>> Take a look at more expert business advice and tips from some of Britain’s most successful and powerful women. Visit our FMWF Speakers section or read our Notes from the Boardroom columns written exclusively for FMWF.com.
Janet Entwistle is managing director at BT Fleet, a leading UK Fleet Management and Garage Services business.
She is the only woman MD of a UK Fleet Management company and has helped transform the operation into a business that has grown on average more than 50 per cent a year since 2003, and today keeps many of the UK’s most high profile fleets running safely and efficiently.
The year BT Fleet opened to external customers, in 2003, we won over £3m worth of business. Since then, we have transformed our business from an in-house transport function into a recognised market leader. I currently manage a turnover of £200m with a team of 800 people.
Our strategy is focused on businesses, where keeping vehicles on the road is central to their success. Around half of our business is for customers like The AA, G4S, National Grid, Eon and Thames Water and of course we also look after BT Group’s fleet – the largest in the UK. Key to our success are our 62 owned garages, located across the UK, where we repair and maintain most of our customers’ vehicles.
I am one of the few women in an industry that is mostly male – but that also helps people remember who I am. Although being a woman in the transport industry brings its challenges, on the whole I would say that people appreciate someone who works hard and delivers. In particular, the people who work for you want an effective leader – nothing else really matters.
Our hard work was recognised in 2008 and 2009, at what are effectively the Fleet Industry Oscars, awarded by Fleet News – Van Fleet Management Company of the Year and Van Fleet Management Initiative of the Year and Van Service and Repair Company of the Year, respectively.
To win business you need to pitch in a way that is going to get the attention of the decision makers.
We play to our strengths, which is our people, their skills and capabilities. We persuade customers to come and meet our people and see our passion and commitment, which in turn builds trust.
For me, persistence is a virtue, throughout my career I have had a mind set of never giving up. You need to be willing to take risks along the way. There are times when you just have to “go for it”.
In 2006 we had an ambitious aim of bidding for four big contracts at the same time. It was a challenge, and it stretched us, but we were successful which was a tremendous achievement for all the team.
In 2007-2008 we effectively grew the business by over 200%.
If you do grow quickly, it is important to recognise you will need to take time to digest that growth. However if you want your business to be sustainable, you need to ensure you keep your customers once you’ve won them.
It takes longer and is much more expensive to win new ones. Last year, BT Fleet’s priority was customer retention and we successfully renewed or extended five of our major contracts.
Looking forward, it is essential to continue to refresh.
At BT Fleet, we will continue to grow but we will now need to diversify the business and look at new markets. To succeed in the long term, you need to continue to adapt and change.
Our people are crucial for the future success of our business. Communicating effectively with them cannot be under-estimated.
At the end of the day this means lots of hard work for you and your people – not forgetting to have fun along the way.
Janet is a Barrister and joined BT Group as a commercial lawyer in 1987. She changed career direction and took over BT Fleet, then BT’s internal transport operation, 10 years ago. She is also an Advisory Board Member of Opportunity Now, the UK’s leading gender diversity organisation and a National Executive Board Member of the Freight Transport Association.
http://www.opportunitynow.org.uk/
Tags: BT Fleet, Equality, growing your business, new clients, Notes from the Boardroom, pitching, woman in a man's world
This post has been commented once
1
July 7th, 2010 at 8:42 pmRed tape keeps prized oil-fighting skimmers from Gulf | MorallyRight.org says:
[...] Notes from the Boardroom: BT Fleet's Janet Entwistle « FMWF [...]