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The essential Etiquette Guide for van drivers who don’t know their ‘arts’ from their elbows!

March 2008

Research by Budget Van Insurance shows that one of the biggest gaffs van drivers can make is showing off their posteriors! So, in an effort to consign ‘builder’s bum’ to the history books and help tradesmen really ‘relate’ to their clients, the UK van drivers’ champion has produced the Etiquette Guide, a tongue-in-cheek mischievous manual on modern manners and an essential read for all tradesmen.

Providing a host of invaluable tips they don’t teach at tradesman school, the Etiquette Guide is a must-have manual for van drivers curious about why they get so much flack.  It helps them deal with those ‘challenging’ everyday events, in a humorous and well mannered way. 

Just a flavour of what you will find in the Etiquette Guide follows:

Cover the Cracks!
Amongst other findings, ‘Builder’s bum’ is a definite ‘no-no’, with 91% of women finding the sight of their handyman’s backside a real turn off. 

Budget Van Insurance has designed the perfect solution to prevent ‘carpenters’ crack’ - as it’s formally known in the trade! A limited edition pair of ‘Budget Braces’ is available to the first [50] van drivers free of charge. Van drivers can get hold of them by sending in the coupon within the Etiquette Guide or visiting www.budgetvaninsurance.com.Alternatively, tradesmen are advised to invest in a good quality belt or, as Budget Van Insurance has reliably been informed, a tight fitting pair of underpants.

Jargon Busters
Research supporting the Etiquette Guide indicates some van men need to rethink their communications strategy when dealing with their customers. Almost a third of those polled* would prefer their tradesmen to speak more plainly about the job in hand – the advice is to keep it simple.

Time for Tea
It’s common knowledge that Britain’s tradesmen are tea connoisseurs. Van men should surprise their customers by asking for Lapsang Sushong or perhaps a mug of Darjeeling instead of builders’ brew. Some tradesmen might be loathe to veer away from their usual strong, sweet cup of varnish but with only 11% of women stating they would reduce the amount of tea breaks taken - UK van men have no excuse not to try something new!

Lisa Corston, Budget Van Insurance, says:
“Our research shows that tradesmen are extremely hard working and take pride in their work and appearance, well mostly! They get a lot of flack and we want to do our bit to boost their reputation and bring a smile to their faces.

“There are a small number of van drivers who might not be aware of all the social graces of some of their more well-to-do customers but in our working lives we all come across potentially difficult situations and customers. The Etiquette Guide tackles these issues head on in a humorous manner - we don’t really think van drivers need to brush up on their social skills; we love them just the way they are!”

Key findings

  • Over 75% of women are quite happy to be wolf-whistled and don’t mind laddish behaviour…within reason!
  • A clean van equals a clean mind – hardly! However, if your van is filthy what do you think your customer will be thinking about the inner workings of a carpenters’ consciousness?  Budget Van Insurance advice is to keep your van squeaky clean. 

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The BGL Group

The BGL Group, formerly known as Budget Group of Companies (the Group) was founded in 1992 and has grown to become one of the UK’s largest personal lines insurance intermediaries, through a combination of organic growth and a series of major strategic acquisitions (the last major acquisition was five years ago).

The Group now arranges and administers insurance for 1.9 million customers. It operates major contact centre operations (Fusion) in Peterborough, Coventry, Sunderland, Peterlee in the UK, and Cape Town, South Africa. The Group currently employs 2,255 people with its head office in Peterborough.

As an intermediary, the Group is able to access a wide range of underwriters, making it highly competitive in the marketplace, offering core products such as motor, home, commercial vehicle and motorcycle insurance.  The Group also offers a wide range of supplementary products, which include breakdown cover, legal protection, travel insurance, life assurance, pet insurance and mortgage payment protection insurance.

 In 2006 the Group received ‘Intermediary of the Year’ (Insurance Age UK Broker Awards) for its outstanding contribution to the insurance industry.  In April 2007, the Sunday Times’ PricewaterhouseCoopers Profit Track 100 rankings selected the Group as ‘one to watch’.

Budget Van insurance searches a panel of 12 insurers to offer competitively priced van insurance, in addition to exceptional product benefits. In 2006 Budget Van launched various innovative marketing campaigns including ‘it’s a van man thing’ and ‘flying traffic wardens’, which resulted in it being awarded ‘Marketing Campaign of The Year 2006’ (Insurance Times Awards). More recently Budget Van and News of the World have joined forces to produce the Dream Dates Calendar 2008.

BISL Ltd, part of the BGL Group s is authorised and regulated by the Financial Services Authority.

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