Fulcrum is one of Thrive Networking’s most loyal members. Established in 2007 by Malcolm Brebner, Fulcrum deliver a niche service as specialist brokers in employee benefits. Through their membership to Thrive Networking, Fulcrum have significantly grown their business network.
Fulcrum specialise in insured employee benefits across a range of sectors including construction, legal services and manufacturing. With Thrive Networking, Malcolm and his team reap the benefits of strategic and effective networking with professionals: ‘We’re a niche business with a big target audience: Thrive are a good vehicle for exploring these opportunities,’ Malcolm says.
Fulcrum’s network has significantly grown thanks to Thrive Networking, and they too have contributed to our ever expanding network: ‘we regularly recommend Thrive Networking to other businesses and in the past we’ve brought guests along to events.’
Malcolm explains how the Thrive network helps expand his business contact list. Through professionalism in consistency and preparation, our prestigious events are always a success and we have full commitment and interest from our various members. ‘Their events are well structured with aspects which are interesting to us, such as seminars with guest speakers and social events like the Directors Dinners – it’s quality time with potential customers.’
With Thrive Networking specialising in B2B communications, Fulcrum found it easy to build a network and find those corporate customers; the right people in the right places. ‘Thrive Networking are great for medium sized professional services and consultancies who want to meet the decision makers and strong influencers in medium to large companies, and spread their relationship with other members,’ Malcolm explains.
Meeting key people through Thrive Networking has given direct results for Malcolm and his team: ‘Thrive Networking has given us eight new clients. This for us is a significant development as our business provides for clients year on year, it’s not a one-off project, but a long-standing customer relation and a great ROI for us.’
Like other businesses in the Thrive network, Fulcrum benefits from the opportunities to meet the right kind of people at our events and make some quality contacts and long standing relationships. ‘Thrive Networking gives us the opportunity to meet and form relationships with the people that we otherwise may not have met.’
Malcolm discusses other opportunities at Thrive Networking and how it goes beyond the client base. ‘We can spread the word for each other – we’ve also got a number of contacts to help our business with services in supply, IT, branding and printing.’
Through the Thrive network, Fulcrum are given the opportunity to approach new customers who may not be benefiting from this kind of service. ‘Most companies aren’t taking advice from experts – we can meet these people through Thrive and help them make sense of their current insurance policies to save money. That’s our route to market.’
Guest speakers at Thrive Networking events have also given Fulcrum new business opportunities. ‘We’ll research and fact find on a company – decode the jargon and explain to a client what we’ve found, like a diagnosis on their current policies…we get them to buy smarter.’
Malcolm began his career in medical insurance in his home city of Auckland, NZ. He emigrated to Scotland in 1991 where he worked in the same sector for twenty years before setting up his own company. Ten years on, Fulcrum is a successful business with a strong client list. Malcolm enjoys his working life, and with 30 years of professional experience in the industry, he has a strong selling point to new customers he meets through Thrive.