Anyone who’s ever worked in a management or sales position in scaffolding will tell you that competitors are always on your mind. Perhaps you think they are pricing too low, or being unrealistic with equipment levels or delivery times. Perhaps you think their product isn’t as good as yours, or that they don’t look after their customers as well as you do.
We’ve all felt the pressure of competition. In my mind, it’s an essential part of running a successful business. Competition makes you think differently, and rise to the challenge of making your offer the best it can be. When you do this, your business becomes better, your competitors look for new ways to do things, you pay more attention to the areas where you’re underperforming, and your competitors look at what you’re doing and try new things themselves.
The result? Better choices, better service and better outcomes for your clients. And that last one is the most important thing as far as I’m concerned.
In an ideal world, there should be no losers here. But of course, that depends on who’s running the business and how they react to direct competition. A planned, strategic, transparent approach is always best. You need to build a reputation for professionalism and service, as well as product quality and cost. Managing all these elements puts your business in a strong market position where others respect you, even as they’re trying to compete with you.
Competition in system scaffolding
I and many others believe that an investment in system scaffolding is in the best interests of most scaffolding contractors. Any scaffolding contractor who adopts system will improve their business performance and commercial value – with the right approach. And that starts with exploring several system options on all points of service, and not just price. Just doing a basic review of price can be very misleading and can mean you end up making the wrong choice for your business.
Of course, system scaffolding is a competitive market. But it is also quite a simple one. Those system scaffolding brands that have NASC approval and are TG30 compliant have been independently verified for product quality, customer support, overall offering and price point. So those companies should be your starting point.
From that perspective, every business in the industry knows exactly who’s in their market, and what the competitive position is. Add in those new businesses who are seeking approval – because they know they have a high-quality offering – and you have an active market that makes it easier for clients to evaluate their options. So, as a contractor thinking about investing in system scaffolding, you have a good spread of offers, and a clear basis for comparison.
I need to mention mixing as part of this discussion. Where you are just using tube and fitting, mixing is not an issue. But if you’re using tube and fitting and a staircase, for example, that is a form of mixing.
My conversations with the NASC have made it clear that the introduction of TG30 takes system scaffolding onto a level playing field with tube and fitting in terms of design compliance. This alignment removes what the NASC sees as a long-standing barrier to adoption by providing a recognised, cost-effective route to design compliance for system scaffolding that mirrors the robustness and assurance of the tried and tested TG20 tube and fitting solution. But it does open the question of mixing.
Any NASC-approved system scaffolding in its original form is, in my personal opinion, the best option to choose for any scaffolding contractor. But I do appreciate that some companies wish to – and do – mix equipment and as long as that equipment has manufacturers mixing approval certification or an engineer’s technical assessment and is in line with the engineering criteria set by TG30, then it’s compliant. And so, that adds to the competitive landscape.
Top tips for healthy competition
It’s easy to say that competition is a valuable thing in the market – but how do you manage it on a day-to-day basis? Here are my top tips.
Know your real competitors. Any good business plan involves a competitor analysis. Who are your main competitors and how do their product, pricing and service offerings differ from yours? How do they target customers? Do they invest in good quality marketing to support their sales teams? What does their after-sales service look like? Understanding your competition allows you to see your own strengths and weaknesses and plan accordingly. We all have something to learn from each other.
Respect the competition. We work in a relatively small industry, where people know each other well. You may come across your competitors at industry showcases like ScaffEx, or by taking part in NASC committees and events. No good ever comes of bad-mouthing your competition. In fact, by building respectful relationships and an open dialogue (whilst keeping your own strategies confidential, of course), you become part of a better, more productive industry in general.
Be clear about your goals. Competition is healthy because it gives you an incentive to continually review your strategy and goals. But I’m still amazed by the number of businesses I talk to who don’t have even a short-term business plan. A clear strategy and defined, measurable goals will help you to benchmark and measure your progress against your major competitors.
Don’t be afraid to change. But don’t change unnecessarily. You want to be leading the crowd, not following it. If you can see that you need to improve in a certain area, get on with it. But focus on your own growth and your own goals so that you have a clear way forward.
Be realistic. Remember that bigger isn’t always better. When a potential customer analyses what product they should invest in, they have to look at your complete offering across the board to see how it might be beneficial for their own business. In some respects, elements of what is offered have little potential benefit given the size of the customer’s business, or the activity levels. So you won’t win every customer, and that’s just business.
Does endorsement help your competitive edge?
I’ve been asked over the past two or three years to endorse or promote various products. All but three, I’ve turned away. It’s humbling to know that my opinion and support matters to businesses. And because of that, I don’t endorse everything. I’m very clear about the products and businesses I work with – they must be high quality products that genuinely make a difference to scaffolding contractors. The business itself must be forward-thinking and have good plans in place to have an impact in the market. And the people must be professional, hard working and able to take advice and critical input.
That’s why you won’t see me endorsing anything and everything – so far, I’ve worked with Layher on its Allround system scaffolding, with Kewazo on its LIFTBOT and with Baton software on its dedicated ERP system. I’ve also started working with ULMA, a Spanish-based brand that works internationally. I’m helping ULMA to shape its business plan and offering for entry into the UK market with the BRIO system, which is currently going through the NASC approval process.
And this work is about bringing more options, competitions and offerings to the scaffolding contractor market. I’m no longer the MD of one company – I’m an advocate for the wider benefits of system, and the long-term commercial success of the industry. I’ve worked with and alongside other system manufacturers and they all have my respect. We all believe in the same outcome for contractors – and that’s the important thing.
To summarise, being truly competitive means having a clear vision that’s based on a deep understanding of your market, and is translated into strategies and actions that you can measure. So embrace competition – use it to make your own business better and stronger, and you will automatically help to give your clients the outcomes they want and need – and support the industry to flourish.
