Hertfordshire’s RJR Consulting grew workforce by 900% in 2010 and is on track to double growth in 2011, with Business Link support.
Telemarketing and telesales agency RJR Consulting moved into new offices and grew its workforce by 900% last year, while a fantastic first quarter in 2011 has put the company firmly on track to achieve its target of doubling turnover this year and taking on more staff.
Richard Rouse, Managing Director of the Kings Langley-based firm, puts this success down to a change in strategy developed in 2009, implemented from early last year, and supported with ongoing advice from Business Link. “Our previous strategy worked very well for us, but was limiting our potential for considerable future growth,” explains Richard. “We tended to win tactical, rather than strategic, telemarketing and sales projects. The result was that work levels and our income fluctuated, which is why we used freelancers who worked from home.”
According to Richard, it was a series of conversations with his former boss and Business Link Adviser Stephen Herman that led to the change in strategy: “I was chatting to Stephen about further developing the company, and he suggested I ask myself where I thought the business would be in five years. That pulled me up short, as I realised we wouldn’t be able to grow as fast as I would like to using our current structure. So I worked with Stephen to explore how to encourage the sort of sustainable development that would allow us to grow the business fast and win more strategic, long-term projects.”
The result was a new strategy, developed with Business Link’s help, that last year saw Richard focus on generating sales in the business-to-business markets he knew well. He also hired additional staff to meet the renewed demand and moved into new premises. In fact, such has been the success of his efforts that Richard is now well into the next phase of the company’s development, with RJR set to double turnover in 2011 and take on more people.
RJR Consulting offers partner-based telemarketing, telesales, market research and data cleansing services. This covers everything from appointment setting to turnkey telesales solutions, with which RJR handles the entire process from initial call to confirming sales made. Research can be anything from short customer feedback surveys through to in-depth market intelligence interviews. “These services are particularly useful for companies that don’t have the time or expertise to manage it themselves,” says Richard.
As part of the firm’s ongoing growth and its commitment to best practice, Richard has recently launched the RJR Consulting Sales Academy. “This will not only provide our employees with better skills and a sustainable career platform, but will also ensure clients receive even better returns on their investment,” says Richard. “In addition, the Academy is being opened up to clients to ensure they get the most from the sales appointments generated by the RJR team.”
Throughout the fast growth of RJR, Richard has been able to rely on Business Link’s support. “Having Stephen available to consult has been invaluable,” says Richard. “For example, when I was considering renting office space, he helped me explore the benefits versus the downsides, and identified a number of issues that prevented me from making potentially costly mistakes.”
Business Link was able to help Richard deal with the influx of new staff, as Stephen explains: “I ensured Richard had templates for the latest employment contracts, policies and procedures from my colleagues in Business Link’s Information Gateway..”
Richard acknowledges that his key challenge in 2011 will be to manage the rapid growth of the business, particularly as his team of nine new employees will continue to grow, with a further five people joining through the year. “Being an employer comes with many responsibilities, and I’ve had to implement new policies and procedures that would have been hugely time consuming if I didn’t have access to Business Link’s resources.”
“Business Link’s ongoing and all-round support has undoubtedly made a positive difference to the speed at which I have been able to grow RJR Consulting,” says Richard. “Having Stephen at the end of the phone, not to mention all the resources he can call on, has enabled me to focus on taking strategic decisions and growing the business.”
