How a Hampshire mobile phone retailer is tapping into an untapped market

At the turn of the millennium, mobile phone shops dominated the high street as the consumer and B2B markets approached their peak.

Then came a period of consolidation where the networks began to squeeze the margins of independent operators, greatly expand their own stores and scale up their own B2B sales operations.

You would think, in 2024, there would be no room for the challenger operator?

Step forward Gosport-based Prestige Telecom Group who have demonstrated the value of finding your business niche, doubling down and discovering new ways to disrupt an established market. 

The Gosport firm, founded in 2014, turned over £6.5m last year and is expecting further growth this year as it grows its new Brighton office and considers further expansion along the South Coast. 

Kieran Searle, Head of Sales at Prestige Telecom, said:  "A lot of the larger companies won't touch the one to five user space and will be aiming for 20 plus.

"We have found that niche of sole traders and limited companies in the one to five or one to ten user space that doesn't seem to be getting touched."

It is an approach which is paying for the Hampshire firm which has grown the number of business mobile phone connections that it completes tenfold from 100 a month to over 1000.

In 2024, Prestige plans to grow its headcount by 20 and has also expanded its service offering into the broadband space.

Kieran attributes the success of the firm to its sales approach.

He said: "A lot of companies say to their telesales staff, here's your script now get on the phone. 

"Every single member of our staff goes for a whole week's worth of training with myself and the sales trainer.

"They do not leave the boardroom until they've mastered the script, they've mastered their rebuttals and they're completely prepared for life on the phone."

The company opted for Brighton as its second site due to its proximity to London and its rich pool of talent.

After starting out in a small rental unit, the firm, in December, moved to a top floor office close to Brighton Central station which can hold up to 30 staff. 

Kieran said: "It's a university town, so we wanted to capitalise on the number of people who were leaving university and looking for jobs and felt it was a good place to open an office.

"We started with five people in a small serviced office to test the concept and we have record month after record month since opening in March."

Finding good sales people is a challenge for any organisation however, Prestige say their marketing has played a pivotal role in attracting new staff memebers.

Retention rates at the firm are also well above the industry average which the management team put down to proper training and ensuring that staff an properly rewarded. 

Elliot Micallef, Head of Brand at Prestige Telecom, said: "We are very different from anyone else on social media in that we don't post about sales, we post about what we are doing in the office. 

"The activities and incentives - the fun stuff."