A Few Words

About Me

The Strategic Marketer

A Track Record Of Delivering Results

You've Got To Get The Basics Right And Keep It Simple

My marketing career started at The University of Cambridge’s Judge Business School where l was responsible for the promotion of its global MBA Programme.
After a break to study for my own MBA, I joined retail solutions specialist, Herbert Retail where I built a marketing function from scratch. After an absence of a marketing function for over ten years it was vital to keep things simple and focus on getting the basics right in the most efficient way, before starting on the longer-term strategy. Once these were in place, I drove B2B marketing and led on collaborations with strategic partners as Herbert sought to diversify its commercial activity.

Following my time with Herber Retail, I gained key leadership roles in marketing at Whirlpool, Meridian Audio, 3D Systems and Photocentric where I accumulated many years of experience delivering strategic and commercial success. Since starting my consulting career, I have also worked with several SMEs and UK-based start-ups on their go-to-market strategies. I am keen to share my passion and experience to help other businesses, so if you need a cost-effective service to help you deliver increased sales and market penetration then please get in touch to discover how I can help.

Professional Memberships:

Do Not Get Distracted

Marketing Should Focus On Making Money For Your Business

Taking time to plan and develop strategies can help deliver real commercial success. While in my role at Indesit I developed marketing strategies across a business with revenues of over £130 million and pioneered digital marketing techniques including Social Media, PPC, SEO and launching their first B2C email campaigns. By successfully transitioning from print to digital my lead generation campaigns increased inbound call volumes for the Contact Centres by over 50% as well as growing e-commerce revenues. With the explosion of digital marketing at the time it would have been easy to allow the latest marketing trends and technologies to distract me, but a clear strategy and plan ensured that this strategic shift in activity was successful and I made more money for the business.

Balancing Strategic And Tactical Priorities

As Marketing Director at Meridian Audio, I was the architect of a three year plan which, by re-evaluating the route to market, resulted in a growth of £1.5m and returned the core audio product business to profitability. In order to achieve this I had to balance strategic and tactical priorities as I successfully transitioned the business from a B2C to a B2B model.
At Indesit I delivered significant projects including the development of new websites for the Hotpoint and Indesit brands during which I still had to meet challenging commercial targets. I understand how important it is to be able to ‘fix the plane while it is flying’ – successfully manage big strategic projects but still deliver the commercial result.

Managing Global Product Launches

I have managed numerous product and technology launches around the globe ranging from small domestic appliances through to some of the best home cinema solutions in the world. I have also worked with key commercial partners on joint product launches across a number of different sectors including software, automotive, consumer electronics and retail. Irrespective of the product, all successful launches require a clear strategy and plan.
As well as launching award-winning audio products with Meridian, I was very proud to manage the global commercial launch of a brand-new audio technology, MQA. This was subsequently spun out as a separate commercial entity and sold for nearly £14 million.

Understand Challenges Faced By SMEs

Having worked in, and with SMEs, I understand the unique challenges that they often face. I know that resource constraints and unforeseen budget cuts require creativity and realistic timelines.
I understand the interdependence that marketing has with other functions of the business and the need to demonstrate the value that marketing adds. With competing priorities, it is simply not possible to do everything. However with a clear marketing strategy and supporting tactical plan in place it becomes far easier to identify the most profitable opportunities and prioritise accordingly.

Tactics At The Expense Of Strategy

I love working as a consultant as I gain an enormous amount of satisfaction from advising businesses how to solve their marketing problems.
The other reason that motivated me to become a consultant is that I have become frustrated that many marketers have focused much of their effort on tactics, at the expense of marketing strategy. This has meant that many businesses have failed to maximise their commercial potential. I really want to change this. Having an up-to-date marketing strategy in place ensures that your marketing activity is effective and you stay relevant to your customers. 

Testimonials

What People Say About Me

Rayner displayed great commercial insight with a clear vision of how success could be achieved. He made a profound impact on the marketing of Photocentric.”
Paul Anfinson
CEO, Photocentric Inc.
His infectious enthusiasm, drive, commitment and personality made any project we worked on together very successful."
Barry Sheldrick
Director, Meridian Audio
At Indesit, he drove a digital transformation programme raising awareness of the company’s products and services, generating qualified leads into the contact centre as well as substantially increasing online sales."
Chris Dunn
Former Director, Indesit Company

Some Of The Brands I've Worked With

Initial Consultation

Book A Free Consultation

Use the online diary to secure your consultation. If you have any questions, or would prefer to speak to me before booking, then please contact me via one of the options on the Contact section.

Initial Consultation

Book A Free Consultation

Use the online diary to secure your consultation. If you have any questions, or would prefer to speak to me before booking, then please contact me via one of the options on the Contact section.