A combination of northern straight-talking, clarity of vision and cultural architects are at the root of Lily Comms's successful growth strategy, according to Managing Director Chris Morrisey, who collected three Comms National Awards last month including Overall Reseller of the Year.
Morrisey's introduction to the comms industry was an act of pure chance. Had he acted with purpose the chances are he would have baulked at the apparent complexity of comms, a myth perpetuated by the glut of confusing acronyms that Morrisey believes deters skilled people from entering the telecoms space. "There's some amazing talent in the UK, but when people look at the telecoms industry they are confronted by so many acronyms it looks too complicated," he said. "But it's a simple business. Too many people try to make it complex when it's not. I hate acronyms."
With a clear vision to keep life simple Morrisey has no doubts about the role Lily Comms plays on the industry stage. "We are a pure reseller and always will be," he commented. "We don't want to become a network or a hosted provider. Too many businesses are putting time, effort and money into developing a network and VoIP platform, perhaps taking on too much and likely to fail. Our policy is clear and simple - to be end user facing, to be the customer's contractor, to build value into our customer relationships, and to buy best of breed."
Bradford-based Lily Comms was established in 2009 by Adrian Jackson with support from Morrisey. For two years the company offered an outsourced engineering resource to the trade, and during this period it became clear that some of the firm's partners were falling short of the mark in terms of customer service. "We decided to go direct and build a sales business," added Morrisey. "Within two years we were completing up to 40 installs a day for a provider of MoH. We then started to sell systems, lines and calls, and haven't looked back."
The company employs 33 staff and has grown 100 per cent year-on-year during the past two years and has a £4 million run rate, up from £1.9 million. The goal for next year is to hit £6 million. "We are now targeting companies we sold systems to two-three years ago," explained Morrisey. "The upgrade campaign into our existing customer base has begun in earnest with our customer services and account management teams busy generating recurring business."
To reach this happy state of cross-company revenue generation Morrisey regularly does the housework, which he describes as 'dusting off the diamonds to help them shine'. It is people, and their polished management, that adds sparkle to a business. "Our priorities are growth, recruitment, development and training," he said. "When a business grows rapidly it is important for staff to grow with the organisation. We need everyone in the company to grow. Lily Comms has built a group of people who are like-minded in sales, back office and finance. We have established a young management team who share our vision. We still have a family atmosphere, and everyone buys into our key objectives."
Morrisey defines Lily's company culture as 'the way we do things' and this modus operandi informs not just how the day-to-day activities are executed but also the steerage of the business. "We're pragmatic, passionate and performance driven," added Morrisey. "Without a strong culture staff may look at the wrong people to find direction. In our business we support cultural architects, those leaders without authority who will follow you on your growth journey. We have many cultural architects who naturally support what we are trying to achieve."
Morrisey leads from the front and draws on his previous experience in the comms sector to help shape Lily Comms' future. "I got into telecoms by accident through a rugby contact," he recalled. "A friend was starting a comms company and he invited me to join and sell mobile phones. This was a fantastic opportunity. I've since held a variety of roles from sales person to Group Sales Director and Managing Director, and in all of those roles I've worked with some fantastic entrepreneurial people. I've learnt business skills, business etiquette and the value of strong partnerships."
Lily Comms is now recognised as a prominent LG reseller supported by distributor Pragma. The company also has staunch relationships with Nine Telecom and Gamma, and is gaining traction in the mobile sector as a virtual reseller following a link-up with Total. "Customers are now realising the benefits of mobility and the cloud," added Morrisey. "This trend will only gain momentum. We haven't reached a tipping point but ignore it at your peril."
Customers most certainly are taking note and their needs are vastly magnified after the deepest economic downturn in living memory. "Customer requirements have changed since the recession," said Morrisey. "We run a small business and in every part of the organisation I want more for less. I want people, and the business, to be more efficient. Every SME in the UK now has the same ethic, and the product portfolio we've developed addresses most of those areas in terms of communications. It is key for us to sell the right solution to the customer whether hosted or CPE."
Organic growth is the order of the day but Morrisey hinted at a dual strategy. "In the not too distant future we will look for an acquisition," he added. "You can grow your business organically to a point. There's a lot of people in comms looking to move on or move out, and Lily is a good place to come.
"We have a clear strategic plan - growth and more growth. Now is the time for a land grab, now is the time to acquire new customers from the larger providers. Telecoms companies that can support SMEs and provide the latest technology without being bleeding edge will win. And our northern approach works well in all regions - sell it as it is, do what you say you're going to do and deliver."