Please click on a business sector to view the case study.

Costume Jewellery Company
This company design their own range of Jewellery, producing two ranges a year; they supply boutiques, stores, catalogues, internet stores and many other types of outlets. The business has been established over 20 years and has a good reputation but was having problems replacing aging customers and opening accounts with new stores. They realized they need sales agents round the UK to present the range directly to buyers and to meet customers at the trade shows. The company has increased its sales force from 8 to 30 agents and they plan to appoint more agents for a new addition range of budget priced Jewellery

Chocolate Manufacturer
This company produce a range of high class chocolate based on a South American Inca-style recipe. Apart from the taste, which is delicious, the chocolate comes in uniquely shaped bars and beautiful inner and outer packaging. The chocolate is supplied only to corporate customers for gifts and promotion use. The company had been finding it difficult to market the product without field sales people as the product is aimed at larger companies and requires face to face meetings (and some free samples) to close the orders. The company now rely on sales agents for most of their sales.

Casting Company (Far East)
The company produce replacement castings for gearboxes, brakes and engines for the bus and truck market. This is of particular interest to companies running large fleets of vehicles, particularly where cost is a major factor. The factory was supplying importers at low margins and needed agents to take orders directly from the “end users” such as bus companies. The company are now doing a healthy turnover in the UK and providing a useful service to this transport sector.

Internet Website
The company have a website that provides reliable trades people such as builders, plumbers, decorators, interior designers, electricians, landscape gardeners – in fact, anything connected with domestic or commercial property. They had developed the website very well but needed more customers to populate it and bring in subscriptions. The company tried many different forms of marketing but found it was growing too slowly; it needed a push which they achieved with sales agents who drove around building sites and relevant retailers to sign up suitable customers.

Eyewear Company
The company distribute a large range of branded sunglasses and spectacle frames. The company has expanded by taking on several more brands and found that it was counter-productive to give several different brands to the existing sales force as the overall sales did not increase. They urgently needed a national sales force of 50 agents to cover the opticians and sunglasses trade which fortunately for them we supplied in a very short time.

Consumer Electronics
The company import a large variety of consumer electronics including mobile phones, televisions and music systems. The sales which were generated from the office and through the internet, mail shots and telephone marketing had reached a plateau. The company had no wish to employ sales representatives due to the cost; self employed sales agents were able to increase sales without increasing the company’s overheads.

Natural Stone Products
The product is widely used in both domestic and commercial property, from bathrooms to building receptions, on walls and floors. Typical customers are builders, developers, builders merchants, architects, interior designers and developers, etc. All these buyers needed to see the large range of different types of stone and colours and it was proving difficult to maximise sales without a field sales force and, like most businesses, it is competitive so the only solution was a commission only sales force which proved very effective.

Oil & Gas Pipeline Engineering Company
The company supply fixings globally to join oil and gas pipelines pipes together. These pipelines are usually thousands of kilometres long and in extreme conditions; the fixings have to be very durable. The fittings are supplied via the main contractors and contracts can run for years. Our client required the right type of agents which we were able to supply.

Engine Tuning Kits
The company manufacture a range of engine tuning kits. The kits are sold through garage workshops, car accessories retailers and internet shops. The product is established with many customers; however, competitors were penetrating the market faster through the use of field sales personal. The company re-established itself through the use of self employed sales agents.

Cosmetics
The company distribute its own brand of cosmetics, these are aimed at the mass market and they have a full product range attractively packaged. The key outlets for this company are small to medium size independents retailers including chemists. The company was struggling to establish a critical-mass customer base as they had no field representation, this situations was quickly and satisfactorily rectified.

Independent Financial Adviser
The partners sell a variety of financial products such as domestic and commercial mortgages, pensions, investments, insurance, healthcare and taxation planning, etc. They were offering agents an attractive fixed fee for every client that was introduced and placed business with the IFA. As the agents were not actually selling financial products they did not need to be registered with the financial regulator. This provided a new client stream for the practice.

Publisher of Fine Art Prints
The company publish their own range of mounted fine art prints; the product is aimed at the corporate market, hotels, interior designers and the trade. The fine art prints were not their core business, but it was felt they had great potential; the problem being in the distribution. A suitable sales force was assembled and the prints have proved to be a great success.

Designer Furniture
This is a start up company, the owner being a very talented designer specializing in “award winning” handmade cabinets. These are fine cabinets, beautifully made and designed, but without representation was going nowhere. Sales agents quickly secured orders in many fine furnishing outlets.

Ladies Fashion Wear
The company market a range of own brand ladies fashion wear. The company needed to increase sales to enlarge its current range and market complementary accessories including handbags. They were spending sizable amounts on several trade shows which produced many good enquiries but were unable to follow these up as they were scattered all over the country. They decided the only way to follow up enquiries and generate new business was through field sales which, as they had a really good product range, this proved to be very successful.

Commercial Energy Services
The company has a portfolio of energy-related products for reducing energy costs for larger users, energy surveys, office lighting, design build insulation, fuel saving devices, etc. Even though this is a valuable and important service the company realized that to build a customer base within a fairly short time scale it was only possible if sales people approached businesses to discuss the options and sign them up. In cases that were too complicated for the sales staff, a technical person would deal with technical queries on the phone or would if necessary visit the customer with the sales agent.

Garden Furniture
This is a family business that produce a stylish range of garden furniture, mainly in wood, aimed at the middle market. The product was selling well through a modest customer base but despite telephone sales, website and some trade shows the customer base was only increasing at a glacial pace. Clearly the problem was not with the product as it sold through without a problem and customers were reordering. The company contacted us to enquire about sales agents as it was not something they had done before. We advised – without commitment – on the way the sales agents operated and they decided to put agents on the road as it is cost-effective without the risks associated with employing salaried sales representatives and providing cars and expenses.

Office Refurbishment and Partitions
The company design and erect offices and showrooms in commercial buildings. The contracts vary from a single office up to 100,000 sq ft projects. The company use many outside contractors so they can take on much more work with ease. The one area they could not use outside contractors was in the sales department and, as is so often the case, this had been neglected. They did not wish to increase the amount of employed staff so the obvious option was self-employed commission-only sales agents which proved to be the right decision for them.

Men’s Fashion Own Brand
The company’s owners are experienced designers and producers of men’s clothes and were very much focussed on o this aspect of their business and had little enthusiasm or experience of the sales side. Naturally, even though they had good product, the sales were suffering and this was putting the business under pressure. The company was spending heavily on marketing and promotions which was working but it was not cost effective. They decided they had to deal with this problem with sales agents which turned the business round.

Bed Manufacture
The company was manufacturing beds for large UK multiples but found the margins wafer thin and, combined with slow payment and some returned stock, decided they could not continue to rely on this type of business as it was too risky. The company decided to focus on the small to medium size retailers where they could achieve higher margins, sell more custom made products and higher specification products. This was not possible without having a sales force. Although employing a national sales force and leasing a fleet of cars was out of the question, they found they could easily afford a national sales force of sales agents and have never looked back.

Designer Light Switches and Various Sockets
The company supply a range of about 300 different products to suit most styles of property, from the very modern to the very traditional, with sockets and switches of every size and purpose. They were mainly working with interior designers which did produce business but not at a high level. They had to find alternative outlets and supply more interior designers to increase sales. Customers’ reaction to the product was very positive when they actually saw it; the company contacted us and took on a team of sales agents which generated quality business quickly and efficiently.

Ethical Food Distributor
The company has their own range of ethical foods ranging from sauces to biscuits, drinks, cereals and snacks. The company preferred to supply small to medium size retail outlets. Sales were increasing gradually but customers were just placing small orders with the office. They needed sales people to meet the customers and build the orders up so they would have a respectable shelf space and display in the outlets. They had spent a considerable amount on marketing but found sales agents to be far more cost effective in every respect.

Magazine Publisher
The company publish several magazines in niche sectors and were selling space by telemarketing, which was working up to a point but not producing enough regular advertisers of the right type as the magazines are not that well established. What was needed was a more intensive and hard hitting approach. This could only be achieved by face to face sales and the company was more than willing to give the sales agents a generous reward for their efforts. The highly motivated sales force was soon making the advertising manager happy.

Event Filming Service
The company is a professional, event filming service provider for events such as the wedding day, corporate events, presentation or award ceremonies ,etc. The company receive many enquiries for its service but, naturally, customers wanted to meet someone from the company to go through the details. As the enquiries are from a widespread area they were difficult to service from the office; what they needed was agents scattered over a large area so all enquiries could be dealt with quickly and without any expense to the company. All this is now handled by the sales agents, except for the larger, more complex jobs, but the agents still make the initial contact.

Printers
The company offer a large range of printing, producing, amongst many other products brochures, reports and business stationery. All the important design work can be carried out in-house and even large and complex jobs are turned round quickly. The company had the capacity to produce much more print than it was doing and needed to increase sales to pay for expensive equipment. They had been doing trade work but it was not really profitable. The staff did not have time to work in the business and be on the road, and they did not want to take on salaried field sales staff, leased cars and all the other expenses. The company approached us for sales agents, and has not looked back since.

Bookkeeping
The company supply offsite account services to businesses. The services range from company formation to UK tax advice, online accounting services, bookkeeping, payroll, VAT returns, accounts, yearend close off, budgeting and forecasting.
Although the service is carried out remotely, initially the customers are reluctant to sign up without meeting a representative from the company. The company generate many leads through its website, but had difficulty getting a commitment from potential clients over the telephone. Sales agents were able to achieve a high conversion rate after meeting the clients.

Designer Radiators
The company distribute a large range of different styles of designer central heating and bathroom radiators in different finishes. A sector of the retail trade has been slow to take these up, preferring to sell the standard radiators that have been around for years. Once a customer has been visited by a sales agent, many have started to stock them resulting in good sales.

Automotive Hand Tools
The company distribute a range of automotive hand tools, power tools, industrial tools, tool storage products, tool boxes and automotive diagnostics and supplies the motor and marine trade, tool shops and car accessorily retailers. The company has a broad customer base but found difficulty in opening new accounts as competitors were calling regularly on potential customers. The only way forward was “if you can’t beat them, join them”, which is precisely what they did and the agents are opening many new accounts all the time and the new accounts buying regularly.

Media Equipment Technical Trade
The company specialize in the audio visual, electrical, data networking, fibre optics and wireless technology area. The type of work carried out includes plasma screens, projectors, video editing, cabling and video streaming, etc.
The company work as contractors for equipment suppliers including retailers. The contracts involved can be quite sizable with a large element of repeat business. The company has successfully increased its customer base considerably with the assistance of sales agents.

Bathroom & Kitchen Accessories
The company distribute its own range of bathroom and kitchen fittings including taps, wall mounted accessories, free standing accessories, mirrors, soap dishes, racks and towel rails, etc. The company was struggling to increase sales nationwide and had tried for some time to recruit agents itself. It had been an expensive and time consuming exercise and had not worked out. Meanwhile, the company was losing market share to competitors. Fortunately once they had professional agents on board things soon turned round.

Computer Maintenance
The company maintained computers, servers and networks on a contract basis for a fixed price depending on the number of PC and the programs. This is an excellent service for companies that don’t have an IT department and many of the problems are fixed remotely. As the income per customer is not so great they need a decent volume of customers and they were also looking for growth. This was proving quite a challenge as the marketing side was not their main asset. Sales agents were supplied who found the service not too difficult to sell and, although the agents’ commission was not that high, the agents were more than satisfied with the residual income it produced as clients became dependent on the service and rarely left.

Mosaics
The company design, supply and install floor and wall mosaics for commercial premises such as offices, shops and hotels, and private homes and yachts. They needed agents spread over a large area to call on the marine trade, architects, interior designers, developers and wealthy individuals. The orders in this business are quite large so even though the agents were not on a high percentage commission both the company and the agent were more than satisfied with the outcome.

Bedding
The company specialize in bedding in various qualities, loose and fitting and up to the very large sizes. The company supply hotels and independent retailers. Over the years ,the company’s customer base had shrunk and no real effort had been made to replace them. They had reach a point where they could not leave the situation to continue any longer. The company knew that they had to cover a larger area than before but did not wish to increase overheads. They knew other companies used sales agents but never seriously considered using them themselves, but they had to take the plunge if they were to turn the business around, which, fortunately for them, it did.

POS Display
The company produce a versatile, high impact portable display which can be used in almost any location but is often used in exhibitions and stores. The displays are assembled on site for ease of transport, come in many sizes and some companies use these in quite large numbers. The company receive many enquiries for the display but customers want to see it before they order to make sure it’s robust and easy to use, as they are used on location and have to be hassle free and safe as far as the general public are concerned. There are also accessories such as lighting and printing available. This is an ideal product for the agents as the customers needed them – it just needed a demo. The company has increased its customer base considerably.

Power Tools
The company is a multinational producer of a large range of quality power tools for commercial use and supply larger companies, distributors, wholesalers and tool hire companies. They had lost several of their UK salaried representatives and wished to replace them with self employed sales agents. A national sales force of agents was soon in place and the companies sales quickly increased.

Greetings Card Publishers
The company publish a range of everyday cards for birthdays, special occasions, get well and many others – and all the seasonal cards such as Christmas and Mother’s Day – in classic, humorous and some fine art. The product is supplied to greetings card shops and newsagents that sell quality cards. The company simply needed more agents to call on these outlets with samples to take orders and look after the customer. Within just over two weeks the company had a further twelve agents on the road and writing a significant amount of business.

Timepieces
The company produce a range of quartz and mechanical watches that sell into the mass market for watches. The range includes dress models, sport, classic, chronograph and divers, in metal bracelet or leather strap versions, in steel, two-tone or gold finish. They needed UK coverage and were supplied with 20 agents who took orders from independents, multiples, catalogues and TV shopping channels, etc.

Logistics
The company provide logistics for other business. The service comprises taking in bulk deliveries (containers, pallets or cartons) into their large warehouse, storing in clean, dry and secure premises, and setting up picking lines to supply customer orders. The orders are picked, packed, dispatched and can also be invoiced and credit card payment can be taken. All this saves their customers the expense and trouble of setting up, equipping and staffing a warehouse and office. The company needed more customers; they had lots of enquiries but could not following them through. It did not matter where the customers were based in relation to the warehouse so customers could be serviced nationwide. The new sales agents signed up customers throughout the UK.

Contract Furniture
The company produce wood furniture for hotels, hospitals, offices and retail outlets, etc. Furniture can be supplied to customer’s requirements or from stock items. Customers can be local authorities, NHS, private hospitals or nursing homes, hotel groups and many other businesses. The company has employed self employed sales agents for many years but had lost some through natural wastage and wanted to bring their sales team back up to strength which we were able to do successfully.

Promotional and Internet Videos
The company are an independent production company specializing in video and media solutions. They are able to produce promotional DVDs and produce stunning internet video adverts along with a host of other video related projects. The range of services covers the needs encountered by business and retail clients. This is a service which is growing at a rapid rate; the agents were very successful in taking orders.

Exercise Machines
The company supply vibration training plate exercise machines. These are the latest technology exercise machine, and are leased to various outlets such as sun tanning salons, ladies hairdressers and beauty salons. The machines provide additional revenue for the establishment, without the need to employ additional staff and for a small monthly lease fee. The agents were able to sign many new accounts for the company.

Cleaning Products
The company produce non-toxic commercial cleaning products for medical environments. It is a revolutionary, ‘all in one’, all-purpose cleaner, disinfectant, degreaser and steriliser. It represents no threat to our environment as it is totally biodegradable and harmless and is completely safe to use in all areas. It can therefore be used by both and professional and unskilled staff. The company has a superb product and went on to achieve stunning sales with sales agents supplying nursing homes and hospitals.

Ethnic Foods
The company produce a range of spicy sauces and snacks which appeal across the market; they are based on traditional recipes with attractive packaging and a completive price point. The company was turning over a reasonable amount in its local area but was having difficulty expanding further afield. Sales increased rapidly with sales agents.

Cleaning Products
The company produce a range of cleaning products for cars, trucks, boats, aircraft and spa pools. The products have unique features such as static adhesion, resistant to re-soiling and time saving. The company needed more outlets from which to sell their products which the agents were able to provide.

Exhibition Organiser
The company run a number of exhibitions; their main revenue is created by selling stands and advertising. Each exhibition has between 100 and 200 stands which all have to be let in good time. The company was struggling to fill the exhibitions as a reasonably large sales force is needed to tie up this number of deals and advertising quickly. The company had relied on trade press advertising and telephone sales but, due to market conditions, was not working as well as it should. They needed a bit more oomph, without more overheads, which they found with sales agents.

Giftware
The company market a range of giftware including picture frames, porcelain products, collectables, etc. The products were sold into middle to high class outlets. The company had lost several good agents in the last few years through retirement, etc, and had not been successful in replacing them even though they had tried their best. We were able to supply quality sales agents they needed.

Home Furnishings
The company supply mirrors, rugs, cushions, table lights, curtains, etc, to the trade from a large warehouse in the north of England. Whilst they were servicing the local market without a problem, they were making little impact outside their area and almost nothing in the South East, South West, Midlands, Wales, East Anglia and Essex and Scotland. They decided for the first time to use self employed agents nationwide which made a big impact on their business.

Baby Products
The company distribute a range of baby chairs, baby carriers and bath time accessories. The company supplied mainly the independent trade in Scotland but wished to expand nationwide. After trying various ideas they decided the only realistic way was through sales agents. They appointed twelve sales agents in England, Wales and Ireland which has given them tremendous coverage and increased sales.

Reducing Carbon
The company help individuals, businesses and other organisations to reduce carbon.
This is done by offering industry and individual home owners advice on the most suitable ways to reduce their carbon emissions to save money and to help with climate change. The company offer – and supply and fit – advice on many methods of reducing carbon including solar water heating, ground source heat pumps, under floor heating, air source heat pumps and insulation, etc.

Card Loyalty System
The company supply loyalty cards and a small terminal to add points. They can be used for one-off rewards, tactical, seasonal or timed-out promotions, product launches or long-term loyalty programmes. They increase customer retention, customer frequency and spend. The company have several ways of marketing these but their most effective way has been with sales agents who put in on average up to six a day.

Get in Touch

The Westminster Lloyd team is dedicated to helping businesses grow. If you’d like to explore whether our professional services could make your sales revenue and profits soar, call us now on:

0800 849 3030

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