thanks Sandra. Do you know of any great ‘bicultural’ real estate sites and/or agents in Normandy?
Christina, off the top of my head…
- Link up with estate agents… chances are some of their clients are going to need project management at the very least. Get them to give out your leaflets, perhaps?
- Offer a ‘welcome to France’ discount to new buyers?
- Do you have any case studies of completed projects that you could try to ‘sell in’ to a ‘French living’ style magazine? (A word with their ad depts could give you an idea of forthcoming features that might be relevant.)
Does anyone have any good marketing ideas?
I have a new interior design and project management business and have put my leaflets into estate agents and some mairies.
I have a website…am on the Anglo Info site and part of the Dronne Valley Network.
I have a stand at the Angel Traders Fair but would like any other ideas that anyone has.
It has been suggested putting flyers on British cars in tourist spot markets.
What can you guys suggest?..
Love to hear from you
Christina - Avant-Garde Design
Hello, fellow travailleurs…
I’m a one-woman band: a freelance PR consultant, living in France but handling PR campaigns and projects for UK-based businesses… or French businesses wishing to market to the UK. (From what Sally said elsewhere it looks as if French businesses could use some decent PR!!)
Maybe I’ll get to network in person with some of you.
After reading all the frustrations of dealing with FT and the inimitable Orange, I feel that I have to comment. I have never been a client of Orange (oh thank the lord) but have still managed to storm out of their stores a few times in a high rage due to their rudeness and lack of customer service and general stupidity…when I was researching phone companies for my new business, I prayed that Orange would not end up being the best provider as I dreaded having to deal with them for myself.
I found out that Bouygues Telecom had an all-in-one flexible business package (mobile, home phone and internet) which offered the best deal for me as a new business. At the smae price I was already paying for my home phone and internet I now also have a mobile phone with a flexible monthly rate - no excess charges for going over my limit.
Having dealt with them already for my teenage son I had already learnt not to buy any package with them thru the internet and that their store in Perigueux offered an excellent customer service. The fact that I could go in and speak to someone face-to face is worth it’s weight in gold. I cannot abide the long frustrating process of dealing with phone/internet companies supposed ‘customer service’ having gone thru a contract with club internet (who became Neuf who became SFR).
Honest, I do not get anything from them but would recommend them (and Rudolphe in Perigueux) to anyone looking to have a phone service for their business.
Thanks Sandra. In case you don’t know about NEDWA (North East Dordogne Women’s Association) there are some business members of this group and the main contact is Frances Beasley. I have just emailed her and all the members to let her know about this site.
I echo Catharine’s comment.It can sometimes be incredibly frustrating to deal with anything official, business or otherwise in France.
I have had my fair share of experiences with Orange and FT and am in the midst of a dispute, but I I won’t bore you with the details - it is too painful to repeat. I have a friend who is a French speaker who was shouted at by someone from France Telecom. He was attempting to get a phone line installed in a house he was renovating for someone - he wanted it ADSL enabled, which they failed to do.In the end he had to have another line installed AT HIS EXPENSE in order to get what he wanted. Hard to believe, but unfortunately true. I am not sure what the answer is but I would observe that a large majority of operatives that you speak to (for anything) seem to know terrifyingly little about the service they offer. I very often am asked to ring back the next day as the person concerned with my dossier in not in work - quite frightening when you consider you are talking to the likes of URSSAF.(just one example I think it is very difficult not to moan, but at the same time letting off a bit of steam can be therapeutic don’t you think?
I actually gave up with FT and now use ExPat which at the moment is great except if something goes wrong with the actual physical line to the property I could come unstuck as FT (probably understandably) are a little, shall we say, ‘uppity’ about not using them for the calls. - Hey Ho
That anecdote is just soooo typical of France and probably goes some way to explaining why depending on my mood, I find life here either highly amusing or incredibly frustrating…!
Depends on the weather too…sun is out today so all is well with the world. Fickle, moi…non!
Hi all … totally agree with all the comments below about ‘french paper-pushing’ … and ‘non-communication’ between departments … it can be so frustrating … and very time-comsuming. However, there are ‘up-sides’ to it - sometimes ! ! … I remember the second house we owned in France, a lovely charentaise cottage we renovated, including puting in a mains water supply when we moved in ( we did all the building work from the well !!) Anyway, to cut a long story short, we lived there for 16 months without getting a water bill ( although we did pay a cheque for the connection and meter ) When we came to move I went to SAUR and said I’d like to get my meter read and pay my final account … the lady consulted her computer, put in our address, frowned and said ’ Monsieur , you do not have a water meter … so we can not read it !’ … I assured her we did, and I then had to come back, bringing my ‘connection bill’ … at which point she swore loudly ( with rolling eyes !) … apparently the ‘service raccordement’ had failed to notify the ‘billing office’ that the supply had been put in !! As my buyer pointed out to me , If I hadnt have been so honest and pursued it, he would probably never have had to pay for his water !! …
Suzie I should imagine that the person in question had not passed the necessary ‘formation’ giving them the right to pass letters from one office to another. That would be the job of the post boy…!
Perhaps even more ‘incroyable’ a friend of mine sent in a form to (something like) Room 102, Blah, Blah, Blah only to have it returned with a letter telling her she needed to send it to Room 103, Blah, Blah, Blah - you’d have thought they could have gone out their door turned left or right and given it to them!!! Then had to pay a penalty for being late when it did get there.
Hey, but the wines good and I am led to believe the weather can be quite nice - what has happened to that???
Yes I totally agree with Suzie! Recently I was speaking to EDF and they said they had been to visit a maison secondaire (which I look after) to install a meter on a total of 7 separate occasions without confirming the appointment by letter or phone (and despite the fact that no-one lives there and they have the owner’s UK address to invoice!). I did ask EDF if they could perhaps send me a crystal ball for next time …
Think one of the most annoying things is the assumption that everyone is telepathic. I put a facture into my local Mairies - and waited - and waited - not wanting to fall out with them but eventually I phoned and said …“about my facture un peu pressé maintenant…” “Did you give us a RIB?” “No” “Oh we only pay by prelevement”.
Now they tell me! Bearing in mind I am only a matter of yards away you’d have thought they’d received the facture and phone me or pop in to tell me they needed a RIB, or is that too easy???
However, the nice thing about being in business is the comararderie with the other commercants in our ‘tillage’ (cross between town and village).
Morning all - I’m meant to be working but needless to say, I’m messing around on here instead…So I thought it would be interesting to know what are your best and worst experiences of doing business in France? All anecdotes welcome - the funnier the better - I think we all need cheering up in this horrible weather! C x