CATEGORY DEVELOPMENT
Focus on The Future We reflect on the incredible growth and journey of two of our organisations.
Phil Reid, Managing Director of The Promotions Company in Bristol and Matt Nicholson, Managing Director of Monument Promotions in Swindon share their thoughts.
"We're all about choice at the Promotions Company, which I think makes our organisation and working environment pretty unique.”
P
hil
Reid
has
worked
never looked back,” he said.
in the industry since certainly
Phil ran several different direct sales busi-
knows a thing or two
nesses in London from 2007 – 2015 and then
about sales. Although
following a four year break in 2019 he decided
in his own words, he
to launch The Promotions Company in Bris-
fell into it by accident.
tol. Offices followed in Barnstaple, Exeter and
“I worked in bars for
Canary Wharf – and this year he’s looking to
2005,
so
several years after finishing university, but I
grow the business even further.
wanted to do something a bit different. After initially starting off in residential sales, I
When it comes to team development. Phil
enjoyed the atmosphere so much that I’ve
says that during his break from the company, he developed a fresh perspective, and approach, offering his team more flexibility in their roles. Explaining this, He explained: “The average person in our business in 2007 is very different to today. Younger people today require more flexibility, and autonomy. We used to try and make everyone fit into one box , but now the younger generation are looking for work / life balance, and an engaging environment to work “As a result we look to provide them with complete flexibility on the days and hours they work and the way they dress, whilst providing an engaging environment to work in, offering pool, air hockey tables, games consoles and other forms of entertainment. Essentially they can choose their own work lifestyle, and it’s about providing the opportunity, and freedom to create a working environment that's right for them. We're all about choice at the Promotions Company, which I think makes our organisation and working environment pretty unique.” 2021 has brought challenges for every business. For Phil’s team, in order to keep the business moving forwards, it was important to pivot to a digitised way of working. This led to a shift, from face to face sales to online appointments, and online training for the team. Phil commented: “During the four months we were locked down we couldn’t sell in our usual way, but we were able to recruit and develop our people. Our focus was on continual growth, and retaining a strong position in terms of team numbers and skill-set.” So what does 2022 have in store for Phil and
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