Customers. Without them your business is nothing. But how do you win them and how do you keep them?
And what if you have just a small business development team, a limited marketing budget and non-disclosure agreements wrapped around your best work so you can’t even trumpet your successes to attract others? Let’s ask Daryl Lynch.
Meet Daryl
I’m Managing Director of subsea power specialist Primo Marine, which has its UK base at Darlington’s Business Central. We’re an independently-owned Dutch business, with offices in the UK, the Netherlands and Germany.
We provide independent technical advice to those involved with major subsea power cable projects – including grid owners, developers and those financing and insuring the investments.
We help ensure their interests are protected on projects ranging from power connecting cables and offshore wind farms to new technologies including hydrogen, floating wind, offshore solar and other smart developments beyond the horizon.
The opportunity
Demand for our skills is growing from around the globe – driven by the urgent need for clean energy supplies.
The challenge
We’re an organisation with a small business development team and no big marketing budget. In our industry it’s standard practice for our clients to protect big, valuable projects with non-disclosure agreements so we can’t even trumpet the successes we have.
How do you attract international clients when you have those challenges?!
So, here’s what I’ve learned
The retention of our existing clients has become our focus.
We have built our business around the needs of our clients.
This approach obviously demands solid relationships and a high level of transparency between both parties.
We invest heavily in our relationships so we always know what’s gone right and what could be improved.
By staying in tune with our existing clients we ensure we stay relevant, offer up-to-date services, the right culture and the right people with the right qualities and communication skills.
Now our new business comes from the recommendations of existing clients.
Thank you, Daryl
Big thanks to Daryl who shared his experiences as part of Growth Lab: Darlington. This series of candid, fireside conversations at Innovation Central, sees successful local business leaders share real-life experiences of overcoming common challenges involved with growing a business to help others on a similar journey.
The monthly morning meet-up takes place on the third Thursday of each month, kicking off with a bite to eat and wrapping up with a chance to network. Find out who’s speaking next here.