Mark Jamieson has been with the WSI network for five years. He is based in Ottawa and is focused on SEO and strategy development. Read our latest interview with a WSI Internet Marketing Consultant here.
Tell me a little about yourself, and where you are located?
I have been 5 years with the network and we are located in Ottawa, Canada. I have a strong focus on SEO & Strategy Development.
Why did you want to become an Internet consultant and join WSI?
Kim and I wanted to get out of Toronto (badly) lol! We thought, hey, if we’re gonna uproot our lives with a new home, we might as well go all in with a new venture.
What’s the biggest value that you get from WSI?
Hands down the support from the network. Without them, our chances of success would have dropped dramatically.
What job/business were you in before you started your WSI business?
I owed a successful Security & Surveillance company in Toronto and Kim worked in commercial real estate and land development for the provincial government, a crown corporation most Ontarians know as the LCBO.
Tell us about anyone who helped influence you into starting your own business?
I worked in a grocery store from the age of 12 to the age of 23. I remember the owner of the store, Mr. Earl Milks (now deceased) had a talent for relating to everybody regardless of age, gender, culture, language. Not a day went by that he didn’t interact with the staff or customers. Never had I met someone with such a god-given an ability to always say the right thing to anybody, anytime. Everyone liked him and was loyal to his business. To this day, I’ve never met such a great salesman. Ultimately, he got me interested in sales, the psychology of it and from there, my hunger for entrepreneurship began.
How long have you been with WSI?
5 years as of August, 2019.
Describe your typical work week?
Mondays always start with a team meeting. Here we assess the week and ensure we are organized to tackle it as well as ensuring the previous weeks tasks have been completed.
IBA’s, research, prep, proposals, project management and a few networking type events typically fill the rest of the week. I try to find an hour a day or so to catch up on education from the network or outside.
What highlights have you had since being with WSI?
We’ve been lucky. If I’m not mistaken, not a year has gone by that we haven’t been honored with some type of award or recognition. Very proud of that! But I've probably just jinxed it, so we'll see what happens this year!
We have very successfully delivered results for most our clients to date. Our attrition rate is low, we’ve built some brand awareness in our city and even rank well for some high-level searches (this I am particularly proud of).
What are the biggest obstacles that you have faced in running your business and how have?
Keeping the pipeline full has always been the biggest struggle. Not only that, but really finding the time to lead nurture. Typically, if a lead doesn’t show immediate interest or sign up, we dropped them. I just never really had the time to set up a proper lead nurturing funnel that we can really automate and work at closing our leads. This really bothers me as I know we are losing huge opportunities.
What do you think are the best skills that you bring to your business?
My ability to see the bigger picture. Whether it’s on a campaign, or the business I can see past the right now and know what’s needed to successfully pull off a new campaign or even future business needs. Also, my ability to build trusted relationships with our clients is definitely one of our main reasons our attrition rate is so low.
What goals do you have for yourself that you want to accomplish in the next year?
We’ve hired our first project manager but would like to have one more by the end of this year.
Where do you see yourself in 5 year’s time?
Hopefully still doing this, just with a much bigger team.
What advice would you give a new WSI Internet Consultant?
Go to work! The WSI network bring so many great resources and learning opportunities but with it, distractions from the one thing that will grow your business. SALES!
Don’t get caught up with every new shinny distraction. Find you niche fast (services and vertical) and GO!
What would be your personal motto?
Failure is not an option.
If we went to happy hour, what would you order?
Before 8pm – A double gin & tonic (Hendrix please)
After 8PM – Scotch or Bourbon
If you could be anywhere other than here talking to me - right this minute, where would you be?
Probably having a Gin and Tonic or a Whiskey😀
