Roderick Morgan
Director
Ironically, I started out in life with the intention of earning a living through music – but at 18, couldn't resist the flattering offer of a job as a print salesman and the prospect of regular money in my pocket. After a week of induction looking around the printing works, I was launched onto 'the road' without the slightest hint of sales training.
Two years later I emigrated for six years and received my first formal sales training at ‘Kalamazoo’. I then had another successful run as a print salesman which resulted in me unexpectedly being promoted to Sales Manager - a role that spurred me to develop the first in a long series of sales training programmes of my own.
On my return to the UK, I spent five years working in a large sales team in the City of London. Whilst I remained one of the most successful team members at closing new business, I particularly stood out as the No1 'appointment-getter'.
The ‘City’ gave me my first experience of working at a particularly intellectually challenging level. My clients included senior PLC board members, merchant bankers, lawyers and accountants, - all of whom had different expectations and disciplines to work to.
After a period with a London advertising agency, I was approached by a prominent London businessman and invited to join his growing office cleaning business as Sales Director of his London operation. My brief was to both increase sales and also, to help inject a degree of respectability into an industry which, at the time, was desperately short on image.
The cultural step from the ‘City’ to the world of office cleaning was immense - but for that very reason, it provided invaluable experience.
Within 18 months I was promoted to the main board as Group Sales & Marketing Director and became responsible for a national sales team of over 40 people.
Providing training for my team was paramount. While much of this focused on ensuring my frontline salesteam used the phone effectively to gain qualified appointments with key decision-makers, I also identified that my support team needed to handle ‘inbound’ calls courteously and efficiently. I felt strongly that, if handled sensitively, even a ‘complaint’ call could help develop stronger customer relationships and aid in developing our brand.
I therefore structured and delivered specialist training programmes that ensured we employed best practice in both the ‘Outbound’ and ‘Inbound’ arenas.
In the mid-eighties I set up my own facilities management company. Working alone from a small office, and using the telephone as my principal means of gaining appointments, I built an annual turnover in excess of £1/4million within nine months, supporting a team of eight employees.
In 1992 I moved to Somerset and, in response to constant demand from clients, business friends and associates, I established what is now a flourishing Outbound Calling Service and also the 'PhoneSmith' training resource which embraces coaching for both ‘Inbound’ and ‘Outbound’ call handlers.
Still today, I find few things more rewarding than clocking up good ‘qualified’ appointments after a hard-fought Outbound Call session or being praised for courteous efficiency in which an inbound call was taken…
