Interview - James Robinson tells what makes the perfect employee
15/03/12
Yolk has been working with Zeffa for the past three years and together we've both grown to become successful companies. James Robinson, Zeffa's MD, shares his story with us and how having the right people behind you can help you achieve your goals.
Zeffa was established in March 2008 just before the ‘credit crunch’ kicked off, out of a desire to bring local and regional advertisers a more informed approach to media planning and buying.
Zeffa was established in March 2008 just before the ‘credit crunch’ kicked off, out of a desire to bring local and regional advertisers a more informed approach to media planning and buying.
Many agencies like ours base their fee structures on retainers or fixed fees and we saw this as only lining their pockets and not really benefitting their clients After all, if you’re spending thousands of pounds per year on retaining an agency, wouldn’t it be better for the business if that money was invested in their advertising campaigns?
We took on our first employee in October 2008 and it was originally intended to be a two-day a week administration role but as the business grew, the role went from two days, to three days, to four days and by April 2009, our first employee was working full time. Since then we have grown our team to eight employees across two offices, Cardiff and Bristol. Yolk has helped us by finding people that not only had the skills and experience we desired but also offered that something extra.
I have a brilliant team at Zeffa. So what makes a great employee? Here are some characteristics:
Ambassadors for my brand
The right person can become a brilliant brand ambassador and advocate for your business. After all, if you like doing something, you’re likely to tell people about it in a convincing way. Passion is infectious and that is invaluable. Clients notice this and the business doesn’t just rely on me, relationships are formed and that can only be good for business.
Give me peace of mind
When you run your own business it is crucial that you surround yourself with people that you can trust. There are lots of twists and turns and plenty of people out there waiting to see you fail. Having a team around you that you can trust brings peace of mind and helps you sleep well at night!
Be motivational
I am extremely lucky to have a team that believe in my vision as much as I do. They champion the vision and execute it brilliantly. We wouldn’t be where we are today without the team that I have and on those days where you are feeling tired and run down(it happens to the best of us), having a team around you who believe in what they’re doing is the best pick me up you could have.
And that’s it so far. Recruitment has always played a big part in our growth plans, without the right people behind you its hard to succeed.
James’s three top tips on how to maximise your advertising campaigns
Who?
Know who your target audience is. If you don’t know who you’re looking for, you won’t know where to find them and that’s where a media agency can really help you out.
What?
What do you want your customers to do? Log on to your website? Call? Email? Visit your store or offices? You need to be specific when asking potential customers to get in touch and make sure you monitor where people are coming from.
Why?
Give customers a reason to get in touch with you. Free parking and great customer service are not make or break in the eyes of a customer. Give them a reason to select you over your competitors.
James Robinson is the Managing Director of Zeffa
T: 02920 440020
E: info@zeffa.co.uk
www.zeffa.co.uk