National Masonry says it continues to do well with a good mix of new and used machinery but realises bold strategies and careful planning are necessary to move the business forward and offer customers extra value.
“We believe we are the UK leaders when it comes to used machinery, and that’s the way we intend to stay,” says Director Andy Bell. It was with that aim that National Masonry launched its first e-auction in May this year on www.nationalmasonry.co.uk, which now has a bespoke auction facility.
“We were very happy with the results and we hope to make auctions a regular feature of our service,” says Andy.
National Masonry sells Marmo Meccanica, Cobalm, Weha, Ghines, Galeski, Flex, Ital Mecc and Sintolit. The brands will be on the National Masonry stand at the Natural Stone Show at ExCeL London next year, so that all those customers the company does not see regularly know exactly what it has to offer. Many of the National Masonry principals will also be exhibiting at Marmomacc.
“This year has been difficult from a personal perspective as I have had a few health issues to deal with,” says Andy. “However, this period of spending less time on the road and dedicating more time to marketing and our website has made me realise how important our online presence is. We will certainly continue to invest our resources in developing our website so that we can provide the very latest up-to-date information on stock, availability, auctions and special offers to our customers.
“We are overjoyed with the number of customers that continue to sign up to our newsletter on our website, and we hope that they will take advantage of our QR code (below) to have National Masonry at their fingertips on their iphones.
“The stone industry is changing, not only because of the economic climate and people taking much more care about their spend, but also because society’s buying habits are changing.
“More and more people access their emails and have internet access on their phones and want real time information about their purchases. There is so much more information readily available than there was only five years ago, so it is easier for people to shop around for the best deal.
“We want to make sure we can meet this demand, not only from a sales and marketing perspective, but also when it comes to customer service. We don’t just want to offer competitive prices, we want to give people excellent service. We know that often price alone isn’t enough to guarantee repeat business, and that good communication
with our customers is essential. Whether
it is to broker the sale of their used machine or get their new purchase to them within
the parameters of their own schedule, our team can be contacted on live chat through Skype (Andy.bell18) for real time logistical and administrative updates or even just general queries.
“We are confident that the commitment we are making today to maximise what we can offer will ensure the future continuing success of National Masonry.”