As a sales expert working in the technology market, Steve Swatman had held an impressive number of senior roles, from sales director to general manager. But it was in 2008, as vice president of a start-up, that Steve decided he wanted to try something new – something that would give him the freedom and excitement of running his own business, but with less risk.
Steve discovered the Sandler business opportunity almost by accident after a colleague happened to mention it. The idea of buying into an existing network immediately appealed – he could have the control and authority of being his own boss, but with the reassurance of a proven business model.
After learning more about the opportunity, Steve was impressed by the Sandler materials and saw a parallel between his own sales skills and experience, and Sandler’s ‘reinforcement’ approach to business development. Confident that he would be able to achieve his business and life goals with the Sandler model, Steve made the leap and invested in becoming his own boss as part of the Sandler network.
“It wasn’t the idea of a franchise that won me over, it was Sandler,” says Steve. “The materials were a breath of fresh air. I loved the application of psychology and behavioural sciences to the dynamic of buyers and sellers getting together. On top of that, the learning model they presented just made sense to me and the franchise network was incredibly friendly.”
Based in London, Steve focused on growing his Sandler business in the technology space – a business area he knew inside out. Since then, Steve has seen his business grow year-on-year as he picks up more and more impressive clients. He currently provides his services to the Microsoft partner ecosystem, an area in which he hopes to continue growing with the support of the Sandler system and fellow franchisees.
He adds: “The franchise network is just a bottomless pit of fresh ideas. If ever you get stuck or just need another view, there’s someone there with the expertise to help. For me, when you consider having all this support to call on, but you are still essentially running your own business, it beats everything else out there. I knew it was something I had to be a part of.”
