Clearview National June 2016 - Issue 175 | Page 8

INDUSTRYNEWS Big increase in new members reported »»THE CONSUMER PROTECTION Association (CPA) has reported a big increase in membership during the last five months, with a 25% spike in companies joining the organisation compared to the same period last year. The CPA is the home improvement industry’s leading Insurance Backed Guarantee and Deposit Protection provider. Hundreds of companies make up the CPA’s membership base, with the bulk of them operating in the glass and glazing industry. Directors at the company say that many of the new influx of members are coming from competing IBG providers, who are wellrecognised industry names. TWO DECADES OF TRUST CPA Director, Jeremy Brett, comments, “We’ve been providing IBGs and associated services for more than 20 years now; and consumers know and trust the CPA name and brand. In 2015 an independent survey showed that 70% of consumers believe that our members provide the most protection, making them more likely to win business against their competitors. “We’re also noticing a shift towards companies wanting to work with independent providers rather than big organisations that may not be specialist in providing IBGs; but still offer the service. “Feedback also shows that our new members like the fact we give them added value products such as quarterly reports that help them improve business performance, as well as finance options and marketing support. The CPA is also recognised as the go-to resource for raising standards in the industry and we engage and lobby government for change on behalf of our members.” For the quarterly assessment reports; every time an installer registers an IBG, once the job is completed the consumer is sent a questionnaire to fill out, asking a series of questions about the installer’s work and approach. This data is then collated by the CPA and sent to the installer in the form of a quarterly report, helping them to identify areas of service for improvement and increase best practice. Jeremy says the quarterly reports and marketing materials are incredibly popular with its members; and says the CPA’s support goes above and beyond increasing sales. Karl Girling from Pedmore Windows - a CPA member – had this to say about how the organisation has helped Pedmore consistently grow over the last two decades, “As we are a member of the CPA, our customers are able to see we are committed to offering a quality service, backed by an excellent independent Insurance Backed Guarantee (IBG) provider. This support structure has enabled us to grow over the years, together with the sales and marketing material we receive from the CPA.” On the support he received from the CPA throughout the year, Karl comments, “Every quarter we receive lots of marketing literature and a colour A4 graph chart, with independent customer feedback on our company’s installations. We display this in our showroom and it is an excellent tool for helping us to close sales. “From our experience with the CPA, we can’t see why other companies looking to offer Insurance Backed Guarantees would not choose them as the number one provider.” What will a Brexit mean for exporters? »»LESLEY BATCHELOR OBE, Director General of the Institute of Export (IOE), who has shaped policy and decision making at the highest levels, says, “At a time where a world recession is biting and just less than 50% of our trade is with Europe, we should question whether this is the right time. It’s a huge distraction when we should be working on trading with more markets and selling more to existing markets. “With the increasing strength leaning away from the western hemisphere it makes sense to consolidate and work with those markets we are already strong in, rather than try and develop new markets when we know that we still have much to learn 8 » JUN 2016 » CL EARVI E W- U K . C O M about exporting from our trade figures.” The Director General says the UK needs to learn how to export properly - following the lead of the Europeans, Germans, Dutch and Italians. She adds, “As Einstein said, first learn the rules of the game and then go out and play it better than everyone else!” ‘First learn the rules of the game and then go out and play it better than everyone else!’