Age: 53
CV: 25 years experience in the corporate banking sector.
Following a career in corporate banking spanning some 25 years, a Warwickshire woman is focusing her marketing skills on helping local businesses to take on the big brands by tapping into the power of the internet.
Alison Henderson (left) was the UK representative on an Italian banking group, operating from its Lombard Street office. When the bank decided to close its overseas offices, she took the opportunity to make a complete career and life change, and moved to the picturesque town of Shipston-on-Stour in Warwickshire, establishing a local branch of national franchise operation ORCA, which is dedicated to helping smaller firms achieve “big-brand quality” websites at prices they can afford.
She comments: “Every multi-million pound enterprise started life as a small business, so I’m delighted to be helping local firms to stand shoulder-to-shoulder with the big brands in using the web as an effective business tool. It really is their shopfront to the world – maximising their advertising, and enabling them to sell, literally, while asleep.
“What impressed me most about ORCA was its focus on the specific needs of small businesses. We’re not selling generic websites. With us, there’s no “one size fits all”. We know that every business has its own unique personality and positioning in its market. Its customers have their reasons why they buy from my clients, and not from elsewhere. My job is to find out what those reasons are, and to get them up there on the web, working hard for the client.”
Alison says that the ORCA way of working has many similarities to her corporate banking days: researching companies to establish their specific needs, studying the competition, then structuring a package to suit their particular requirements, thereafter providing ongoing help, advice and support. The main attraction to her however, is the opportunity to help small businesses market themselves more effectively, which lies at the heart of the ORCA proposition.
“It’s great finding out about their history; how they started, and how they distinguish themselves from their competitors” she adds. “Small-business owners are justifiably proud of what they do and what they’ve achieved, but they often don’t know how to shout it from the rooftops. That’s where I can help.”
Alison is now meeting business-owners right across Warwickshire who are persuaded that the time might have come to look further into the web, with a view to creating or upgrading their online presence. She is the interface between the client and ORCA’s “factory” in Leeds, briefing its central team of experienced designers to produce hard-working websites which reflect the unique positioning of each client.
She adds: “Smaller retailers and service providers are facing mounting pressure from chains and out-of-town shopping centres. But over 22 million people use the web every month in the UK, searching for information about goods and services. Over £50 billion was spent online last year. A professional online presence is fast proving to be the small business’ savior. Traders and manufacturers are also starting to recognise the power of the internet as a prime source of business.
“Perceptions are that branded, quality websites which rank high on the search engines must cost a fortune, but as the ORCA concept was built with small businesses in mind, we empathise with their needs. Most small firms have to work within very tight budgetary restraints in marketing their products and services, especially at start-up. Our websites have to be (and are) affordable for them.
“And even then, we offer them the opportunity to spread the cost of that relatively modest investment over six months. By about month three if they’re selling online, they’re usually in the money; a good website can pay for itself in new business generated in a matter of weeks.
“Business owners I’m speaking to are gobsmacked at the quality of the sites we’re creating for them. The outcomes of their investment are measurable, and they provide an invaluable source of management information. They also optimise any other marketing spend, as potential customers can be steered to the site to find out more.”
ORCA is a national franchise operation, dedicated to providing quality, affordable websites for small and medium-sized businesses across the UK.
Click here for more information on the ORCA franchise opportunity >>
