Mike Blake Email & Phone Number

Waterlooville, England, United Kingdom

As a non-techie, my job is to ignore the “something shiny” of the IT Industry, it's everywhere and couldn't be more distracting. 🚫✨💻There’s always something new we should be selling to our customers; it makes it easy to miss the basics. 🛍️❗I focus on what really matters:• Time ⏰• Money 💸• Security 🔒• Direction, Strategy and Budgeting 🧭📊💰I continually evolve the systems and processes that force us to focus on those priorities for our customers. 🔄📈

I find the high standards in this industry really enjoyable to work with. You cannot lift a finger without conforming to regulations, standards, documentations, designs etc.We install systems into buildings that provide full mobile signal (4G/5G), in any indoor nook and cranny you desire. Distributed Antenna Systems (DAS) to be specific.DAS are extensions of the mobile networks, Voda, O2, EE and Three.Our customers are large corporates in London. That doesn’t mean we won’t work with others, that’s just who our customers are to date. We’re usually involved in the office fit-out stage, so Project Management is a large part of what we do.

Portsmouth, United Kingdom

This was a brilliant job, it gave me some my most valuable career experience. I didn’t think I could do it but I was up for the challenge. In this new role I had to sell to NEW customers? That was what worried me, I was responsible for getting new customers over the line, using our company as a new supplier. Not only that, but it was a new department for the company. Our first foray outside of Business Mobile. It turned out my lack of confidence couldn’t have been more misplaced. I was the new department’s first sales person, working alongside my Manager as we grew the new department of the company covering new services to the business including landline Telecoms, IT and Networking to name a few. We started as a team of 3, in a room not dissimilar to a cupboard. He had a lot more experience in the industry than me, but I made it my job to learn everything new that came our way, even though a lot of it was outside my "Sales" remit. Whether it was accounting, billing, technical, product development – I had to know, because these were the wheels that put our new department into motion.By the end, we had grown the department to a team of around 20, sitting alongside the rest of the business which made up around 60 staff in total.Then, we were purchased by Aerial Direct. They already had 250+ staff. At this point I knew it was my time to fly the nest. Working for big companies just isn’t my bag, never has been. Thanks, but no thanks.

Business Mobile - that's what we did. And lots of it. This was my first job dealing with high number of businesses. I knew my product inside and out, I worked really hard (ridiculous hours, because the commission was good....and I love the grind) and I always fought for my customers. That's the key to Account Management, you have to be on their side.Great job.

Portsmouth

I started in Telemarketing, generating IT Support leads for the MD to follow up.My attention drifted. The MD could see I needed more, so I was allowed to expand my knowledge in other areas that could help the business. I self-taught Ethernet Cabling, providing a number of cabling installations for their IT customers.I further expanded my knowledge into Telecoms and Networking, the Avaya IP Office 500 Phone System and SIP Trunking. I configured many systems and setups on the office test network. I was also spending time with the IT Service Desk, getting to know their trade. However, I was still responsible for sales. The truth was, they didn’t need more technical resource, they needed sales, and my numbers just weren’t cutting it.I learnt some invaluable stuff here. Now I understood “how it all works”, I couldn’t deliver it all technically, but I knew enough to put me in great stead for future positions. My inevitable redundancy was a good thing. Because of where it led.

Whiteley, England, United Kingdom

I generated leads for Mortgages, Re-Mortgages and Secured Loans. Aside from admin/data entry type roles, it was my first proper office job.I loved it. Combining two things that make me tick: Sales and Finance. I like working with numbers.I liked this job so much that after 4 months, when they said they wouldn't pay for my training to become a qualified Mortgage Adviser (CeMAP) I said "No worries, here's a 3 week holiday request - some will need to go unpaid due to lack of annual leave". I borrowed the money for a 3 week intensive CeMAP 1, 2 and 3 course and got the qualification I needed to take the next step in my Mortgage Advice career. Borrowing the money was a safe bet because I could earn so much more as a Mortgage Adviser, so I'd be able to pay it back quickly. Then the recession came. Nobody wanted Mortgage Advisers anymore. The Mortgage Lender was wiped off the face of the planet. Time to move to my other interest, IT.