Let's make lots of money
Market Makers was set up in October
2003 by Horndean school friends Paul
Thomas
and Henry Braithwaite -but boasted just
one employee, Mr. Thomas. But
in February
2004 the firm - with four employees and
five clients - moved into the
Portsmouth
Technopole, Kingston Crescent, and this
is where the story really
begins.
Its brief is to offer marketing expertise
to firms through mail shots or
telemarketing.
Initially it was just to small or medium-sized
firms, but it now
encompasses all sizes
and types - from the one-man band to the
blue chip client
such as Jaguar. The importance
in all cases is to maximize the number
of sales.
When it moved into the Technopole it
was the £4m complex's 50th tenant.
But
since it was first set up it has grown
quickly and rapidly. After the first six
months
it boasted 30 clients and 20 staff.
In the first quarter of this year, revenue
has grown by about 200 per cent, and by
the end of this year the firm could be
looking at a turnover of £1m. It
now has 40
clients, local and national,
on its books - most of whom have seen
growth since
the company was brought in.
Mr. Thomas has pointed to several reasons
for the growth. The first is having a
selection of clients from various industries
- telecommunications, IT, home
improvements,
mail order and pharmaceuticals. He also
believes running his own
business has
given him a level of understanding that
added value to the work he
did for clients.
He said: "we understand the importance
of every £1 spent. The
question
I ask myself every day is 'If I spend
£100, how much am I going to get
back?' When it's your own money you really
do have to be careful. It's the same
with
our clients' investments."
But equally important is the team that
Mr. Thomas has built around him. The head
count now stands at 21, but Mr. Thomas
said the importance was not necessarily
the numbers of employees but the quality.
He said: "we always go for the highest
quality of staff we can get and everyone
who works for us has to be top-end."
For more information on our telemarketing and telesales services contact us or
call 0845 468 0880.
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