Solway Printers

Tim Solway of Solways Printers came to me in need of some help.Tim had been running his printing company for over 30 years and clearly loved his business. However, Tim told me what I already know.

Tim said, “the printing industry is in tatters, no one is buying print anymore, all marketing has gone digital and printers are going out of business on a daily basis.”

Tim continued, “I need some help with my marketing. We are really good at what we do, but not so good at marketing what we do. We need to get an extra £20,000 per month into this business and we need to do it fast!

And by the way – I’ve got no money, or very little to invest in marketing.” I told Tim that my aim was to help him double his business in 12 months and he laughed! We didn’t do it in 12 months. We did it in 9 months. In this case study, I am going to explain how!

The first step was to pick up the low hanging fruit. I asked Tim: “Do you have people who have asked for a quote over the past 12 months, but for whatever reason, they have not converted?”

“Yes, ” Tim said, “lots of them.”

I asked if he had been thorough in following these guys up. “No, ” he said. “I’ve been busy!” I then suggested that he should call each and every one of his quotes up and try to convert them into sales.
We came up with a great script and Tim made 10 calls the following day. During these calls, he got £8,500 worth of sales, as well as four referrals into other businesses and we turned those leads into over £20,000 worth of business.

Not a bad first day!

Tim and his team continued to rake in those easy sales for several months.

The Third Step

Step three was a new website which we designed for him – you can’t be London’s leading quality printing company with a crap website (Tim’s words, not mine). Once the new site was live, we set about driving traffic to the site using SEO, PPC, email marketing and Social Media. Then we worked on improving the CRO (Conversion Rate Optimisation) of the site. We were now in month six and were really getting some significant new business in, so we decided to take a bit of a step back and look at Tim’s clients. Who are they and what did they want?

The Final Step

I suggested to Tim that he needed to be more than ‘just a printer’. He needed to position himself and his business. Tim said that Solways was ‘London’s leading firm of quality printers’. He was very strong in his belief about this, and so we agreed to go with it! WE POSITIONED SOLWAYS PRINTERS AS ‘LONDON’S LEADING QUALITY PRINTERS’ So we decided to target the quality market.

Solways became famous for their quality 3 x normal thickness business cards (I know, I use them and every time I give them to anyone, they comment on the quality and thickness). They started to target businesses, industries and organisations who wanted a top-quality product and were willing to pay top prices for both the product and for the professional advice that Solways Printers provided. Tim and I have become firm friends over the past five years. He has taken me to the Cricket at Lords several of those years and he has recommended me to several of his clients and contacts.

Tim is very kind in his comments about me and how much I helped him and managed to turn his business around, but the truth of the matter is: What I told him was not so difficult, but what Tim did that others didn’t was that he took massive and consistent action. He picked up the phone, got on LinkedIn and wrote and sent out those emails. He invested in PPC Advertising and in a new

Testimonials

I cannot tell you how delighted I am with the difference that Steve Mills has made to my business. It’s simply astonishing. When you’ve been in an industry for a long time, you kind of think you know everything there is to know about your business. However, I can freely admit that Steve’s invaluable advice and insights into how to market my business have really opened my eyes! I would happily recommend him and his team to any SME looking to outsource their marketing – it’s the best thing I ever did."

Ray Coleshill

WE HAVE BEEN ON STEVE'S RESULTS ACCELERATOR PROGRAMME FOR JUST 3 MONTHS NOW AND IN THAT BRIEF TIME WE HAVE SEEN OUR AVERAGE NUMBER OF MONTHLY LEADS INCREASE BY A WHOPPING 64.7%. WE ARE ENTHUSED BY THE RESULTS AND THE ADVICE/SUPPORT THAT STEVE PROVIDES. FOLLOW THE PROCESS AND YOU WILL GET GREAT RESULTS.

Seamus Palfrey, Palfrey Murphy Accountants

THANK YOU FOR THIS. AS YOU KNOW, LAST NIGHT I CONNECTED IN ANGELA RE MEETING ON MONDAY. I HAVE THIS MORNING READ THIS AUDIT IN DETAIL. OUTSTANDING WORK, STEVE. YOU HAVE DONE WONDERFUL WORK IN OUTLINING THE SIGNIFICANT OPPORTUNITIES WE HAVE. WE HAVE GOT IN BETTER SHAPE TRUCTURALLY WITH DAN TAKING RESPONSIBILITY FOR NEW BIZ INC TELE SALES. I AM DELIGHTED YOU ARE MEETING WITH ANGELA AND PERHAPS DAN MIGHT BE ABLE TO PICK UP ON THE SALES STUFF. THANKS AGAIN, STEVE.

Brian Dunne, Managing Director of SVM Europe

CASCADE EVENT MANAGEMENT’S TURNOVER HIT £492,000 THIS YEAR (UP FROM £290,000 LAST YEAR) AND I’M SURE A SIGNIFICANT PART OF THAT IS DOWN TO THE TIME I SPENT WITH YOU, STEVE. THIS YEAR IS LOOKING GOOD TOO BUT WE STILL WANT TO TAKE IT THE NEXT LEVEL.

Chris Monk, Managing Director of Cascade Events Ltd

I HAVE TAKEN STEVE MILLS' ADVICE EARLIER THIS YEAR AND WITHIN A SHORT SPACE OF TIME MY COMPANY WAS ALL OVER THE FIRST PAGE OF GOOGLE! WE OPERATE IN A VERY COMPETITIVE MARKET (LUXURY SAILING HOLIDAYS) AND HAVE SOME BIG COMPANY COMPETITORS, SO ALL THE ADVICE THAT I GOT WAS PRICELESS. MANY THANKS, STEVE.

Phil Reeves, Essential Sailing

STEVE IS A TRUE MARKETING PROFESSIONAL. HE HAS MADE A DIFFERENCE TO OUR BUSINESS’ SUCCESS. I WOULD NOT HESITATE IN RECOMMENDING STEVE.

Michael Brook, Professional Excellence

I HAVE KNOWN AND WORKED WITH STEVE FOR A GOOD WHILE NOW AND HAVE COME TO REALISE AND APPRECIATE HIS POSITIVE APPROACH IS CONTAGIOUS. HAVING BEEN IN BUSINESS FOR 20+ YEARS, I HAVE CONSTANTLY MET SEVERAL COMPANIES AND BUSINESS PEOPLE WHO CLAIM THEY WANT TO HELP BUT REALLY ONLY WANT TO SELL YOU SOMETHING. BUT I FIRMLY BELIEVE STEVE GENUINELY WANTS ME AND MY BUSINESS TO SUCCEED AND DO WELL, CERTAIN IN THE KNOWLEDGE THAT IF I PUT THE EFFORT IN AND FOLLOW HIS ADVICE, I WILL DO SO. HIS KNOWLEDGE AND APPROACH IN MY OPINION ARE SECOND TO NONE AND I WOULD MOST DEFINITELY RECOMMEND HIS SERVICES.

Debbie Graham

I'VE WORKED WITH STEVE NOW FOR A COUPLE OF YEARS AND I CAN HONESTLY SAY I HAVE SEEN A MARKED DIFFERENCE TO OUR MARKETING. WHEREAS ONCE IT STUTTERED, IT NOW RUNS SMOOTH AS SILK!

Debbie GrahMatt Day, Managing Director of iFinancialam

I RECENTLY ATTENDED A WORKSHOP ON LINKEDIN RUN BY STEVE MILLS. I FOUND IT ONE OF THE MOST IMPACTFUL AND USEFUL COURSES MAINLY BECAUSE OF HIS EFFECTIVE COMMUNICATION STYLE THROUGH WHICH HIS EXPERTISE SHINES. THE TECHNIQUES AND TIPS PROVIDED BY STEVE WERE IMMEDIATELY CLEAR IN HOW THEY WOULD IMPROVE MY USE OF LINKEDIN AND HE OPENS ONE’S MIND TO ALL SORTS OF OPPORTUNITIES FOR GROWTH. THE AUDIENCE WAS DIVERSE BUT STEVE SKILLFULLY MANAGED EVERYONE’S ATTENTION AND UNDERSTANDING. I HAVE NO HESITATION IN RECOMMENDING STEVE AND HIS WEALTH OF EXPERIENCE AS HE OFFERS TRUE VALUE.

David Turner

I ATTENDED A LINKEDIN TRAINING WORKSHOP DELIVERED BY STEVE. THOUGH I AM TECHNICALLY ABLE, STEVE NOT ONLY COVERS THE TECHNICAL ASPECTS BUT THE 7 ELEMENTS OF HOW TO BEST MARKET YOURSELF. THINGS HAVE REALLY MOVED ON SINCE I WAS LAST IN THE JOB MARKET 23 YEARS AGO AND LINKEDIN IS SUCH AN INTEGRAL PART OF THE JOB SEARCH PROCESS NOW. STEVE'S PERSONA AND DELIVERY WAS FANTASTIC, COUPLED WITH HIS EXPERIENCE. HE WAS VERY ENGAGING. EVEN THOUGH IT WAS DELIVERED VIA ZOOM, I FELT AS THOUGH I WAS IN THE SAME ROOM AS STEVE. WOULD TOTALLY RECOMMEND THIS COURSE.

Peter C Smith, Business Advisor and Chairman of The Berkshire Chamber of Commerce

THIS MORNING I SPENT 30 MINUTES WITH STEVE AND I UNDERSTAND WHY HE HAS BUILT UP SUCH A GOOD REPUTATION IN THE SALES AND MARKETING FIELD. HE WAS ABLE TO QUICKLY ASSESS WHERE I AM, WHERE I NEED TO GET AND HOW BEST WE CAN WORK TOGETHER. I HIGHLY RECOMMEND THAT YOU SPEND AT LEAST 30 MIN WITH STEVE; IT WILL BE TIME WELL SPENT.

Jonathan Plaxton

HAVING NOW ATTENDED BOTH AN ‘IN PERSON’ AND AN ONLINE PRESENTATION BY STEVE, I’M PLEASED TO RECOMMEND EITHER! STEVE’S KNOWLEDGE OF SOCIAL MEDIA, IN PARTICULAR LINKEDIN, IS IMPRESSIVE AND HIS FRIENDLY STYLE PUTS DELEGATES AT EASE WITH ALL QUESTIONS ANSWERED.

Michael Tipper

I FOUND STEVE'S WEBINAR VERY HELPFUL AND IT OPENED MY EYES TO OTHER ASPECTS OF MY BUSINESS THAT CAN BE MEASURED.

David B Robson

I’VE BEEN SHADOWING STEVE MILLS FOR A NUMBER OF YEARS SINCE CONNECTING WITH HIM AND HAVE ALWAYS BEEN IMPRESSED WITH THE QUALITY AND ONSISTENCY OF HIS CONTENT. BASED ON THAT, I RECENTLY ATTENDED ONE OF HIS WEBINARS ON MARKETING AND USING LINKEDIN. IT WAS A CONTENT-RICH EXPERIENCE PACKED FULL OF GREAT IDEAS. IT WAS A PERFECT BLEND OF PRACTICAL THINGS TO DO COMBINED WITH IMPORTANT MINDSET PRINCIPLES. IT IS CLEAR HE NOT ONLY KNOWS WHAT HE IS TALKING ABOUT BUT THAT HE MAKES IT WORK FOR HIMSELF AND HIS CLIENTS (£100,000,000 OF SUCCESS FOR HIS CLIENTS ISN’T BAD GOING BY ANYBODY’S STANDARDS!!). I LIKE STEVE’S CONTENT BUT MORE IMPORTANTLY FIND HIM A GENUINE, CARING AND HUMBLE INDIVIDUAL WHO I’D BE VERY HAPPY TO WORK WITH. DEFINITELY HIGHLY RECOMMEND.

Matt Bullard

THROUGH STEVE'S ONLINE VIDEO COURSES, I'VE BEEN ABLE TO IDENTIFY AND IMPLEMENT THE KEY STEPS ESSENTIAL TO GROWING AND MAINTAINING A SUSTAINABLE SMALL BUSINESS. HIS INSIGHT INTO SALES AND MARKETING HAS PLAYED AN INTEGRAL PART IN HELPING ME ACHIEVE MANY OF MY BUSINESS OBJECTIVES. I HIGHLY RECOMMEND SPEAKING TO HIM.

Sally Callow MSc

STEVE'S CLIENTS GET ACCESS TO YEARS OF HARD WON SALES AND MARKETING EXPERIENCE AT THE COAL FACE. MOST IMPORTANTLY, HE PUSHED US TO TAKE ACTION.

Andrea Kelly

I WAS LUCKY ENOUGH TO ATTEND ONE OF STEVE'S WORKSHOPS RECENTLY. IT WAS A THOROUGHLY ENJOYABLE EXPERIENCE. STEVE KNOWS HIS SUBJECT AND DELIVERS HIS MESSAGE WELL, ENGAGING WITH HIS AUDIENCE WITH WARMTH AND HUMOUR. IT WAS A WELL- PACED SESSION AND I WOULD BE HAPPY TO RECOMMEND HIS SERVICES TO ANYONE.

Michelle Matthews BA Hons

I RECENTLY ATTENDED ONE OF STEVE’S WORKSHOPS IN BASINGSTOKE. HIS METHOD OF DELIVERY WAS VERY EASY TO RECEIVE. WARM, PERSONABLE AND GOOD HUMOURED TOO – STEVE MAINTAINED GOOD ENGAGEMENT IN THE ROOM BY ENABLING AN INTERACTIVE SESSION THAT MEANT THE CONTENT WAS IMMEDIATELY APPLICABLE. THANK YOU STEVE!

Ellie Robbins , Centre Manager of Gatcombe House

I HAVE ATTENDED VARIOUS WORKSHOPS OVER THE YEARS BUT I RECENTLY ATTENDED STEVE'S RESULTS WORKSHOP AND FOUND IT VERY REFRESHING TO UPDATE MY CURRENT KNOWLEDGE ON HOW TO IMPROVE MY SALES AND MARKETING RESULTS THAT I'M CURRENTLY ACHIEVING. STEVE WAS VERY INFORMATIVE AND WE LEARNT THINGS WE COULD PUT INTO PRACTICE IMMEDIATELY. I WOULD HIGHLY RECOMMEND STEVE'S WORKSHOPS.

Tom Brigstock

I MET STEVE AT LINKEDIN LOCAL PORTSMOUTH WHO INVITED ME TO HIS FREE SEMINAR ON HOW TO CREATE LEADS AND SALES. I WAS A LITTLE SKEPTICAL ON HOW VALUABLE THIS WOULD BE AT FIRST, BUT I WAS PLEASANTLY SURPRISED. I WOULD RECOMMEND ANY SALES PROFESSIONAL OR BUSINESS OWNER TO CHECK HIM OUT. I CAME AWAY WITH SOME FANTASTIC IDEAS TO HELP DEVELOP MYSELF AS A SALES PROFESSIONAL AND TO SUPPORT THE BUSINESS SALES PROCESS AS A WHOLE. AMAZING WORK, STEVE.

Eddie Bullock

Demand Logic

When Gilbert Lennox-King of Demand Logic met up with me, he was the newly appointed Director of Business Development and Strategy at Demand Logic. Demand Logic is a simple, powerful and fast software enabling businesses to improve the fitness of their buildings – ‘Fitbit for buildings’. Demand Logic uses data analytics and an online collaboration platform to find performance improvements in
commercial buildings.

http://www.demandlogic.co.uk/

Gilbert said, “I have been given a remit by my fellow Directors to increase sales. My aim is to increase the company’s lead generation from 15 to 30 leads per month and so work towards doubling the size of the business” (Double your leads and you double your turnover). Having decided he needed independent help and advice, he joined my ‘RESULTS INNER CIRCLE Group.' JOIN MY INNER CIRCLE TODAY!website.

Initial Marketing Advice

As usual, I started by asking Gilbert what he was currently doing and how well it was working. We discussed some really ‘quick wins’ and ideas to improve:

The amount of business the company generated from current clients. The number of referrals they were getting. Online marketing results.

We met twice in those first two weeks. The group meeting followed, on the 26th September. At the start of each group meeting, each member got the chance to stand up and clearly state what actions they had recently taken and what results were achieved. When it came to Gilbert’s turn, he announced:

“We joined Steve’s group on 1st September 2017 with the aim of getting help to increase our lead generation from 15 to 30 leads per month. However, we have not done that!! Within 3 weeks of working with Steve, we have increased our lead count from 15 to 45!”

RPC Cleaning

After meeting RPC’s founding owner – Ray Coleshill – at an exhibition, we were delighted to agree on a marketing plan and plan of work to energise this wellestablished cleaning company, which enabled them to grow the business over the next 10 years. RPC remained our oldest client until Ray retired and over the past 10 years, we have helped them to:

Create two new websites.
Develop several videos.
Produce weekly blog posts.
Sending regular email communications to clients and prospects.
Implement social media to reach and engage with new audiences.
Free up valuable sales time, resulting in more opportunities to sell RPC’s services.
Secure hundreds of new clients and exceed sales targets.

The First Step

RPC Cleaning, while well known and relatively successful, knew that, with the growth of many other competitors in the cleaning marketplace, they needed to do something different to get
themselves noticed and attract new customers. Ray explained that his goal was to generate new commercial and domestic customers within a 12-month timeframe, and furthermore, he wanted to ensure they signed up for repeat business and tried out his specialist cleaning services too.

In addition, he explained that he wanted to concentrate his time on selling/training his team and not on doing the marketing, which was not his area of expertise. This is where we were able to step in.
How we helped RPC We devised a new digital marketing strategy, which encompassed a refreshed website and involved driving traffic to the site using SEO, PPC, email marketing and Social Media, along with a short video of Ray promoting his company and some regular blog posts giving some useful hints and tips on cleaning. Overall, this integrated very well with RPC’s e-commerce strategy.

The Final Result?

As a result of the new e-marketing strategy we implemented, RPC achieved some impressive outcomes:

Hundreds of new carpet cleaning clients.
Hundreds of new commercial office cleaning contracts.
Repeat annual cleaning contracts.
Expansion of specialist cleaning services.
Increase in no. of cleaning staff.
100% increase in website visits.

Case Study