In this video, we hear what our Ballarat franchise owner Simon Walshe has to say about joining the Stroud Homes business.
Sales & Marketing:
Video Transcript:
Anthony: Hi, guys. Anthony from Stroud Homes here. I’m here with our director from Ballarat, Simon Walshe, just here to talk a bit today about sales and marketing and what that’s provided you with Stroud Homes. Where do you think you would have been if you were to do something on your own, and then where are you at now with Stroud Homes and what has that provided you in terms of support?
Simon: Yeah, the support with the marketing has been really beneficial. The ability to open the door on day one and have that product for everyone, you know, really is something that, you know, you couldn’t put a value on. So, yeah, for us to be able to do that from day one and have that, yeah, couldn’t really have done it without it, to be honest.
Anthony: Yeah, having that brand that people already know, you’ve got that credibility throughout Australia and New Zealand walking in, you’re not just doing it all on your own. I wanna talk a bit about…You guys have obviously had a really busy 12 months. You’re almost picking the right clients now, which is a really good position to be in because of that head office support and that marketing.
Simon: Yeah, definitely, I could say that the marketing has been really beneficial in bringing people in the door to the point that we’ve had to learn how to deal with the amount of inquiry. So, that’s definitely something, you know, we’ve had to get better at quantifying quicker so we’re not wasting time on the wrong people because just due to that quantity of leads coming in the door.
Anthony: A good problem to have, though.
Simon: Yeah, definitely.
Anthony: Ducking more into the sales side now, how has the support with the sales management, the Monday morning meetings that we have, going through everything, just giving you some clarity on where you’re gonna be in a month’s time, 3 months’ time, 12 months’ time, how has that helped really clarify your business and where it’s gonna be at each month?
Simon: Yeah. So that extra support with the sales has been good. We do have those Monday morning meetings to, you know, discuss our leads, discuss what they’re up to. And when you’re in a small team and you potentially don’t have that person there every day to bounce off, just to be able to work through that with the other small teams across Stroud has been something really beneficial.
Anthony: I think that’s the one thing that separates Stroud from other franchises, potentially, is that camaraderie within the group. You are your separate franchises but we all work together, you’re always up to giving each other advice, head office is always there for support. That’s something you’ve found with other franchises as well? They’ve always been really good with lending a hand, whether it’s sales, marketing, anything to do with the build?
Simon: Yeah, definitely. So, yeah, the support from those other franchises has been great. They’re always on the other end of the phone. It’s almost like everyone gets a bit of a kick of helping each other out. So it’s good.
Anthony: So, with the success you’ve had over the last 12 months coming on with Stroud, how’s it made you feel…as a company, as a person, as a builder, what’s that made you feel like?
Simon: Yeah, it’s been great to know that we’ve got a reputable building company here in Ballarat that people are now talking about and people are coming in the door saying, “I heard about you guys from here and here,” whether it’ll be on the news or on the street or all that sort of stuff, it’s been really good.
Anthony: Yeah. Do you sleep pretty well at night also knowing where every job’s mostly gonna be at, where your predictions are for the next 12 months? Does it make you feel a lot more relaxed and comfortable with where you’re at in your life and your business?
Simon: Yeah. So, knowing with the systems and the support, whether that be sales or construction, to be able to go home and know that everything’s sort of in check and where it needs to be, and projects are showing that, whether that be money coming in the door, or sales ticking along, like, we know we’ve got a good thing coming through.
Anthony: Yeah, it’s a pretty good position to be in.
Simon: Yeah, defintely.
Anthony: Yeah.
We’re Business People Not Builders:
Video Transcript:
Matthew: We’re ready. G’day, guys. We’re here again today with Simon Walshe, one-half of the building team out here at Stroud Homes Ballarat. He’s invited us out this afternoon just to talk a little bit about what it’s been like for him as a Stroud builder for the last, sort of, 12 months. So when did you first open up the doors here?
Simon: We’re about 12 months in, yeah. So, yeah, it’s been a massive, massive 12 months for us.
Matthew: Yeah, absolutely. You’ve battled through COVID, you survived. You’ve come out the other end.
Simon: Yeah, we’re pretty lucky. Obviously, regional Victoria, we didn’t have as big an effect as the city so…
Matthew: Yeah, absolutely.
Simon: …yeah, it’s been something that’s sort of pumped us along, if anything else.
Matthew: Yeah. What’s the building industry? What’s the building activity been like out here in Ballarat to you guys?
Simon: It’s been, yeah, off the charts, really. So we’ve not only, you know, government stimulus but that element of city wanting to move to the country to get out of the rat race, it’s played a big part in our success.
Matthew: Yeah, absolutely. So being a Stroud builder, obviously, being the director of a building company was something that you haven’t done 12 months prior. How have you found coming into a really, really solid building period as part of a Stroud Homes franchise group? How has that been for you?
Simon: You know, coming into the franchise has been great. The support we’ve had to, sort of, helped us kick start and manage that growth has been really important and played a big part in our success.
Matthew: Yeah, absolutely. How do you find head office team?
Simon: They’ve been really good. Yeah, they’re always on the other end of the phone. Nothing’s too much trouble. A lot of the time, we can find the answers, you know, in the systems and stuff we’ve got. But when we do need to reach out there, yeah, they’ve been there to support us, which has been great.
Matthew: Absolutely. One of the things I guess we try to do at Stroud Homes Franchise, this makes us different from other ones, is we really do sort of put a big focus on that business mentoring. What we say is that, you know, we’re not teaching them to be builders. We’re teaching them to be business people. How have you found that, sort, of changing maybe that mindset?
Simon: Yeah, so that support from head office just sort of teach you how to run the company as opposed to just put houses together has definitely been important and something that we’ve got a lot of benefit out of.
Matthew: Yeah, sure. Where do you see yourself in the next, sort of, 12 months?
Simon: Yeah, well, who knows really? So, we’re kind of already at, you know, that year we’ve had and the year we’re going into is sort of our third and fourth-year projections already, so to try and predict where we’ll be in, you know, three years’ time is pretty hard to fathom, really. But yeah, we’re just excited to, sort of, tick along and keep getting better.
Matthew: Yeah. How do you find, being builders, part of being in a group? What’s your relationship like with some of the other builders?
Simon: Yeah, we find that really good. I do have the benefit here in town where I do know a few of the other builders and we do get to talk a lot. And that camaraderie and the working together that we get out of the other Stroud builders is something that does set us apart from the others. So if they’re not answering my phone call for questions right away, they generally ring me back within half an hour and we do try and work pretty closely together a lot of the time.
Matthew: Yeah. One of the things we say at Stroud Homes is that we give builders the ten-year advantage. When you think about all the resources you get, you know, the plans, there’s a couple hundred sets of plans there rendered up and ready to go to put into your sales process, systems to build the homes, what would you say about that ten-year advantage? Can you see potentially the difference it would have been if you’d stayed as a single operator versus the franchise? Do you think you would have…what difference would be there?
Simon: Yeah, definitely. So the ability that it doesn’t matter who walks in the door, that we’ve got a product that will work for them straight away, there’s no waiting to, you know, paying that, you know, potentially hundreds of thousands of dollars over time to generate that bank of designs and the marketing that goes with that. Yeah, it’s pretty beneficial.
Matthew: Fantastic. Well, guys, that wraps us up today. Thank you for joining with us today. Simon, thank you for giving us some of your time.
Simon: I appreciate it.
Matthew: It’s great to see that the last 12 months has been fantastic for you. I really can’t wait to see what the next 12 months holds. Thanks, guys.
Simon: Thank you.