- COVID-19 cut revenues in half at NLT Electrical, resulting in 45% job losses
- But company now starting to recover after dramatic changes in marketing strategy and developing customer relationships
- Marketing and strategy expert from Aston Business School praises 'exemplary' approach by company in realigning its brand values
The owner of an electrical company has transformed his marketing strategies to overcome “tough challenges” caused by COVID-19 to start re-growing the business.
NLT Electrical, based in Tamworth, Staffordshire, saw its revenues initially halved when the pandemic struck, leading to nine redundancies.
But with help and advice from the Aston Programme for Small Business Growth, along with financial support from the government, the business has survived and is now starting to expand again.
Nathan Tromans, the founder and operator of NLT Electrical, was talking about his experiences in the latest podcast in a series called ‘Aston means business: SMEs building resilience to COVID-19 challenges’, presented by journalist Steve Dyson.
He said: “COVID hit us massively. It stopped our business instantly. It literally stopped overnight. Our revenue was hit hard so we had to make cuts. Basically, we halved our turnover which had hit £1 million last year, and halved our 20 strong staff to 11.”
NTL, an industrial and commercial electrical contracting company, survived by accessing the government’s various coronavirus support schemes.
Mr Tromans said: “Furlough has been fantastic and the CIBL loan we received has helped out massively. Without it, we wouldn't be here today, that’s for sure.”
He said he had also been helped by going on the Aston Business Growth programme, which he learnt about through a networking group.
“It was absolutely amazing, and I met some fantastic people. They broke my company down into small chunks and rebuilt it, restructured it. The best saying is you are working ON your business, not IN your business. And to go out there and have the confidence to ask for the money to then grow the business, which is what we did.”
Mr Tromans said he also set about tackling the effects of the pandemic by changing the way the business operated.
“It was really down to the communication side. With everyone working from home we need to make sure we are talking to each other. Obviously, COVID has put a stop to the old-fashioned knocking on doors when finding business, so we are making phone calls into newer markets to people who require our services, trying to get that appointment.”
NLT has started to use Google ads, its own website and social media to reach new customers, and has improved its IT system to make transactions quicker. The company has also increased brand awareness by gaining accreditations, entering awards and investing in the local community.
Mr Tromans added: “We wanted to give something back to the community, but we didn't want to give the money, we wanted to do it in the services we provide.”
NLT’s first beneficiary was the Cancer Wellbeing Centre in Tamworth where it has installed new LED lighting panels, saving the charity more than £700 a year on its electricity bills.
As well as re-growing NLT, which has recently increased its workforce to 13, Mr Tromans has also launched a new business called Charge and Recharge, which is setting up service stations for recharging electric vehicles.
He added: “With NLT we have the resources behind us to get the power in place for the charging stations. We want people to be members, part of the family, to get rewards and they can then go wherever they want throughout the country and charge for free.”
Dr Rob Thomas, a teaching fellow in marketing and strategy at Aston Business School, was also interviewed for the podcast. He praised Mr Tromans for his “exemplary” approach in developing relationships and realigning NLT’s brand values.
He said: “Nathan’s developed a far stronger market orientation … he’s sought opportunities, rather than just relying on what he’s traditionally done, building a new digital infrastructure, constantly collecting and analysing data, creating strong brand promises and being accountable.”
▪ Episode 5 of ‘Aston means business’ podcast can be found at https://www2.aston.ac.uk/aston-business-school/podcast.
ENDS
- Notes to editors
About Aston University
Founded in 1895 and a University since 1966, Aston is a long-established university led by its three main beneficiaries – students, business and the professions, and our region and society. Aston University is located in Birmingham and at the heart of a vibrant city and the campus houses all the university’s academic, social and accommodation facilities for our students. Professor Alec Cameron is the Vice-Chancellor and Chief Executive.
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