Hire and Rental News - February 2017

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52 HIRE AND RENTAL NEWS • FEBRUARY 2017
“Judging the Hire Industry Excellence
Awards (HIEA) is mostly about the overall
presentation of the business and how
the business relates to and supports its
customers.
“You don’t have to be a Kennards Hire or
Coates Hire to be successful but you do
have to have something extra to make
you stand out. That’s what we’re looking
for; the ways you differentiate your
business from the crowd.
“Find your niche in the market and stick
to it. In my experience, there are very few
who are successful at being everything to
everyone.
"Find a point of difference in your
business and get an edge in the market,
between you and your competition.
Exploit that point of difference. Often
that goal gets lost in business – mostly
through trepidation:Will I get enough
customers if I just focus there? But you’ve
got to target the market and convince
them there is a need. Find key customers
in the area of focus that can utilise the
equipment of choice – and target them.
“There are major benefits for every
company taking the time and effort to
participate in the awards.
“Finalists all say they increased their
business and saw increased respect
from their customer base for their
achievement. Just by completing a
presentation, you get to investigate your
company’s Key Performance Indicators,”
Bernie said.
Entering the Hire Industry Excellence Awards
TIPS from the judges
Independent industry Hire Industry Excellence Award judge, Bernie Kiekebosch shares
tips on what the judges are looking for when they are judging the entries.
HIEA 2017 categories include:
Rental Company of the Year
– Nominations closed (9 January
2017). Closing date for submissions is
10 February.
Rental Company of the Year (under
$5m) – Nominations closed (9 January
2017). Closing date for submissions is
10 February.
Rental Company of the Year –
Events – Nominations closed (9 January
2017). Closing date for submissions is
10 February.
Supplier of the Year – (Nomination
deadline 17 February).
Supplier of the Year – Access –
(Nomination deadline 17 February).
Best New Product General – All Best
New Product entries close 20 February.
Best New Product Access
Best New Product Events
Best Exhibition Stand – under 36m2
Best Exhibition Stand – over 36m 2
Supplier of the Year is nominated
and voted on by member companies
purchasing and offering rental equipment.
Rental Company of the Year finalists are
selected from nominations and judges
then visit each Finalist to personally
assess their operation and procedures.
Visit: to
nominate for a HIEA today.
HIRE INDUSTRY EXCELLENCE AWARDS
TOP TIPS
Observe your overall
presentation of business –
the yard, front counter, equipment.
Do you have strong corporate
identification and branding?
How do you measure your
equipment quality? One
of the first things judges look at is
the condition of the equipment on
display. How does it stack up against
the competition?
How are you
differentiating your
business from the
competition? What are you
doing that helps your business
operate more smoothly? Eg: software
systems? Procedural systems? Or
is it in racking and storage for easy
access? Or perhaps in servicing? The
judges want to know all about it.
What makes your business
stand out from the crowd?
How are you servicing your
customers better? Eg: easy entry and
exit points? Or on call servicing? The
judges want to know all about it.
Quality Control? Does your
business measure it? Do your
customers know about it? The
judges will be looking at these areas.
Customer communication?
Is this a routine business activity for
your business? Show the judges how
you are customer focused.
Safety highlights in the yard
and in the shop and onsite and on
the equipment… How prevalent is
it?
What are your KPIs? Tell the
judges.
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Rental Company of the Year Finalists 2016 with judges Bernie Kiekebosch (far left ) and Mike Wilton
(far right)