Based in Burwood in Melbourne’s leafy eastern suburbs, Ramsay Builders have been around for more than 20 years, building over 400 homes in that time. Ramsay has built his business from the ground up, focusing on in depth expertise, superior quality materials, and exceptional attention to detail to create luxury custom builds of new homes and townhouses.
We recently sat down with Brett to chat about all things building, sales and the challenges of running your own business during a global pandemic.
1. Why did you want to go into business for yourself? What were your motivators?
I was tired of fixing problems the wrong way as directed by my Managers – I just wanted to build things correctly the first time. I also wanted to create more time for myself and have flexible working hours (how this has failed!)
2. Have you ever been in environment like we are now with COVID-19?
We cruised through the GFC, hardly feeling the impact. This is totally different and very difficult. Life has and is continuing to change. Not only from a business perspective, but also on a personal level and in just about every aspect of life as we once knew it.
3. How has COVID-19 affected your business?
There is a lack of confidence amongst consumers at the moment; they’re not spending or investing like they once were. This has meant we have had to downscale to suit.
The current Stage 4 restrictions we are operating under in Victoria have added an additional layer of complexity in running our job sites, as we juggle the number of trades on site with getting the job done on time. We’ve also had to be really diligent with sourcing our building materials. Everything has to be ordered well in advance to secure stock.
4. As a builder and business owner, you wear many hats – one of those hats is as a sales consultant. What has sales taught you?
I think that most of all, sales has taught me that I need to be a problem solver. I take pride in being the person that resolves or answers all the client’s questions and concerns.
5. Do you see yourself as a skilled salesperson?
No – but I am working on it!
6. Has your sales process or technique evolved over time?
Yes definitely. There was a time when we used to rely on referrals only, but now we have a sales process that is constantly improving to suit the different challenges we find ourselves in.
7. Since being in business for yourself, what do you enjoy the most
Flexibility, but certainly not as much as I wanted or thought I would have when starting my own business. I’ve also enjoyed taking control and ownership of successes and challenging myself to learn from the disappointments.