[Startup Interview] Daniel Greaves, CEO, Fuel to Fly, South Africa

[Startup Interview] Daniel Greaves, CEO, Fuel to Fly, South Africa

Published: 08-05-2020 18:15:00 | By: Bob Koigi | hits: 7745 | Tags:

Daniel Greaves is the founder and CEO of South Africa-based startup Fuel to Fly that offer boutique sales outreach services that are powered by advanced data analytics. Its customer base spans companies in consulting, marketing and advertising, cryptocurrency, and recruiting.

Introduce your company

Fuel to Fly is a South Africa boutique sales outreach business fueled by advanced data analytics. Since 2019 when we set up shop we have been involved in prospecting, emailing and analyzing outreach to continuously improve ROI, and enable revenue generating conversations for our clients.

Who founded Fuel to Fly and what did they do prior to founding the company?

Fuel to Fly was started by Daniel Greaves who attended Stellenbosch University. He has been in sales all his career, mostly working for companies in real estate, finance and private equity.

Who are the owners of Fuel to Fly?

The company is owned by Daniel Greaves, Greaves Capital (Pty) Ltd and Lightswitch Solutions (Pty) Ltd.

How is your company financed?

Through equity

In your opinion, what dynamics have shaped the ICT sector?

Many companies are looking to take control of the post-covid narrative by driving sales, and reducing costs through embracing data driven sales solutions. The problem is that the automation of outbound sales and lead generation is being done in a very impersonal manner, with companies buying large lists of unqualified prospects. These prospects are then contacted by deploying a spray and pray approach, which doesn't foster relationships and revenue-generating conversations.

Why did you start Fuel to Fly? What opportunities did you see?

In 2019, we had this idea that outbound sales is broken. Why should you have to make a hundred calls a day to do three deals a month? That's ridiculous. We thought that there had to be a way to dive into the data, crunch some numbers, and build a more targeted, high converting approach.

What problem or problems does your company solve?

Our offering at Fuel to Fly solves the problem the companies have when they go about lead generation in an effective way. Many companies don't get specific enough when it comes to finding their target market in the prospecting process. It's difficult for companies to find the right strategy to get the attention of qualified prospects, and then engaging with these prospects in way that will open-revenue generating conversations. Lastly, I would say when many companies don't have the capabilities to document and measure lead generation success. We're able to provide valuable insights into existing and potential target markets through our data-driven processes.

What gives your company the competitive edge?

We differentiate ourselves in a sense that we are more than just a "lead generation company" that does prospecting and outbound automation. Our success is attributed to the three pillars of the business. Firstly, we provide highly focused and target prospecting process. Secondly, our refined list of prospects allow us to get very personal in how we engage with prospects. Thirdly, our sophisticated data analysis and reporting provide our clients with invaluable information on their target persona. By combining these three pillars we have a holisitc and balanced offering that makes us stand out from the rest.

Who forms your clientele base?

We've been fortunate enough to work with an array of companies from South Africa, and the United States. These include companies in Consulting, Marketing and Advertising, Cryptocurrency, and Recruiting. I'd say that most of our clients fall within the Software Development vertical.

What does your company need in order to grow?

Customer retention is very important for our growth prospects. The continuous improvement and automation of our processes will go a long way in retaining clients. Luckily, we have some incredible talent that build and integrate tools in a very cost-effective manner. This means that we can invest our own revenue back into the business, and not rely on outside investment.

What is your growth strategy?

Our growth strategy is centered around working with clients that operate in future-oriented industries like software development, cryptocurrency, esports and VR/AR. These companies usually have a clear and unique value proposition which is easy for us to communicate to their prospective clients.

In which countries and markets are you looking to establish your presence?

We hope to continue growing, and come into our own as a globalized company, It's very important for us to consolidate our position in the US market. Expanding our offering to businesses in the states has been a big learning curve, and will stand us in good stead as we look to project our offering into tech hubs in Asia and Europe that are home to future-oriented businesses.

What are your plans for the coming 12 months?

From a strategic perspective we want to grow from positioning ourselves as prospectors and outbound automaters to a sales intelligence company that is focused on building an evolving data-driven sales machine for our clients.

www.fueltofly.com

 

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