About Ant Hodges

Christian Businessman, father of two, husband of one. Expertise in digital marketing, graphic / web design and email marketing

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Jan 21

Swindon's delayed refuse collections UPDATE

I was concerned on leaving the house this morning about the amount of rubbish that now adorns the kerbs of my street, not just from the wheelie bins left at the end of peoples drives, but also the extra bags left by the side and the overflowing bins themselves. Would the bins that are overflowing and the bags left by the site not be collected? Would we have a problem with rats and other vermin, even foxes and cats ripping bags apart?

It's been over three weeks since our last household waste and recycling collection and to be honest, I was getting concerned over the extra bags and overflowing bins, and the fact that my Sis-in-law had to argue with the bin man to take her bin yesterday - even though the lid would not close.

Swindon borough council say [link] that waste will not be collected if:

  • The bin lid is not shut.
  • There is any side waste.
  • It is not in a wheelie bin or blue sack supplied by SBC.

If your waste has not been collected for one of the above reasons, we will place a sticker on your waste, explaining why.

I called them this morning to ask why my Sis-in-law had to chase down the refuse collection agent to get him to take them bin. Not collecting for over three weeks, when we have collections every two weeks, means that it would be wholly unreasonable to think that there would not be an excess in rubbish.

I was advised by the very pleasant lady (who clearly has had many calls asking the same question - as it sounded very rehearsed and scripted)...

"We are doing all we can to collect missed collections and overflowing wheelie bins, together with bags left to the side of bins will be collected"

And I got her to repeat...

"Yes we will collect overflowing bins and any bags left by the side of them."

Great, let's see if they actually do it!

Filed under  //   Swindon  
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Sep 10

Telephone interview and possible development on the Swindon landscape!

Wow! I have just finished an impromptu telephone interview with one of the UK's largest charities for a really exciting job that I have applied for... sorry for being vague. Not sure how much I should, or am allowed to share! A very cool job if they thought that I could do it, especially when the backing from the trustees and board is 100% behind the role.

I just need to wait and see if I am successful in getting an informal meeting with the team... and then maybe the more formal assessment day if successfully getting through. I am very excited and hope things do turn out well for it.

Swindon!

I love the place. I really don't want to have to move or get a job elsewhere, but at present most of the jobs that are out there are outside of the town. Shame really - it is just the way in which Swindon is losing a lot of talent... not that I am that big headed... but there are not enough more senior positions available in the town at present and the likes of Bristol, Reading and Newbury are where the jobs are at.

This lunchtime I had a coffee with @RikkiHunt - thanks Rikki - and put a possible idea to him that I am looking to put some shape to the vision of. Maybe even enlist an organistion to take it on once the vision is set. Youth culture is the focus and hopefully it may just come about!

Exciting but busy day - even after yesterday when we formally put the old company into liquidation - bye bye Creative Rush!

Anyway - onwards and upwards.

Filed under  //   Business Development   Personal   Swindon   Work  
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Dec 08

A bad marketing mistake, or pure genius?

Telling customers to go elsewhere? Is this a stupid idea?

Saturday the 6th of December was the day that that Christmas came to the Hodges household. Tree went up, lights switched on, mince pies bought and consumed... turkey ordered.

Living in Swindon and hearing the SSEP and others talking about wherever possible buying local led me to suggest to my good lady wife, "Let's get the turkey this year from that butcher just down the road." There is always a queue outside the shop and he has been there for years. "Lets try him" were my thoughts, as he is the nearest and Tesco has had enough from us this year.

On walking in and asking for a Turkey the response came... "Sorry I am only taking orders from my regular customers as I have done for the last eight years."

Is this stupid or very clever? Pure genius I say.

In the current economic climate is it wise to be turning people away at the door and refusing to let them buy... or is this very clever marketing subliminal marketing?

Every business needs to ensure that they can cope with amount of work that they take on. Take on too much, run before you can walk... how will you look after all your clients? Customer relationship management, this will be key and instrumental in your future success.

If you so many clients/customers that you are consumed by the fact that you have to make 100's more widgets or are preoccupied with project work to fulfill the orders, leading you to have no time to build relationships with them... what do you think will happen? Walk away most probably and give their money to someone else who will give them the time of day.

Saying all this... this will only happen if you don't burn out before you get there.

People buy from people - relationship selling is the best way to go about building a business - More on this in another post (a whole other subject).

The number of people who have visited this butcher over the last 8 years has clearly been enough for him to be able to make enough profit to be able to limit the number of orders he wants to take, as people are seen to return year on year.

Limiting the number of orders he can take means that he is full control of the capacity issues that could come with taking too many orders. Greed for more profit is clearly not driving him in business. Developing a good long term relationship is more important. He wants them to come back on as many Friday's as possible for the bacon and sausage for the weekends fry-ups, the beef, pork or gammon for the Sunday roasts through out the year... and the turkey for every Christmas to come.

Making sure he has time to service his regular customers is important enough to turn away new customers at what is one of the busiest times of a butchers year.

Even though we had to go elsewhere for a turkey this year how has this left me feeling? It makes me want to be his customer for the whole of 2009 to be able to buy a turkey next year. I will be leaving the faceless refrigeration units in Tesco's and Sainsburys to now shop for all meat related products at this butcher. What seemed to me at first to be the most stupid thing in the world to do in driving people away has had the opposite effect on me... how many others I wonder.

Want his details? See this directory listing

Filed under  //   Marketing   Swindon  
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