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Hi All,After a very hectic month I felt it was right to give you all update on what we have achieved, where our current priorities lie and what the next few weeks have in store for ISE.
My number one priority when I started was to forge direct links with the factory producing the ISE machine. This was particularly key due to the massive change in service priorities from CDA who were originally going to act as our go between. Following a renegociation of their contract they now purely store and deliver on our behalf.
Communication channels were openned with the factory who have been keen to help. We quickly received all the Technical information we required, which is being formated into a technical manual which will be inssued with the van stock to all purchasing agents.
Renegociating parts supply has allowed us to bulk buy pallet quanties for van stock and hold a UK stock pile, thus allowing 24/48hr delivery for none van stock parts.
The pallets have been arriving in Kilmornock for 2 weeks ready for boxing and despatching, a task easier said than done. This has become less preesing due to no machines sold to date yet requiring a part. The next couple of weeks will see this task completed and the promised van stocks will be issued to those of you who have purchased a machine; your patients is appreciated.
The sales volume is above my expectations and building all the time. The current order patterns suggest that this time next year we will have well over 300 active agents plus a large number of indipendant retailers and will comfortablly be exceeding our volume targets.
My initial priory has been travelling the county meeting people who wish to open new accounts. While I will continue to do this my focus is increasing turning to helping existing agents increase their rate of sale.
– The in store point of sale is designed and at the printers, if you have retail outlet I will send or bring this material to you shortly.
– The Website is designed and should be opporational by the end of the next week.
– I am currently designing fliers for you to use as leave behinds or to simplly give to prospective customers.The public awareness campaign is taking shape. I am Forging a good relationship with ERT who will run follow up article on us within a month.
Later in the year I then intend to run an ad / editorial campaign to recruit interested retailers who we will link service agents who have signed up. Obviously I will be selective on who gets linked up thus protecting those of you with shops.
The use of PR is a central to our marketing strategy. I have already initiated an article on the Ilse of Wight allong the lines of local businesses fight back. To make local PR work you ideally need a place where the machine can be viewed by the general public. If you would like to do something similar in your area please contact me.
We intend to do some national press work in the medium term based arround us challenging the rest of the industry’s stand on the WEE directive, more information closer to the time.
In conclusion, we have now built some solid foundations, we have a strong and ever increasing agent base which we intend to support by slowly building consumer awareness.
Thanks for you support, any questions call me 07979 520 916.
Kind regards
John
Re: MD Monthly Update
Its late and I have had a taxing couple of weeks but I couldn’t resist being a pedant, 😈 as the thread title is ‘Monthly Update’ are we not a little overdue, sorry John, just my warped sense of humour 😆
Re: MD Monthly Update
Fair point,
It was the end of my first month working full time on ISE thus the title
Having said that given the great job you’ve done selling ISE machines since day one, you are welcome to take the micky out of me as much as you like
Cheers
John : 😀
Re: MD Monthly Update
😀
Hi All
June has been all about us keeping our promises to you;
1. We had to make sure the supply chain for spares was both in place and within our control. While that did delay the first issue of van stock, we are now in full swing. Many of the people who have sold appliances have their spares already and by the end of this month all the agents with machines in customers houses will have theirs. We now have a stock pile of non van stock parts in the UK meaning prompt delivery is available for any fault that may occur.
2. The ISE website is now up and running, though the stockist data base needs tidying up. Please check your details are correct and let us know any alterations you rquire. When this exercise is complete we will start selling on line and can start passing orders through to you.
3. The re-written tec mannual is now complete and is being issued as an electronic file to all selling agents.
4. Point of sale is now available for selling agents and retailers, I am personally delivering this (allong with many of the van stocks) if I’ve not visited already expect a phone call in the coming days
5. The re-written user manual is next on our hit list, the content is still being debated internally, when we are happy it is right, we will go to print.
Thanks for your patience, help and support,
Cheers
John
Re: MD Monthly Update
Hi All
Just a quick update ahead of the meeting in Manchester next week.
Six months after launch we now have the all the ISE business infa structure in place.
Tec information is now complete and available from the website, if you are a selling agent and are struggling to access it let me know.
The rewritten user mannuals are complete and printed.
Van stocks continue to be issued as we catch up with new agents selling the machine, spares are fully available in the UK if required.
We have shaken hands on a deal with an insurer to underwrite the parts and labour guarantee, this was always my plan (though I played it close to my chest as it is not prudent to pay over the odds when we can make provision ourselves. We believe we have found an excellent partner and hope to unveil them on the 22nd / 23rd.The end of qtr 2 P&L shows us ahead of plan on volume and within our budget for costs (thanks for you support pushing the machine and paying on time). Please keep pushing as we move out of the start up phase I can start building a ‘warchest’ for advertising.
As we now enter the next phase of our evolution by increasing consumer awareness of ISE, your support in these early months has been central to what we have achieved and I look forward to seeing as many of you as possible at the conference.
Cheers
John
Re: MD Monthly Update
derbyhoppy wrote:We have shaken hands on a deal with an insurer to underwrite the parts and labour guarantee, this was always my plan (though I played it close to my chest as it is not prudent to pay over the odds when we can make provision ourselves. We believe we have found an excellent partner and hope to unveil them on the 22nd / 23rd.
This good news actually deserved its own thread.
Is this in place now?
Re: MD Monthly Update
Will be by the end of this month, final meetings scheduled this coming week
Kevin
Re: MD Monthly Update
Hi Andy
It is as kevin says, I have spoken to a number of people about ‘laying off’ the liability on the guarantee, from which we have selected the underwritter we are happiest with.
I have read the draft contract and am meeting them on the 30th to finalise the deal. During that meeting we will discuss the appropriate communications to all the selling agents.
It would be inappropriate to say more them that at this stage, except that with a failure rate currently running at less than 1{e5d1b7155a01ef1f3b9c9968eaba33524ee81600d00d4be2b4d93ac2e58cec2d} and with the machine being installed by proffessionals rather than the public, kitchen companies and contractors who any underwriter would have to make allowance for in their pricing; our strategy of not rushing in to buy policies has been more than vindicated.
Cheers
John
Re: MD Monthly Update
As the warranty liability was my only concern I would like to try and sell some ISE (if thats OK with you guys). I hope this new development will encourage others (who had similar reservations) to do so too.
Andy 😀
Re: MD Monthly Update
Since we started, our delivery company have imposed massive delivery charges to outlying areas, pushing the cost of delivering to these areas into the uneconomic status, although we do what we can ourselves to support agents so effected.
Fill in the ISE interested form Andy (iseappliances.co.uk), so we have a record and a check against details you have already supplied for repairs@, in case there’s a change etc.
John will come back to you to discuss further.
Kevin
Hi All
Two things to update you on.
1. We have this morning signed the contract for Axa to underwrite the ISE guarantees. This means that should anything happen to us you and your customers are covered under FSA rules.
2. We have commenced our consumer awareness programme with a small add (below) in the Sunday Telegraph webdirectory. While the add is modest the weekly audiance is 1.8 million so if the three week trial in successful we plan to roll out more adds in other sunday supplements.
The main core of our awareness campaign will centre arround PR relating to the implementation of the WEEE directive which will become national news during the coming months. To this end we have appointed a London agency with whom I have previously worked to spearhead this campaign with the national press, so look out for stories with quotes from ISE.
Thanks for all your support, momentum is really building if you have any specifics give me call.
Cheers
John
Re: MD Monthly Update
Hi John, is that page live now on the Telegraph web site. just had a look and cannot find a link to Sunday Telegraph ‘web directory’ ❓
Jim.Re: MD Monthly Update
As a 7 days a week Telegraph reader I will look out for it, normally only get through the Sport, Motoring, Money, Business supplements and the main paper before the arms give out on me. 😉
Jim.
PS. Don’t let our feathered friend know I read the Telegraph, come the revolution he may shop me to the commissars. :rolls: 😆
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