Neil Robbins is the founder and leader of Silverbean, a “global leader in the affiliate and partnership marketing space, with offices in the UK, US and Australia.”
Likewise, Neil Robbins is also the founder of his “agencies’ parent company, N21 Group, in 2002.” He “values a positive culture where people are supported and helped to grow with the company.”
Neil Robbins began his career as an entrepreneur “after a few internet sales jobs.” Then he “found myself working at a startup digital marketing agency.”
The guy who ran the agency also taught Neil Robbins “everything about how to not run a business.” He was a “brilliant salesperson,” but the “rest of his approach to leading a business was something of nightmares.”
In 2002, Neil Robbins “decided to take the plunge and go it alone, and I’ve never looked back since.”
Neil Robbins grew Silverbean “into the leader for the online sports betting industry in Europe.”
To deal with the 2008 financial crisis, Neil Robbins “introduced new services in early 2009 and moved the agency into new sectors.”
This move “managed to win new clients” for Neil Robbins, and allowed the business to “shape a fresh and exciting future.”
Neil Robbins has since “created a group of performance marketing agencies which operate across Europe, Australia, and the US.”
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When the pressure is on you have no choice — you have to go on! Neil Robbins, Silverbean
Jerome Knyszewski: Thank you so much for joining us in this interview series! Before we dive in, our readers would love to “get to know you” a bit better. Can you tell us a bit about your ‘backstory’ and how you got started?
Neil Robbins: My path to becoming the founder of his own business, one that now spans three continents and works with many famous global brands, was rather unusual.
Born and raised in London, I met my future wife at university.
After she decided the bright lights of the capital were not for her, at the age of 22 I found myself on a train with an old suitcase heading to Newcastle upon Tyne to try a new life.
After a few internet sales jobs, I found myself working at a startup digital marketing agency run by a guy that taught me everything about how to not run a business!
This chap was a brilliant salesperson, one of the best I’ve seen. But the rest of his approach to leading a business was something of nightmares.
It’s at this point, in 2002, that I decided to take the plunge and go it alone, and I’ve never looked back since.
I hired my first employee after nine months, and early on I built Silverbean into the leader for the online sports betting industry in Europe.
At the end of 2008, when the global economic crash was starting to bite hard, the firm lost most of its clients in a three-week period.
You really do grow as a business leader when that happens.
In an effort to save the business, I introduced new services in early 2009 and moved the agency into new sectors.
Fortunately, all of this had the right effect, and we managed to win new clients and start to shape a fresh and exciting future for the business.
Since then, I have created a group of performance marketing agencies which operate across Europe, Australia and the US.
Jerome Knyszewski: Can you tell us a story about the hard times that you faced when you first started your journey? Did you ever consider giving up? Where did you get the drive to continue even though things were so hard?
Neil Robbins: Being frank, I didn’t face any hard times in the first five years, it was quite the opposite of what 99% of founders now have to contend with at the beginning.
When I launched the business, it specialised in a niche that was high growth and under-served. It was 2002, so it was easier to do that then!
My biggest challenge came at the end of 2008.
The global economic crash meant that investors in the markets were pulling their cash out, and many of our clients were backed by investors.
In a three week period in late November, I took calls from virtually all of our clients to say they were having to pull our contract.
Some went out of business, and others just held on.
At the time I had twelve people in the business, so we were like a family. But I had no choice.
I had to make some tough decisions, and reduced the team down to six people, including myself.
I knew I had less than twelve months to successfully implement a new plan, otherwise I was likely to go out of business.
When the pressure is on you have no choice — you have to go on! I’m fortunate because I enjoy pressure. I know it’s not for everyone, but it works for me.
Fortunately, I made the right decisions back then and by the end of 2009 we were in calmer waters and ready to push on from 2010.
Jerome Knyszewski: Can you share a story about the funniest mistake you made when you were first starting? Can you tell us what lessons or ‘takeaways’ you learned from that?
Neil Robbins: I’ve made many mistakes! And I look back now at many of them and wonder how I did that.
But it’s about experience, when you are a founder of a business you can read books, listen to podcasts and take advice from people.
But, it’s your own experience that ultimately shapes you as a leader.
The funny mistake actually turned out to be a life saver for the business.
When it was just me in the early days, I managed to get a pitch opportunity with a major business.
Like many one-person businesses, I had spent time creating the perception that I had a bigger operation than just me, so customers had more confidence to buy from me.
I was halfway through this pitch when the Director I was presenting to calmly said to me: “Neil, tell me the truth, is the business actually just you at the moment?”
My immediate thought was that I had blown in. And the hundreds of pounds I spent on the flights and accommodation for the pitch.
Of course, I confessed that the business at that moment in time was just me.
He immediately said he was going to give me a contract, but it was going to be paid on a results-only basis.
That’s not what I was after: I needed a guaranteed income stream so I could hire someone to join me. I had little choice but to accept, so left a little deflated.
The irony is, that contract was one of the most profitable we’ve ever had and played a major part in keeping us afloat in 2009!
Jerome Knyszewski: Based on your experience and success, what are the five most important things one should know in order to lead a company from Good to Great? Please share a story or an example for each.
Neil Robbins: I think the fundamental difference between good companies and great ones is their people.
After all, this is where the majority of our competitive advantages come from.
I believe if a business leader wants to build a great company, they need to focus on these five things:
- Create the right direction and frameworks for managing performance, and then trust your employees.Give them autonomy, whilst ensuring they are accountable for delivering agreed outcomes.
- Create an environment where people can do their best work — give them the tools they need to be great.
- Hire the best people you can afford. And make sure they have the attitude you need to be a great member of a team and buy-in to your vision.
- Invest in your people so they can grow with your business.I’ve always been proud to see people in my business build a career with us and I think it is critical for great companies to retain people that have been part of the journey whilst complementing that with outstanding external hires.
- Have a vision, align a clear strategy against it and communicate it well, regularly.I’ve come to learn that even your best people are so focused on their own jobs that a gentle, consistent reminder of what we are trying to achieve keeps them moving in the right direction and simplifies the decisions they have to make.
Jerome Knyszewski: Extensive research suggests that “purpose driven businesses” are more successful in many areas. Can you help articulate for our readers a few reasons why a business should consider becoming a purpose driven business, or consider having a social impact angle?
Neil Robbins: Well, first of all It’s the right thing to do. I am a firm believer that businesses should be investing back into their communities or supporting local causes.
Not for any other reason than we often have access to resources that can make a difference — and we should be seeking ways to help.
However, I do believe there are reciprocal business benefits to being purpose-led, or to having a clear commitment to creating social impacts.
I think employees really value it. In my business we give 100 working days a year to our community or causes, meaning our people can take time off without using their annual leave to do this.
I find our people respect the fact that the business is trying to support social causes and is encouraging its people to participate without taking away from their personal time.
That said, I still feel that being committed to a cause relevant to your business or customers can be a point of difference for a business, and that it can actually help to drive revenues.
I am a firm believer that businesses should be investing back into their communities or supporting local causes.
Jerome Knyszewski: As you know, “conversion” means to convert a visit into a sale. In your experience what are the best strategies a business should use to increase conversion rates?
Neil Robbins: Naturally, the approach required to improve conversion differs from business to business, sector to sector, country to country.
I run a B2B services company and there are two main things we have done in the past couple of years to improve our own conversion rates:
- Firstly, we focused far more on our ideal customer fit. We have worked out which businesses are more likely to buy from us and we focus hard on that.
- Secondly we implemented a sales methodology that each of our salespeople fully understand, and most importantly are accountable for using.
Jerome Knyszewski: Of course, the main way to increase conversion rates is to create a trusted and beloved brand. Can you share a few ways that a business can earn a reputation as a trusted and beloved brand?
Neil Robbins: Building a trusted brand can mean different things to different people, including your customers who are ultimately the ones whose trust you need to earn.
I feel there are some threads to what a business leader needs to try and achieve through their teams in order to build a brand that is trusted, regardless of which industry they operate in and the type of customers they serve.
Honesty goes a long way! Social media has made it impossible for businesses to hide behind their mistakes or their issues.
I think most people accept no business is perfect, but by being honest and transparent with customers you can manage any negative stories whilst building a brand that people come to trust.
One thing I focus hard on in my business is delivering on our promises.
Making sure our clients get what they need on time, that we focus religiously on what they are paying us for which is ultimately to grow their revenues.
As simple as it sounds, customers just want what was promised.
If you deliver time and time again, then eventually you become trusted for this, when often many of your competitors will be failing — and most likely not being transparent about their issues in delivering, too.
Once you have a business that is prepared to be honest, and focuses hard on delivering on its promises, then for me it’s about exceeding customer expectations, giving them pleasant surprises, delivering more than you said, and delivering it early.
As simple as it sounds, customers just want what was promised. Neil Robbins
Jerome Knyszewski: How can our readers further follow you online?
Neil Robbins: You can learn more about me and Silverbean here and here.
Jerome Knyszewski: This was very inspiring. Thank you so much for the time you spent with this!
