruitment for the building products sector

What happens when your customers and employees start to lose faith in previously successful management?

When management becomes stale

If your customers start to lose faith in your product and your workforce no longer fully believes in the direction your product is being taken, it is obvious you have a problem to address. 

This is particularly crucial if your product has the potential to be the market leader and is being prevented from doing so by poor management decisions, especially when this is also one of the reasons your workforce is not fully motivated. The solution to the problem seems obvious, doesn’t it?

If the same management is enshrined within the whole ethos of your product and past glory but is also one of the main reasons why you still have such a potentially successful offering, it makes the issue harder to address. If it is not addressed, you’ll always be wondering what could have been achieved if action was taken.

However, the fear of removing the management and the possible negative consequences can create indecision. Business owners become conflicted between loyalty and making sound business decisions. They may think the situation is salvageable within the current management structure, but even then, sensitive but decisive action is required to change the status quo.

These situations are often allowed to develop during the good times, as too much power is given to one person and their decision-making eventually becomes clouded, stubborn and narrow minded with no sense of reality. What seems obvious to most is just not on the agenda and when a growing number of people point this out, it makes things worse, because the management tends to want to prove they’re right and almost deliberately do not take the required actions. 

Football often provides us with good analogies and an obvious example is currently happening at Arsenal Football Club. 

Since becoming the manager in 1996, Arsene Wenger quickly turned a struggling team into a winning one and revolutionised football in England. He made the right decisions in the transfer market, tactically on the field and for the image of the club off the field. He became a legend and rightfully so.

Is your management
showing leadership?

He also led the club to financial stability, creating a thriving business and a platform for sustained top-level success. However, in the last few years the silverware has dwindled; world-class players have been allowed to leave and replacements on the whole have been inferior. As a result, the positions which needed addressing have not been. 

The club’s customers – its supporters – have become frustrated and less supportive, the team has lost that inner belief that they are winners and an air of complacency has set in. 

The team continues to entertain and qualify for the lucrative Champions League and the global brand remains strong. However, Wenger and the club appear reluctant to make those key decisions which would make them on top of the world again. 

Sooner rather than later, that lucrative income from the Champions League will not be achieved and it could be a position which is hard to recover from.

It’s almost as if they don’t want real success again (other than on the profit and loss account). Or perhaps Wenger is just so stubborn and blinded by criticism that his judgement no longer has what it takes to be a winner, and nobody has the guts to tell him.

It is made more difficult for the owners, as the team is not showing spectacular failure; the person in charge has brought them a lot of previous success and taken them to the brink of yet more success – but that brink never seems as though it’s going to be breached. 

A couple of years ago we compared Wenger with Ferguson and discussed what skills are needed to achieve success over a prolonged period in your job. It seems Wenger has not really listened to the warnings. It makes interesting reading in hindsight…. Read more here.

Many manufacturers in the building and construction industry face this situation. The longer they wait, the stronger the competition gets, the lower down the market leaders’ table they go and the harder it is to return to that leading position. 

Ask yourself: would you allow the following to happen? 

• Potential customers no longer consider your product as a viable and preferred product
• The demand in your product to be reduced, so you sell less product at a lower price
• Allow your best sales, marketing and product development staff to leave for your competitor and benefit them rather than you
• Not being able to recruit the best replacements 
• Your workforce to no longer be as passionate about selling your product
• Reduce your ability to attract investors and business partners
• Run the risk of not having the kudos to effectively invest in product development 
• Lose touch with, and the faith of, your supporters
• Receive negative trade press and social media coverage
• Not have the right people to move the company forward
• Continually make the wrong decisions 
• Give all the power to one person and allow them to become unaccountable

This is exactly what Arsenal Football Club is allowing to happen and it needs sound recruitment and management decisions to halt the slide. 

What are your options?
The options open to Arsenal are pretty much those available to companies in similar situations:

• Retain existing management and do nothing
• Retain existing management but make sure that the business owners/directors are more heavily involved in decision-making for the good of the club, allowing the power of the club to be spread
• Replace the current management with a new forward-thinking team and structure best suited to adapt and succeed in the modern game 

Key attributes needed
to succeed

Clearly, all three have their risks, but choosing the first option demonstrates weak executive management and is likely to end in disaster. 

The second option could be hugely successful but may result in apathy and negativity of a different kind. However, having a system in place at the outset, in which the manager has the flexibility and time to do the job on their terms but knowing that they are both accountable and not the sole decision-maker, is paramount for the future. This structural change - that may even include recruitment to support the management - is a viable solution. 

One of the main issues that frustrate Arsenal supporters is that the funds for investment in the playing staff are available and it’s not as though they are fighting against the odds to survive. There seems to be reluctance from the management to spend, even in areas requiring attention. You wouldn’t appoint a novice sales person in the most demanding and competitive geographical area or overload a sector with too many sales professionals, allowing none of them to thrive, but this seems to be Arsenal’s policy. Budgets need to be spent in the right places at the right level to improve the business and achieve success.

The third option needs to be done sympathetically and with respect to the success of the previous management and full understanding of the potential downside of the decision: loss of experience and also the loyalty of existing staff to the person being replaced. Finding the right person to take you forward is even more vital and potentially more difficult.

The board and owners of Arsenal are currently in this difficult dilemma but seem to be dealing with it by ignoring it, or perhaps they are just happy with being “the almosts” ... that doesn’t have same ring as “the invincibles” does it?. Show some ambition please Arsenal, from top to bottom.

Things can change in football very quickly and the article we did on the importance of confidence in the workplace, again relating it to Arsenal and Wenger clearly shows this. It also, looking back, shows how it needs to be sustained and built upon - one of the main problems at Arsenal today.

If you are facing some key structural decisions or need to appoint executive level management and require independent and professional advice to ensure you find and appoint the right person for your company, please contact us on 01480 405225 or visit our website at www.pinnacleconsulting.co.uk  p.s. the board at Arsenal is very welcome to pick up the phone...

Construction Marketing Awards 2014: Who won?

The winners have been announced at this year's Construction Marketing Awards and the Agency of the year for 2014 is SLG Marketing.

The CMAs are organised by The Chartered Institute of Marketing Construction Industry Group (CIMCIG) and recognise marketing excellence in the built environment.

SLG Marketing was praised for working closely with its clients to produce creative campaigns. It was also crowned winner of the 'Best use of direct marketing' award.

Construction marketers are vital in developing brands and providing manufacturers, distributors and merchants in the construction products industry with both insight and competitive advantage to help deliver business objectives. Interested in a job in construction marketing?

NHBC scooped the 'Best use of advertising' prize for its 'People Power' advertising campaign, which marked a shift in focus from products and services to the value of NHBC's people. It was also awarded the 'Best mobile campaign' gong.

Eurocell won 'Best product launch' for its Modus product. H+H - alongside its PR company Ridgemount PR - was named winner of the 'Sustainability as a marketing strategy' award, with the firm promoting its contribution to sustainable housing through its aircrete products.

Celotex was triumphant in the 'Best social media campaign' category for its Insulating Britain campaign which communicated the latest changes to Part L and how Celotex could help.

And Ian Exall, CIMCIG's chair, was presented with the CIMCIG Special Award for his long term commitment to the CMAs and CIMCIG, the latter of which has seen a four fold increase in membership under Exall's leadership.

Congratulations to all the winners and the nominees for some fantastic ideas and campaigns, truly doing the industry justice in terms of education, innovation and helping the construction and building industry get back on track.

KBSA calls for SME support in Autumn Statement

The Kitchen, Bathroom & Bedroom Specialists Association (Kbsa) has called for more support for small and medium-sized enterprises (SMEs) ahead of The Chancellor’s Autumn statement on 3rd December 2014.

Graham Ball, Chief Executive Officer, said: “It really is time now for the Coalition Government to deliver on promises made in the past and get the banks lending more easily to SMEs. While it has improved, there are still cases where the obduracy of the past has returned, and decision-making must be returned to a local level.

“Business rates, of course, need modernising quickly as they cannot be sustained at the levels created when property prices were at their highest – that situation is just plainly daft! Like many sectors, SMEs are still being hamstrung by the amount of red tape. A classic example of this is in the new ‘auto-enrol’ pension project, where the administration process will be beyond some, leading to spend more money employing accountants or pension providers to do it for them. What nonsense!”

If you are looking a new sales or marketing job in the KBB sector, contact the sector's recruitment specialists.

Ball added: “While it is not directly the Chancellor’s role, we would support the Adonis Review in calling for a US-style Small Business Administration here in the UK, which would be run by people who genuinely understood the needs of the sector, as I believe that some of the long-standing issues SMEs have been lobbying for go unheeded because MP’s focus on big business without realising the importance of the sector to the UK economy, and increasingly they have no actual experience of business before standing for parliament.”

Well said Graham!

Job in Focus for December: International (EMEA) Director of Hospitality for Bathroom Products in Hotels

Our latest International building products industry Job in Focus is a superb Executive level sales management and development opportunity as Director of Hospitality responsible for the EMEA region. The role is with a leading manufacturer of Bathroom Products.

It is a chance to join a truly prestigious international brand and develop strategy and sales in the EMEA region to International Hotel Groups and major Architectural Practices. 

Each month our Construction and Building Industry Job in Focus feature takes a detailed look at some of the fantastic sales and marketing construction and building materials job vacancies currently on our books. Job in Focus is also promoted on our website. Visit www.pinnacleconsulting.co.uk 

Job Title: Director of Hospitality - EMEA
Job Ref: J4834
Product: Bathroom Products
Location: National
Salary: £110k

EMPLOYER: Our Client are a market leading manufacturer of high quality Bathroom products with an outstanding reputation in their market sector. 

JOB DESCRIPTION: They are now looking to recruit a new Director of Hospitality for the EMEA Region (Europe, Middle East & Africa). This person will be responsible for developing strategy & sales via the respective country sales teams to ensure our client are the premier partner for the EMEA hospitality channel. They will directly influence the sales pipeline with International Hotel Groups & the major Architectural Practices predominantly London based. 

LOCATION: International 

CANDIDATE: We are looking for extremely high calibre candidates with a proven track record of success managing sales teams selling into the Architectural / Hotel sector with excellent contacts - ideally with a successful background in a related product sector eg Bathrooms, Kitchens, Ceramics, Carpets, Furniture, Fit-Out etc although other product experience maybe considered. 

PACKAGE: On offer is a basic salary likely to be circa £100k plus excellent commission scheme, quality car, superb company benefits and the chance to join a truly prestigious brand.

Email me on colin@pinnacleconsulting.co.uk or better still call me on 01480 405225 to find out more !