Almost 15 years ago, a friendly face smiled at me across a board table as our (then) CEO extorted the values of the banking world.
While I, and many of the other graduates, sat in a state of awe and confusion, that smiling face remained calm, thoughtful and intelligent. This was the face of a very friendly financier.
It may not seem like much but in a world where pressures run very high, it's not often kind you find someone who remains so calm; who so blithely communicate his position and influence outcomes through a deft combination of smarts and charm. Ego's need not apply.
This though was Tim Hurley. The owner, director, and chief-guy-in-charge at Hurley Mortgages. Tim does things a little differently.
When Tim contacted The Marketing Lab, his business was but a seed in the ground, waiting to be watered. Like any good gardener, Tim knew the power of planning - investing early in the things that would, with time, help his business bloom.
The issue was, he was selling finance and mortgages. These days those two things seem as inevitable as taxes and death. Most of us don't enjoy dealing with finance and mortgages: there's a reason buying and selling houses rate as one of the most stressful things we can do in our adult lives.
Tim knew and appreciated this when he set up Hurley Mortgages. He'd been in the industry a long time. He'd seen the highs and the lows. He knew the pressure points and how to navigate the system - getting the right information, managing expectations, helping ease the worry. He also knew he had to do all this without dropping the ball.
He needed systems. So that's what we created. Systemised marketing, using EDM, newsletters and automated marketing, to ensure Tim could always be on point when it mattered; available to help each and every client get the most from his deep well of financial knowledge.
That was almost two years ago.
These days the newsletter is 100% created by Tim - because the simple system we created enables him to write copy quickly and efficiently. These days, Tim is able to communicate with active and inactive clients in a personalised and consistent manner, without his day to day being taken over by the need to manage marketing. These days, Tim is doing pretty well. A new office, a bigger team. Most importantly though, his is a brand that is recognised not just for because it is an efficient and effective mortgage brokerage but because it takes time to remain a friendly financier.
MARKETING LESSON
Owning a small business is an all-consuming task. All of a sudden you need to be expert in areas that perhaps are not your penchant. In Tim's case, this was marketing.
Through spending sufficient time on planning and systemization, during the initial phases of launch and growth, Tim has been able to grow and manage his brand (...and still take holidays with his ever-expanding family, all while maintaining that winning smile!)
That's a good lesson (and reason) to plan, if ever there was one.