Imprinted Concrete Driveways Cost per Square Metre

Imprinted Concrete Driveways Cost per Square Metre

When you’ve got to the stage of talking imprinted concrete driveways cost per square metre all the tough decision making around choosing a colour and design are over.

Now, it’s all about the price.

The number one factor that determines the price you pay is whether you’ve used a ‘sales’ type home improvement company or chosen a specialised imprinted concrete installer.

Pattern imprinted concrete driveways costs per square metre will be a lot higher if you choose a ‘sales’ type home improvement company.

Why?

Because a driveway sales company has to spend money on making their process as slick as possible; that means brochures, advertising on radio, TV or in magazines and newspapers. Some companies get ‘leads’ from shopping centre stands etc. That’s without online advertising with google and bing

And don’t forget the smiley home improvement person that knocks on your door!

In comparison, installers do not have the means or often the ability to set up such slick ‘sales processes’, and won’t have a budget for costly advertising. If they’re professional and know what they’re doing; they will be kept in work by referrals. And there’s no better way of being in business than through referrals.

At this point, purely on a cost basis, imprinted concrete driveways cost per square metre may be as little as £85 pounds direct with an installer. Compare this to £150 that can be paid to a sales company. 

This is a huge difference!

Sensible costs for pattern imprinted concrete are displayed in the table below. Please note these prices do not include extras such as walling, gates, fencing and lighting.

[supsystic-tables id=’35’]

So how can a sales company charge so much per square metre more?

So how can a sales company charge so much per square metre more?

The driveway industry is unregulated.

Complaints may be made to trading standards about companies but there is no registration and no compliance requirements.

This means it’s easy for companies to simply ‘fold.’ Then set up fresh in a new area. Unfortunately, these ‘rogues’ tarnish the good reputation of many decent driveway companies and installers. 

Fortunately, with the wealth of information at our fingertips and the power of Social Media platforms such as Facebook, Instagram and Twitter ‘ordinary folk’ are able to quickly establish an idea of credibility; relatively quickly.

What can you do to make sure you don’t get scammed and pay through the nose?

Some simple checks to start with:

Companies house 

It’s easy to register an LTD but as a potential customer you are able to find out who the directors are and exactly how long they’ve been in business. Google checks with their name may flag poor reviews or other things.

Website evaluation 

Many sales type companies will be full of testimonials and pictures. They may even have ‘offers’ (usually with time pressures).

A lot can be worked out from the ‘glossiness’ of a websites. Some of the most ‘fancy’ websites are often set up by sales scammers.

Remember the sole purpose is to get your number and email and with these details they can really get to work by bombarding you with ‘offers’ and other incentives.

A typical sales type company will use the following process:

Customer contact 

If you’re dealing with a sales company they will have processes in place of when to contact you, what to say, when to say it, how to overcome any objections you may have, incentives and offers and most importantly (for them) a commission structure.

A driveway sales person itches to get the best price they possibly can. Throughout any ‘consultative’ sales process the same steps are followed and these revolve around building trust and credibility.

Initial contact 

Where a sales person builds rapport and first impression. This is where you as a potential customer evaluate their ‘trustworthiness’, ‘credibility’ and ‘honesty’.

Knowledge 

Where a sales person establishes authority that they know their product. With knowledge comes authority. If your knowledge is lacking even basic product knowledge can be persuasive.

Technical

Where a sales person impresses with technical expertise. For those of us with more technical understanding we’re impressed with technical details. For those of us lacking technical understanding being impressed by somebody else’s technical understanding can easily ‘sway’.

Resistance  

A sales person must overcome any obstacles or objections. This means a good sales person has thought out relative objections and has an ‘arsenal’ of responses for such obstacles and objections.

Offers and pressure

If a customer engagement has gone well and all talk covering technical aspects is complete and all objections overcome – roll out the time pressure offers.

This offer is valid until…..

This offer is being withdrawn……..

You Must Act now…..or else……

Closing –

No sale is complete without closing. This is were you sign on the dotted line and closure is complete. If all previous processes have been efficiently executed closing is smooth and easy. If there are doubts with any other parts closing is much more challenging.

We’re always keen to hear about experiences with a driveway sales companies – So engage with us and let us know.

Another thing to watch out for are companies offering:

Insurance Backed Guarantees

Caution is urged here. Afterall, some of the biggest scammers out there are insurance companies!

Please read this post on insurance backed guarantees – this is relevant to customers and installers alike.

Imprinted Concrete Driveways Cost Per Square Metre – Location, location….location

Across the UK driveway costs can vary considerably. Home improvement sales companies will focus on wealthier areas (who else will pay their prices) and these include parts of London, the home counties and the nice bits of the Shires.

Generally, in suburbia like the boroughs around London customers pay the least. This is because there are large numbers of installers and competition is high. Regionally, the costs for the materials such as concrete, drainage, tools and colour are about the same.

A good sales type home improvement company work hard to ‘target’ money areas.

Imprinted Concrete Driveways Cost Per Square Metre – Extras

Building walls and piers, installing lighting and electric gates all add up as extras to the price of a pattern imprinted concrete driveway. These will normally be priced up separately to the cost of installation but some companies may include drainage as part of the cost per square metre price.

RELATED ARTICLES