ORGANIC GROWTH THROUGH CAREFUL ATTENTION TO CUSTOMER NEEDS
Aviation Domination. In an industry characterised by outdated ways of doing business and a lack of honesty and transparency, 17-year-old Absolute Aviation has stood out by doing things differently. Young and innovative, the company has a strong focus on customer service and doing things right. They are the fastest-growing general aviation company in Africa, with plans to continue this growth beyond the African continent.
Absolute Aviation is a full spectrum general aviation group, targeting corporates and individuals looking to buy, maintain or sell their private aircraft. It’s the brain child of Neil Howard – a trained aircraft engineer who built his career at global aviation company ExecuJet. He was leading ExecuJet’s aircraft maintenance division when he left to become an independent consultant in 2001. As a one-man show, he would assist corporate clients like Pick ‘n Pay to manage their aircraft maintenance costs by liaising with maintenance companies on their behalf. During this time, he also worked as a freelance pilot for corporates and business people who would typically not have full-time pilots for their planes.
In addition to maintenance management, his clients began asking him to perform pre-purchase inspections for new aircraft that they planned to buy. The business grew even further when he got asked to help source aircraft as well. He started to hire people slowly as he organically added new services to his portfolio – hiring his first employee in 2002. Neil’s organic growth resulted in a full-on sales consulting business, helping clients find aircraft that met their exact requirements. He then built aircraft management into his business when clients asked him to run and manage their aircraft.
This early growth was entirely by word of mouth. In the aircraft business, it is not uncommon for businesses to take advantage of a buyer’s low level of knowledge about the industry – selling them aircraft that don’t meet their needs, or that would give them unforeseen problems down the road. Neil made a name for himself by being honest and transparent with his clients and paying close attention to their needs. Most of his competitors at the time were more focused on representing the aircraft they represented, and less focused on representing the clients that bought the aircraft.
A FUNDAMENTAL BUSINESS MODEL CHANGE
Neil was no stranger to diversifying products and services. But nine years after the start of the company, Absolute Aviation was faced with an opportunity that would fundamentally change how it operated.
In 2010, American aircraft manufacturer Beechcraft, terminated their long-term relationship with the NAC (National Airways Corporation) who were their representative and distributer in Sub-Saharan Africa.
Due to Absolute Aviation’s solid reputation in the industry, Beechcraft approached Absolute Aviation to take over this role. “This was definitely a great opportunity, but I had to really think about making the decision because I was now going from being a buyer’s representative to be a seller’s representative. I had to find a balance between representing the seller while still ensuring that the needs of clients remained secured,” Neil said. “I decided to take it on and it really changed the face of our business.”
The consulting sales business slowed down over time as the Beechcraft sales business took over – an intentional move as consulting sales generated few transactions, and representing a brand as big as Beechcraft presented Absolute Aviation with significantly more growth opportunities.
GETTING A COACH ONTO THE GROWTH JOURNEY
Having been awarded the rights to represent Beechcraft, Absolute Aviation was at a transitional point as they were gearing up for growth and Neil was facing typical staff challenges. He was looking for someone to help with an HR matter with one of his earliest employees, when a friend suggested that he contact GROW.
“He said that perhaps a GROW coach would help me resolve bigger business matters, but also help with the staff issue,” said Neil. “Our coach did assist me with giving advice and having an outside view, and after he helped resolve the staff problem, I got the coaching going, and he has been part of the business ever since. He has added immense value over the years and continues to do so. We now have a team of 122 employees and a much bigger management team and he is still involved in all facets of our business.”
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