Flyers/Leaflets - What Do You Guys Put In Them?

[spruce]

Asking for clarification is one thing but asking someone to effectively provide you with your marketing material is another. 

What I mean is if someone is starting out then surely they have carried out a bit of research to see what a 'trade' entails.

I wonder if it's going from employed to self employed that's the difference. i.e. being employed you are given tasks to complete. Where as being self employed you have to have initiative to actually do something not wait for a job or task to be handed to you.

Self employment is a very different ball game no matter what trade you are undertaking. It's not just the 'trade' it's every aspect of a business from marketing, accounts, branding, logistics, customer support, purchasing to name but a few that you have to master. You have to make every decision no one else can make it for you although if you present an idea then I am sure lots of people will provide guidance.

This is not a pop at the OP just the people that expect to be given a set of instructions. There are people out there who will allow you to buy a set of instructions but they are usually sold as franchises.

A while back there was a number of posts from window cleaners panicking that they had been asked to provide a RAMS document on the back of a commercial quotation they given.

You could tell by the post that they hadn't a clue what this was. Even when it was explained some asked if we could give them ours so they could copy it. No, because a risk and method statement would be job specific. Some didn't get it.

I remember pointing one to the H&S website for risk assessment advise and a few examples and templates. "There is no template for window cleaning" was the response. The next post was him demanding someone supply him a copy of theirs so he could copy it.

 

[Pjj]

A while back there was a number of posts from window cleaners panicking that they had been asked to provide a RAMS document on the back of a commercial quotation they given.

You could tell by the post that they hadn't a clue what this was. Even when it was explained some asked if we could give them ours so they could copy it. No, because a risk and method statement would be job specific. Some didn't get it.

I remember pointing one to the H&S website for risk assessment advise and a few examples and templates. "There is no template for window cleaning" was the response. The next post was him demanding someone supply him a copy of theirs so he could copy it.

Exactly you cannot supply someone Else a risk  assessment for there work when you haven’t Evan seen the site , if they aren’t capable of doing it themselves then they shouldn’t be doing the job as they clearly don’t understand the potential risks with that job , also some large firms will require a rams and then want to discuss it with you so again if they don’t  have a clue how to do it themselves what will happen when the H&S department phone them up and ask questions about xyz ??? It’s not difficult or expensive to get training for this but far to many are lazy and want someone else to do there job for them , Ime happy to try and help anyone but I won’t do RAMS for  anyone , I have in the past talked ones through the process to identify risks and ask them how they will manage ,reduce or eliminate them .

 

[spruce]

Exactly you cannot supply someone Else a risk  assessment for there work when you haven’t Evan seen the site , if they aren’t capable of doing it themselves then they shouldn’t be doing the job as they clearly don’t understand the potential risks with that job , also some large firms will require a rams and then want to discuss it with you so again if they don’t  have a clue how to do it themselves what will happen when the H&S department phone them up and ask questions about xyz ??? It’s not difficult or expensive to get training for this but far to many are lazy and want someone else to do there job for them , Ime happy to try and help anyone but I won’t do RAMS for  anyone , I have in the past talked ones through the process to identify risks and ask them how they will manage ,reduce or eliminate them .

Exactly. When I look at the statements I have done, no two are the same.

I did a RAMS statement for a business a few years ago. They were quite happy with it.

Once we had done the job a few times I released that there were some risks I hadn't seen when we did the initial walk through. I redid the RAMS statement to include what I had missed off and gave them an updated copy.

 

[Iron Giant]

I personally have friends who are in their mid forties who can't wire a plug or prepare and cook a basic meal.

Sounds like me, just as well my wife does everything ?

 

[spruce]

There does seem to be a bit of cockiness on this forum recently it’s true ?

I gave out my mobile telephone number to a newbie who wanted help with his system. I get a call at 1 o'clock on Sunday morning wanting some clarification on something. "You've just woken me up"

"Yes, but its your job to help us" came the slurred reply.

"Why couldn't you have asked earlier?"

"I was down the pub with my mates and just got back."

"Then you should leave it until you are sober and give me a call in the morning."

"Ok."

Blocked his number.

He contacted me via the forums a few months later saying he wanted to talk to me but couldn't find my number. Put your question up on the forum and we will all try to answer it. He never did.

 

[Pjj]

I gave out my telephone number to a newbie who wanted help with his system. I get a call at 1 o'clock on Sunday morning wanting some clarification on something. "You've just woken me up"

"Yes, but its your job to help us" came the slurred reply.

"Why couldn't you have asked earlier?"

"I was down the pub with my mates and just got back."

"Then you should leave it until you are sober and give me a call in the morning."

"Ok."

Blocked his number.

He contacted me via the forums a few months later saying he wanted to talk to me but couldn't find my number. Put your question up on the forum and we will all try to answer it. He never did.

I wouldn’t help anyone who behaves like that 

 

[spruce]

I wouldn’t help anyone who behaves like that 

It's the world we live in today. I learnt to never give out my mobile number on the forums. I also learnt how to put my phone to sleep at night. If family want us in an emergency they have to phone on the landline. My mobile won't ring.

I had a spell with Reg Vardy motor dealership some 17 to 21 years ago. Back in the day each dealership had a night security guard who used to patrol the dealership lot.

Regularly there were messages from people who had phoned up in the middle of the night wanting to come down and have a test drive. Most of those calls were drunken hoax calls but some actually turned into sales. So each message was followed up to be sure.

 

[AW Services]

Sounds like me, just as well my wife does everything ?

So you can prepare and cook a plug and wire a basic meal ? ??

 

[AW Services]

I wouldn’t help anyone who behaves like that 

I gave out my mobile telephone number to a newbie who wanted help with his system. I get a call at 1 o'clock on Sunday morning wanting some clarification on something. "You've just woken me up"

"Yes, but its your job to help us" came the slurred reply.

"Why couldn't you have asked earlier?"

"I was down the pub with my mates and just got back."

"Then you should leave it until you are sober and give me a call in the morning."

"Ok."

Blocked his number.

He contacted me via the forums a few months later saying he wanted to talk to me but couldn't find my number. Put your question up on the forum and we will all try to answer it. He never did.

I would of activated call forwarding and entered the number of the local trad guy down the road haha 

 

[Chris34]

I would of activated call forwarding and entered the number of the local trad guy down the road haha 

That's not a bad idea that, maybe the one who was slating the 'pole guys' ?

 

[Chris34]

It's the world we live in today.

Unfortunately it is.  So many people with mental health issues with drink and drugs fuelling it.  As I get older I become more sympathetic to them.  They themselves get taken advantage of, who themselves then take advantage of friends and family.  Hard to know who's to blame but in general society itself has allowed it to happen for their own selfish interests.  

My brother has drink problems.  By day he can work as good as anybody and everybody would think he's a really nice lad and he is.  At night he can hit the bottle and then go on drunken ramblings ringing people up in the middle of the night.  The sad thing is he works hard during the day to then **** it all down the drain.  Like he will run out of alcohol, so would get a taxi to the nearest petrol station just to get another bottle.  It's sad to see but there is nothing you can do, it's all their choice.  However I blame society for allowing the purchase of alcohol around the clock.  It doesn't help those people like my brother.  Once they've had a right skinful they're past the point of rational decision making.  If the shops were closed with no way of getting any more he would just call it a night.

He has said himself that the offers on booze makes it worse.  Like 20 cans for a tenner or 6 for a fiver, he'd go for the 20 cans as it's better value, but that makes it worse.  

 

[AW Services]

That's not a bad idea that, maybe the one who was slating the 'pole guys' ?

If I get cold calls from scam insurance claim call centres say you were involved in an accident type i just set up call forwarding on specific numbers to trading standards or takeaways 

 

[Ian Docksey]

If I get cold calls from scam insurance claim call centres say you were involved in an accident type i just set up call forwarding on specific numbers to trading standards or takeaways 

I'm a newbie, can you please get me customers, oh n while your doing that you may aswell clean their windows for me????

 

[AW Services]

I'm a newbie, can you please get me customers, oh n while your doing that you may aswell clean their windows for me????

Second that

 

[steve garwood]

I gave out my mobile telephone number to a newbie who wanted help with his system. I get a call at 1 o'clock on Sunday morning wanting some clarification on something. "You've just woken me up"

"Yes, but its your job to help us" came the slurred reply.

"Why couldn't you have asked earlier?"

"I was down the pub with my mates and just got back."

"Then you should leave it until you are sober and give me a call in the morning."

"Ok."

Blocked his number.

He contacted me via the forums a few months later saying he wanted to talk to me but couldn't find my number. Put your question up on the forum and we will all try to answer it. He never did.

You seem like a nice fella and was very diplomatic.

I personally would of used language that would make a docker blush if he’d phoned me at that time.

Some people are thoughtless 

 

[Part Timer]

Exactly you cannot supply someone Else a risk  assessment for there work when you haven’t Evan seen the site , if they aren’t capable of doing it themselves then they shouldn’t be doing the job as they clearly don’t understand the potential risks with that job , also some large firms will require a rams and then want to discuss it with you so again if they don’t  have a clue how to do it themselves what will happen when the H&S department phone them up and ask questions about xyz ??? It’s not difficult or expensive to get training for this but far to many are lazy and want someone else to do there job for them , Ime happy to try and help anyone but I won’t do RAMS for  anyone , I have in the past talked ones through the process to identify risks and ask them how they will manage ,reduce or eliminate them .

A while back there was a number of posts from window cleaners panicking that they had been asked to provide a RAMS document on the back of a commercial quotation they given.

You could tell by the post that they hadn't a clue what this was. Even when it was explained some asked if we could give them ours so they could copy it. No, because a risk and method statement would be job specific. Some didn't get it.

I remember pointing one to the H&S website for risk assessment advise and a few examples and templates. "There is no template for window cleaning" was the response. The next post was him demanding someone supply him a copy of theirs so he could copy it.

Whilst I agree you can't, without seeing, give someone a site specific risk assessment you can however give a generic one. Your method  statement can also be your generic risk assessment as well. One of the biggest contributors on this site asked me for mine and I sent him it.

 

[AW Services]

Whilst I agree you can't, without seeing, give someone a site specific risk assessment you can however give a generic one. Your method  statement can also be your generic risk assessment as well. One of the biggest contributors on this site asked me for mine and I sent him it.

I have a generic template I created where you just add names dates and times but also full fat in depth specific versions. I've had others ask If I can help them or lend them mine but it's a no. It's something that took me time to create so do the same. 

Maybe I'm to organised but I have file boxes of RA's Manual handling, HSE and so on  

 

[Part Timer]

I have a generic template I created where you just add names dates and times but also full fat in depth specific versions. I've had others ask If I can help them or lend them mine but it's a no. It's something that took me time to create so do the same. 

Maybe I'm to organised but I have file boxes of RA's Manual handling, HSE and so on  

I find most companies just ask if you have them, some want to see a Generic one. I have never had to give a site specific one to any of my current commercial customers.

I have just had to register with Safe Contractor and to do that I had to submit site specific ones and even a, current, site specific covid method statement ?

 

[Pjj]

Whilst I agree you can't, without seeing, give someone a site specific risk assessment you can however give a generic one. Your method  statement can also be your generic risk assessment as well. One of the biggest contributors on this site asked me for mine and I sent him it.

Yes a generic one is easy to do but if the person who you have given it to doesn't  understand it , when they get asked questions by the owner they are going to be stumped , and should an accident happen when they say that joe bloggs gave them a risk assessment I doubt the HSE would look very favourably on it 

 

[Pjj]

I find most companies just ask if you have them, some want to see a Generic one. I have never had to give a site specific one to any of my current commercial customers.

I have just had to register with Safe Contractor and to do that I had to submit site specific ones and even a, current, site specific covid method statement ?

We have to do site specific for  a lot of out retirement housing customers, as there is quite a lot of variation with there sites , they also have there own team of safety officers and you always get some smart ass trying to catch you out ???

 

[Part Timer]

Yes a generic one is easy to do but if the person who you have given it to doesn't  understand it , when they get asked questions by the owner they are going to be stumped , and should an accident happen when they say that joe bloggs gave them a risk assessment I doubt the HSE would look very favourably on it 

There are loads on the internet so a lot of people must be looking over their shoulders. A generic one isn't a risk assessment as such. If you gave someone a site specific one without looking at the site then you could get into trouble.

If you state you check for trip hazard, overhead power cables etc etc and the person then electrocuted themself it's not really your fault. If it was there would be a lot of H&S specialists, that write them, in jail