Member Spotlight

MEMBER SPOTLIGHT

"Gatwick Diamond has been an integral part of our networking and marketing strategy for nearly 8 years during which time it has helped us grow through developing both business relationships and friendships, and has helped the name of Cleankill become established within the region as the first choice for pest control."

Name: Paul Bates | Business name: Cleankill Pest Control

Member since: 2014

Description: Award-winning Cleankill Pest Control o ers eradication and preventive services throughout London, Surrey, Sussex, the Home Counties, Bristol, Gloucestershire and Somerset for public health pests. Cleankill is a registered waste carrier.

1. What appealed to you about joining gdb? We recognised the business opportunities south of the M25 from Crawley down to Brighton a er Jonathan, one of our directors, moved to Seaford, and we were looking for good B2B networking groups. GDB had been mentioned a couple of times and 2 of us attended a meeting of potential new members, which was fun and relaxed, and without the high-pressure networking of some of the other groups.

2. What was the thing that surprised you about gdb? How good the networking lunches were! Moving from table to table between courses and having time to introduce yourself to 9 different people between each course!

3. What’s the biggest single thing you’ve got from being a member of gdb? Recognition that we are a successful and growing company that can and does provide a quality service offering value well above the industry norm!

4. What difference has being a member of gdb made to your business? In pest control the industry is dominated by one name – in the GDB community we have been able to establish our name as a viable alternative in the forefront of many businesses. We are now a well-established firm with 26 years of experience behind us and are continuing to grow both in the GDB area and beyond.

5. gdb puts on lots of different types of events - what’s your favourite? Besides the lunches previously mentioned, the Awards are the best that we attend. As well as allowing us to take our staff for a good night out, the entry process enables us each year to assess where we are against other firms by having the judges actually attend our offices to test and verify the entry application. If we win, then it confirms that we are heading in the right direction and that our achievements are recognised by people outside of the company. If we lose, with the feedback from the judges, we can look at the winners and make improvements in the company.

6. What’s different about gdb compared to other networking you do? Over the years we have built up ‘no pressure’ friendships with many of the attendees to the lunches and other events – the events are generally always well attended, relaxed and fun…which has always been an important part of the growth of our company!

7. What’s your top tip for getting the most out of networking? Attend the events!

8. Besides the events, what else do you get out of your gdb membership? Drunk...