On Monday 14th May 2007, nearly 200 Executives and their partners converged at various airports in the UK, where they were met by Head Office representatives for their flights to Nice and onward travel to the millionaires playground of Monte Carlo.

On arrival at the port, the real luxury began. Anyone who has been on a luxury holiday with Telecom plus, knows that when we say luxury, we mean it! Of course no one needed to carry their own luggage, as it was delivered to everyone’s cabins by the Silversea staff, leaving Executives free to stroll slowly across the red carpet and on to the ship, to be welcomed on board by the ship’s senior staff, delicious canapés and a glass or two of perfectly chilled champagne. This really was a taste of the luxury to come.

Guests were escorted to their cabins, where cabin stewards gave them a tour of their suite (yes, everyone got a suite with either a panoramic sea view or a private balcony), where a bottle of champagne on ice was waiting to be un-corked. You see it really was hard work making it all the way from the gangplank to the cabin! Naturally, the amenities in everyone’s suites, private bathroom and dressing room, the Bvlgari soaps, luxury towelling robes and fully stocked free bar were nothing less than everyone deserved.

Many Executives took the opportunity before the ship set sail to walk around Monte Carlo, which was being set up for the famous Formula 1 Grand Prix race the following weekend, or to relax by the pool, enjoying a drink or five in the sun. After a sumptuous dinner, there was the traditional sail away party on deck under the stars. It must have been quite hot as a few Executives decided to go swimming, fully dressed!

On Tuesday morning the ship docked at the enchanting and romantic medieval port town of Genoa which, after a short coach transfer, everyone was free to explore at their leisure. By late afternoon and once everyone was back on board 140 poker ‘professionals’ and novices got together for the Telecom plus cash prize Poker Tournament, complete with exclusive piggy chips in the Panorama Lounge, while anyone else looking for some organised entertainment joined the Telecom plus Grand Prize Bingo in the Show Lounge, which was expertly called by the one and only Rob Barras.

Following pre-dinner drinks and canapés everyone dined at their leisure, with some of the very top point earners dining at Charles’ table. The amazing Hazel Payne performed a selection of her most popular songs in the Show Lounge after dinner. For those Executives who had the stamina, there was a choice of a disco or Karaoke into the small hours.

On Wednesday morning the ship docked in Civitavecchia, the closest port to Rome. There was a fantastic choice of free excursions including a Vatican City Tour, visiting the Vatican Museum, Sistine Chapel, St Peter’s Basilica and time for a bit of shopping, a Rome Sightseeing Highlights Tour which took in The Colosseum, The Pantheon, The Trevi Fountain, The Spanish Steps, some shopping and a brief stop at the Vatican, or a Rome City Centre transfer. Everyone came back to the ship exhilarated after a fantastic day in Rome, and there was just enough time to get ready for another round of Prize Bingo or the finals of the Poker Tournament, which was won by first time poker player, Spencer Thomson. Naturally no luxury cruise is complete without a black tie evening, and this cruise was no exception. It gave a chance to all the ladies to show off their finest evening gowns and the gents all looked dapper in their tuxedos. After a dinner which included only the finest dishes, such as lobster, caviar, goose liver and ‘death by chocolate’ we were treated to an exclusive performance by the amazing Kit and the Widow, who performed a cabaret specially written for Telecom plus. Who can forget that chorus “the greatest cruise to choose to go on, is Silver Whisper with Telecom plus!”

Some got a few hours sleep, many didn’t, before we docked in Nice for the all too soon return to the UK. Everyone who went on the cruise had a fantastic time, learnt a tremendous amount from their fellow Executives, and came away committed to persuading Charles to run another holiday promotion next year!

Silver Whisper Testimonials

Steve Percy

‘If it is to be then it’s up to me’… With Steph Longworth’s words ringing in my ears, some of the many that rightly earned him a standing ovation at Express Day 2006, I headed back to Cardiff. Cruise places go to other people… don’t they? Well why not me. If I do what it says on the tin, and apply the principles that the training and my upline suggest, then my place should be assured shouldn’t it?

I joined the business in early May 2006. This event was closely followed by my wedding to Sian and then a couple of weeks away with the Territorial Army on my Annual Camp. I’m an ex-commissioned Officer in the Royal Marines and I like to keep my hand in. So with the challenges of childcare for our three year old Oliver to consider and our busy lifestyles as an IT Service Delivery Manager and a Podiatrist to balance, the honeymoon was put on hold.

There was surely no way that I could possibly be part of the last 50 to assure a place on the Silver Whisper, a 6 star liner, one of the most luxurious ocean going liners in the world, and yet something told me that if I set this as a long term goal, and ticked off my shorter ones along the way then anything could happen. Hey, even if it never came off, I’d be building my customer and Distributor base and that was all good, so I went for it. Consistency, practice, improving my skills, regular training, reading the books, offering the business opportunity, supporting my business partners and watching their businesses grow… time ticked by and Derek Thomas my upline phoned in December to tell me I was in the top 50 in December 2006. Assuming this was just a typing error, I continued to apply the principles, and low and behold there I was again in January 2007.

There were those words again from Steph ‘…..then it’s up to me’. February 2007 was frantic and really exciting, and that’s from a bloke that used to parachute as part of his day job! The days went by in slow motion and it felt like an age for Head Office to announce the top 50 at the end of the month; but I remember my (and Sian’s) delight to see my name on the Cruise Winners Newsplus released in early March. Absolutely unbelievable. On stage at MAD Day, recognition was reward in itself, but the trip itself was really special, because it also coincided with our first wedding anniversary, and we were able to take on board our newborn Rhys who was only six weeks old at the time.

Monte Carlo, Genoa, Rome, truly amazing, and with the grand total of one Euro spent on a fridge magnet outside the Vatican, it was great value as well. Cuisine has been such a disappointment in the house now that we’re back. It doesn’t seem appropriate to get through as many lobsters, frogs legs and pink champagne as it did in May at no cost to ourselves. To top it off we even had a fabulous desert delivered to our suite from the Captain congratulating us on our first wedding anniversary. How good was that?

So in summary, think about what this would mean to you and believe this can be yours next time. I’ve dispensed with my scepticism now for ever, because I know if you believe in yourself, your team and the opportunity that a fantastic company like this can offer you, then you can realise anything you want in life. You’re only stifled by your imagination. Thank you Steph for those words at Express Day 2006 and for Derek Thomas and Stuart Jones in Cardiff who continue to re-affirm for me that with goal directed action, anything is possible.

Steve Percey - Trainee National Marketing Director and advisor to the Hon Charles Wigoder… Hey, we need goals don’t we……

Gail Bannister...The cruise was absolutely fantastic - especially the food! It was pure luxury. One afternoon, we ordered a huge plateful of chocolate truffles and two glasses of champagne from room service. Then we sat in the sun on our balcony and ate the lot! It was just great to be able to do that - and even better when you think we didn’t have to pay for it!

But the best bit about the holiday was getting to know so many positive people and being able to listen to their stories. We got some fantastic ideas for our business - not only from some of the top leaders but also from people who had only recently joined. The only disappointment was that it was over far too quickly! I can’t wait for Express Day 2007 to find out what the next holiday promotion will be.

Mark Blakemore...When we heard the announcement at Express Day 2006 that there were 50 places (plus partners) to be filled on the cruise in May 2007, my team and I felt really motivated to get more focused than ever before. This was certainly one boat we didn’t want to miss! I remember very clearly the moment after the qualification period in early March when I heard we’d made it - I was in New Zealand at the time and my wife Yvonne phoned from Scotland to tell me the great news. This was a fantastic boost when I was on the other side of the world, away from my family. Basically, all the hard work had paid off. But also, team members Spencer and Maria Thomson, who had been in the business less than a year had also qualified, which was truly a great effort. Not to mention that he also became the Telecom plus Poker Champion on board. He’d never played a hand of poker in his life! Celebrating that was great fun…There were so many highlights that I would love to share, but the main ones for us were the champagne on tap, the superb service on board, the most exquisite food 24 hours a day, fantastic suites to chill out and relax in and, of course, the Telecom plus staff behind the scenes who made the cruise run so smoothly from start to finish. Meeting and mixing with so many positive people was a huge memorable factor as well. To describe the cruise as absolutely fantastic wouldn’t even begin to cover it! We’re looking forward to many more holiday incentives in the years to come - these holidays are truly worth aiming for. All it takes is some self-belief and action. Thank you very much Telecom plus.

Labels: distributor-news, testimonials

posted by Jeremy Tromans at 9/06/2007 02:07:00 AM

Telecom plus has announced a brand new training - The College Of Excellence Accelerator. The aim of these Workshops is to train Utility Warehouse Distributors on what it really takes to build a fantastic long-term income with Telecom plus. This course is strongly recommended for Distributors with a minimum of 12 live customers looking for help and guidance on developing their business to the next stage. At these training sessions, the Company's top leaders and trainers will be offering advanced tips on:

- Customer gathering and your subsequent contact with customers
- Building a bigger income by gathering Business Club customers
- Getting and following up referrals
- Regular recruitment
- Building and leading your team, and lots, lots more.

There are only 3 of these sessions planned, and they are located to cover as much of the UK as possible!

Carlisle - 1st September 2007 at the Premier Travel Inn (J44 M6)
Cheshire - 9th September 2007 at the Chimney House Hotel, Sandbach
Berkshire - 16th September 2007, at the Blue Mountain Golf Centre, Binfield

Labels: seminar-news

posted by Jeremy Tromans at 8/10/2007 02:36:00 AM

Telecom plus PLC, the UK's leading low-cost multi-utility supplier (gas, electricity, telephony, internet), announces preliminary results for the year ended 31 March 2007.

Financial and business highlights:

- Turnover up 29% to £176m (2006: £136m)
- Profit before tax of £11.6m (2006: loss £1.6m)
- Net cash balance increased by £19.9m to £25.8m (2006: £5.9m)
- Final dividend of 6.0p (2006: 1.0p)
- Number of services provided increased 9% during the year to 542,039 (2006: 495,679)
- Number of independent distributors up 4% to 16,600
- Significant growth in Business Club customers to 6,388 (2006: 2,200)

Peter Nutting, Chairman, said:

'We are still the UK's only fully integrated provider of a wide range of attractively priced utility services, with a distribution channel of proven ability in cost effectively gathering high quality new customers each month,
which gives us a considerable competitive advantage in the domestic market. We also now have good earnings visibility following the elimination of our previous exposure to price fluctuations in the wholesale energy markets.

'We therefore remain confident that the current year will see further progress in the development of our business, and in the continuing delivery of satisfactory results.'

Chairmans Statement

I am delighted to report a year of record turnover and profits for the Company.

We achieved pre-tax profits of £11.6m (2006: £1.6m loss) on turnover which increased by 29% to £176m (2006: £136m). This substantial increase in turnover was driven by the favourable combination of higher energy prices together with an increase in the number of services provided to our customers.

Our cash balances increased by almost £20m during the year to just under £26m, a level which is substantially greater than we need to meet our forecast working capital requirements. Shareholders may recall that we raised approximately £10m through a share placing in May 2005, when we needed a stronger balance sheet to support our wholesale energy commitments during a period of rising prices and greater volatility in the wholesale markets. As a result of the transaction we announced in February 2006, these requirements are now substantially the responsibility of npower. We are therefore seeking authority at the forthcoming AGM to reduce our share premium account, in order to increase our distributable reserves and enable us to repurchase our shares in the market. The directors intend to consider making such purchases if, in the light of market conditions prevailing at that time, the directors believe that such purchases would increase earnings per share and would be for the benefit of the shareholders generally.

We have made good progress in developing our distribution channel, with a net increase of around 600 new independent distributors over the year, taking the total to around 16,600. We anticipate a further steady increase during the current year as we continue to invest significant resources in supporting our channel. An important development during the year was the launch of a new recruitment DVD ' What's it all about?' We also improved and simplified the bonus structure for new distributors in the Autumn, and this has clearly been a factor (together with the new DVD) behind the increased recruitment activity we have seen over the last 6 months.

Customer numbers overall remained broadly stable over the year; however this headline figure masks several important trends. Firstly, although the number of residential customers fell slightly to 208,444, the quality of the customer base has continued to improve, with the average number of services taken by each member increasing to 2.95 (2006: 2.76). Secondly, our Business Club (which we launched about 18 months ago) has seen significant growth over the year, with customer numbers increasing to 6,388 (2006: 2,200). It is particularly encouraging that members of our Business Club not only take multiple services, but also have higher average revenues and lower churn than domestic customers. Thirdly, the proportion of our residential customers who are now members of our Discount Club (and are thus eligible to take advantage of our new 'Free UK Calls' (multi-service discount) has increased to 72% (2006: 66%).

The lack of growth in residential customer numbers during the year was partly due to our decision to wait until the latest technology for supporting high speed low cost broadband ('LLU') had been installed in sufficient BT local exchanges, and the inevitable teething problems associated with the introduction of any new technology had been resolved. We feel this decision has been vindicated by the highly publicised problems experienced by those companies who launched their services earlier in the year. Our new BroadCall service (which combines Line rental, Calls and High Speed Broadband in a single package) was launched last Autumn and we expect this to account for an increasing proportion of our turnover in coming years.

Our infrastructure and systems were originally developed to enable us to manage a significantly larger number of customers than currently use our services, which means we have the potential to benefit from considerable economies of scale by growing our customer numbers. This is one of our key priorities for the coming year.

Recent published surveys show we are generally held in high esteem by our customers. We therefore intend to capitalise on this goodwill by encouraging them to recommend us, through launching a 'friend get friend' programme later this year. However before we can do so effectively we need to establish an inbound tele-sales fulfilment team, so that potential new customers can sign up for our services with the minimum of effort or inconvenience.

We are also establishing a specialist Home Movers team to help us retain a higher proportion of those potential new customers who have moved into a property where we were supplying the previous occupant.

I would like to thank our staff and distributors for the loyalty they have shown and the considerable contribution they have made to the continued success of the business.

Dividend

We are proposing a final dividend of 6p for the year (2006: 1p) making a total for the year of 8p (2006:1p), which will be paid on 10 August 2007 to shareholders on the register at the close of business on 13 July 2007 and is subject to approval by shareholders at the Company's Annual General Meeting which is being held on 11 July 2007. We intend to maintain a progressive dividend policy in future.

Segmental reporting

There are two fundamentally different business activities carried out by the Company. The first is the acquisition of new customers through our distribution channel. The second is the administration, management and billing of all the services we supply to our customer base. Historically we have referred to these (perhaps somewhat confusingly) as our Distribution business and our Virtual Network business respectively. In future, these will be referred to as our Customer Acquisition business and our Customer Management business.

Last year, for the first time, we further subdivided our Customer Management business between the supply of energy and telephony services, primarily in recognition of the substantially different risk profiles associated with these activities. In telephony, margins have always been highly predictable because of the close association between the retail prices we charge and the wholesale costs we incur, whereas in energy the margins are extremely volatile because there is no relationship in the short term between prices in the wholesale and retail markets. Following the transaction with npower which completed in March 2006, this difference no longer exists.

The highly integrated nature of our business, where we have a single billing and customer service platform supporting all the services we provide, means it is impossible to provide a meaningful result for each service as any allocation of overhead between our energy and telephony supplies is wholly arbitrary. We have therefore decided to present the figures for our Customer Management business in future as a single segment, in line with the way in which the business is actually managed internally. A breakdown of our turnover, split between the different services we supply, is included in the Financial Review section of these accounts.

Board of Directors

During the year under review we said goodbye to John Levin and Stephen Davis. Richard Hateley was appointed Finance Director in addition to his responsibilities as Company Secretary, and I am delighted to welcome Melvin Lawson and Michael Pavia who have joined the Board as non executive directors. They both bring very considerable commercial experience to our deliberations and I am pleased Michael Pavia agreed to take over from me the chairmanship of the Audit Committee.

Outlook

The current forward price curves for gas and electricity indicate that it is unlikely there will be any further material reductions in retail energy prices this Autumn, although our recently announced price reductions (in common with all the other major energy suppliers) will have a small adverse impact on our turnover for the coming year. Our gross energy margin (in percentage terms) is expected to remain broadly unchanged, and we look forward to continuing to earn a satisfactory contribution from supplying energy in future.

We are still the UK's only fully integrated provider of a wide range of attractively priced utility services, with a distribution channel of proven ability in cost effectively gathering high quality new customers each month,
which gives us a considerable competitive advantage in the domestic market. We also now have good earnings visibility following the elimination of our previous exposure to price fluctuations in the wholesale energy markets.

We therefore remain confident that the current year will see further progress in the development of our business, and in the continuing delivery of satisfactory results.

Peter Nutting

Chairman

5 June 2007


Further from the Business Review...

Our Distributors

Our distributors remain one of our key strengths. In contrast to other utility suppliers, the alignment of financial interests provided by our revenue sharing model ensures that our distributors focus their activities on finding credit-worthy and high spending customers who will reap the maximum savings from using our services, and will thus be least likely to churn. By doing so, they maximise their own long-term returns.

During the Autumn, we simplified the payment structure covering the bonuses available to new distributors, giving them the opportunity to earn a bonus of £200 (equal to their original joining fee) by gathering a minimum of 12 new customers within their first 90 days.

Our Car Plan, which provides eligible distributors with a subsidised fully-branded Mini remains extremely popular, and we have now supplied almost 70 cars. Owners find these helpful in raising their local profile, resulting in enquiries from both potential new customers and distributors, and we are currently considering how we can extend this programme to bring it within reach of a substantially larger number of distributors.

Distributors have seen a considerable increase in their average earnings from each customer during the last 2 years as a result of the growth in the number of services taken combined with sharply higher energy prices. Whilst there remains scope for some further modest rises as the average number of services taken continues to increase, distributors will now need to achieve consistent growth in their personal and Group customer numbers in order to obtain a meaningful increase in their current earnings as a distributor. Our unique market position continues to make this predominantly part-time career extremely attractive to potential new recruits.

Our national training programme has been further enhanced during the year, with the introduction of a full-day training course for new distributors, which replaced the previous two half-day sessions. We also have training modules to support our Business Club (including the supply of Commercial Energy and the increasing popularity of BlackBerrys), and a Personal Development Programme to provide our next generation of leaders with the additional skills they will
need.

Read full preliminary results

Also see...

Report & Accounts - Year ended 31st March 2007

Labels: company-information, corporate-news, director-news

posted by Jeremy Tromans at 6/09/2007 02:24:00 AM

Just recently, I was asked by a potential new Utility Warehouse Distributor to help them make an objective decision. They were researching the business opportunity market and had arrived at two potential opportunities - Tiscali and The Utility Warehouse. What an interesting situation, being asked to offer an opinion on the two business opportunities. So in case my findings are helpful to anyone else, as follows was my response...

Ok, lets discuss the two businesses...although, ultimately, you will need to be the judge. I know a fair bit about both, so I'll do my best to give you a 'balance sheet' or something similar.

Tiscali Network

Is a household brand and is extensively advertised in the UK. Offers broadband, land line telephone and a TV package (in certain areas). There have been suggested questions regarding the quality of their customer service. Training is mostly via Conference Calls, although there are now a limited numbers of training meetings.

Free to join, with a £20 annual admin fee to pay on each 12 month anniversary.
Customer Gathering Bonus of £10 per service. A flat rate of 0.75% on all customers monthly billing (personal & team). Their matrix structure is a little difficult to understand & has some limitations. Significantly, Tiscali Distributors are not paid to infinity & matrix structure is a little rigid (3x7 matrix). Customer orders are mostly placed online. Their website is effective. The back-office is good. Commission is paid weekly direct to bank & you receive an electronic statement.

To my knowledge, Tiscali does not offer a car plan, holiday incentives or share options. There are some enhanced earnings available by building a team. The Company can testify to the success of UK Distributors & I personally know one of their top guys who earns a six figure income from his Tiscali business.

Utility Warehouse

Whilst not yet a household name, is supported by some very positive press and does have in excess of 200,000 customers. Channel partners include: T-mobile & nPower. Service offering: Landline telephone, mobile phone packages, gas, electricity, broadband, non geographic numbers & white goods (both business & residential). Award winning Customer Services - acknowledged by Which Consumer Magazine & The Daily Mail.

A deposit of £199.75 to join (refunded when you gather 12 customers in first 90 days) or by requesting a refund inside 90 days. Training is mostly professional training via The Company's College of Excellence, with 30+ venues around the UK.
Training is also offered by a number of online resources and my gut-feel is that Upline Support is far stronger with UW than with Tiscali.

You receive a tangible Starter Kit with UW - including stationary, order forms, training manual, training DVD's etc. Websites (3 of) are included, along with a very good back-office (The Extranet). You get paid a customer gathering bonus (“CGB”) of £10 when a new customer takes a mobile phone or SIM card, £5 if they take the Home Phone service, £2.50 each for gas & electricity, up to £20 for broadband and £5 if they use an 0800 number. A typical new customer will generate CGB of £20 - £40. Residual income paid at 2.4% - 6.3% on your personal customers & 0.8% on your group customers.

Uniquely, The Utility Warehouse offers an infinity compensation plan - meaning, no matter how many levels there are in your business, it is possible to get paid 0.8% to infinity (This is highly significant). Customers can sign up online or via a form. Commission is paid monthly direct to bank, with a very good / fully itemised commission statement sent electronically.

The Utility Warehouse offers two car plans - Porsche Boxters & BMW Mini Ones.
The Utility Warehouse offers holiday incentives.
The Utility Warehouse offers share options.

There are numerous other potential bonus payments - Promotional, Team & Leadership
The Company can testify to a lot of Distributor success with the top guys earning significant six figure incomes and new Marketing Directors coming through the ranks as quickly as three years or less

Taking note of your comments regarding what it takes, my experience of Telecom plus is a little different to Amway. With Amway, I was Mr White Board Man, out showing the plan in all weathers and all that rubbish...paying the price & pounding the steering wheel. I have never done that with Telecom plus. I have been consistent over 3-4 years and probably never more than 15 hours per week. We have just taken a whole four months off - zero activity and the income continues upwards. There are of course folk who go all out for it and that's fine. For us, we have five kids, two other businesses and quite busy lives. We wanted something with a little more flexibility and none of the hype that you so often get with these things. There is security in the customer base and not just in the size of the team. For instance, there are folk who have gathered over 1000 personal customers - that's a very nice income, with security based on 1000 accounts.

In summary, success in any MLM takes a lot of hard work. Not for the feint hearted or lazy...you already know that and understand that they all work on a 3 years plus plan. I would say that Telecom plus takes at least 36 months (on average) to get somewhere decent. Because there is a lot more money on the table with UW, my personal opinion is that with Tiscali, you would have to work a great deal harder & longer to get to the same place. There is not as much fruit on the trees. I have no problem with Tiscali - it's a good opportunity, but in my humble opinion, it's more of a hybrid affiliate scheme than a business opportunity.

I sincerely hope that my ramblings are helpful. Don't hesitate to pick my brains further, only too happy to help and should you wish to 'bite the bullet' and join The Utility Warehouse, we would of course be delighted to help you to get started.

Labels: distributor-opinion

posted by Jeremy Tromans at 6/09/2007 01:45:00 AM

Having recently wrote a few lines about last months Utility Warehouse Distributor cruise aboard The Silver Whisper, it occured to me that we had failed to share our previous experiences of Las Vegas back in November 2005. One of the added benefits of joining The Utility Warehouse business has always been the opportunity to qualify for the FREE Holidays. I say 'free' tongue in cheek really, because obviously there is some work involved, but when I look back at the two fabulous holiday's that we have experienced, I have to admit that that little bit of extra effort really does pay dividends.

Our Utility Warehouse trip to Las Vegas really was the holiday of a life-time and an experience that we shall never forget. It's crazy really when you think that some folk will work their whole life for an employer and then after 40+ years of loyal service, they might have the reward of a gold watch, pen or clock, whilst with our Utility Warehouse business, we work part-time for a few short years and enjoy two luxury all-expenses paid dream holiday's! Where's the justice in that? Fair or not, my opinion would now be that it's probably worth joining / building The Utility Warehouse business just for the holiday's and I'm sure that many other Utility Warehouse Distributors would be of the same opinion.

It has to be said that no expense was spared on our trip to Las Vegas. We enjoyed the experience of business-class flights...extra leg-room, a selection of in-flight movies, china service and fine wines. We felt like movie stars being taxied from Las Vegas airport by a luxury stretch limousine, with chilled champagne paving the way to our arrival at The Wynn (probably the most luxurious hotel in Las Vegas). Our room was simply breathtaking...overwhelming and a view that is still etched on our minds today. Wow, that in itself was an experience...waking each morning to a desert sunrise, with our own personal panoramic view through floor to ceiling / wall to wall windows.

Every moment of this seven day adventure was filled with fun, excitement, friendship, wonderful experiences and some very very nice food. We experienced the finest shows that Las Vegas had to offer. We were dined night after night...day after day at amazing restaurants. We were treated to trips to The Hoover Dam, The Grand Canyon (by private plane and helicopter), along with a days American riding experience in the Nevada desert and on top of this, each day we were gifted with spending money. Everything was thought of and every expense was covered.

If you are reading this entry, please don't get me wrong. I'm not trying to boast, but just wish to express how wonderful this Utility Warehouse Distributor benefit can be and how very worth while it is to 'go for gold'...even when only part-time! Despite well-paid jobs, such a holiday has never been in our budget before and it goes without saying that our 'day-time' employers have yet to come forward with similar recognition.

Could we invite you to experience a flavour of our time in Las Vegas?
Click here to watch 'Memories of Las Vegas'

And if you are sat on the fence wondering if you should join The Utility Warehouse, our experience has been that it's very worth while. Why not just take the plunge, dip your toe in the water for 90 days and take The Utility Warehouse business for a 'test drive'?

posted by Jeremy Tromans at 6/06/2007 09:31:00 PM

The Company's last National Conference, Express Day - September 2006 at the Telford International Centre was a pivotal day both for the Company and for the many 1000's of Distributors who attended...all leaving the day with no doubt as to the direction of Telecom plus. Major service enhancements were announced, distributor commissions exceeding £10m were revealed, along with analysis predicting sales exceeding £500m within 10 years.

However, if the day could have been distilled in to a mere 20 minutes, then it was Marketing Director - Stephan Longworth who really hit the mark, capturing all that this great business stands for in the hearts of those whose futures hinge on their success as Distributors with Telecom plus. This frank, honest and passionate presentation is essential viewing for all existing, new and would-be Telecom plus / Utility Warehouse Distributors.

Watch it now!

Beef Stroganoff...One Excuse is as good as another - Stephan Longworth, Express Day 2006

Labels: distributor-opinion, seminar-news, testimonials

posted by Jeremy Tromans at 5/27/2007 01:05:00 AM

Sunday 29th May saw 900 Utility Warehouse Distributors descending on The Aviator Hotel, Northampton for the Company's main spring conference - Massive Action Day. The day was a complete sell-out...standing room only and those who attended were treated to an action-packed and entertaining day, where the main focus was empowerment and education. As is usually the case with Telecom plus / Utility Warehouse conferences, what came from the stage was delivered by successful, existing Distributors, with an encouragingly high number of newly Qualified Executives, Senior Executives, Executive Directors and Group Directors - all giving great testimonials and valuable success tips.

"A BIG THANK YOU to you for such a fantastic Massive Action Day. The conference was well organised, motivational and truly inspiring. We had a number of new Distributors attending their first seminar who, since the day, are putting into practice the tips and knowledge they gained. In particular Jimmy Chapman's advice on how to use the ' What's it all About? ' DVD's. Well done to all!!

"Diana and I have had excellent feedback on Massive Action Day so a WELL DONE to everybody. Events like Massive Action Day have helped Diana and I to build our business to the National Marketing Director level as the event creates activity & momentum."

"What a great day, action packed, full of tips and information, lots of new faces giving testimonials. Jimmy Chapman's tip of giving two DVDs a day we put into action straight away, and phoned some of our team on the way home to give them the good news, and it is really working. Wes and Robin the comedy duo really put on a great show, and kept us rocking in the aisles!!! Can't wait for the next one!"

"The X-Factor at Massive Action Day...Wow. Wes and Robin, you were great as the MCs and set the tone for a dynamic, fun and motivating seminar. All presenters, both experienced and new, gave us something to think about. Congratulations also to all the backroom boys with sound, lights etc who made it all a really professional event, and one I felt privileged to attend. It really was The X-Factor at MAD Day!"

"Well what can we say about Massive Action Day - absolutely fantastic. We are so pleased to be able to say we are now a part of such a successful team. Thanks to you all who were involved in the organisation of the day, and also those behind the scenes. Well done to you all - well deserved."

The next major Utility Warehouse / Telecom plus National Conference will be Express Day on Sunday 14th October 2007. This will again take place at the Telford International Centre, Shropshire. Those considering joining The Utility Warehouse business are encouraged to attend. For ticket information, please contact Jeremy Tromans on 0800 458 0623.

Labels: seminar-news

posted by Jeremy Tromans at 5/25/2007 05:03:00 PM

Well, what can we say? A fantastic trip on the Silver Whisper came and went all too quickly, but for 190 Distributors and their partners, it was 4 days and 3 nights of absolute 6-star luxury, as the Utility Warehouse took over the ship at Monaco, cruised to Genoa and then to Rome, popped in to see the Pope, before sailing back for a wander around Nice.

There was a bit of work done too! Apart from all the idea swapping and hints and tips shared, Clive Leach took over the loud-speaker system on the Liverpool to Nice flight, and did an impromptu Career Opportunity Presentation for those that weren't yet in the business! This was followed by those with video iPods showing the 'What's It All About?' DVD to the passengers who were not yet Distributors!

The mix was just right - a fabulous selection of new Distributors, some of whom had only been in the business just a few short months, partied, socialised and drank with Distributors of all levels including our very top Trainers and Leaders, as well as Head Office Directors and staff.

It was certainly true to say that this cruise ship and it's staff didn't know what had hit it (not an iceberg luckily!) as all the company's movers and shakers, moved and shook the Mediteranean Sea for over 72 fun-filled hours. It really was the place to be seen, and the question on the lips of everyone present was 'When's the next one?!!'.

Here are just a few extracts from emails that have been received from those who were on this fabulous holiday aboard Silver Sea's cruise liner, the Silver Whisper.

"WOW - I couldn't have ever dreamt that I'd have had such an amazing time at the expense of a company that I do a bit of part-time work for! Thank you, thank you!"

"To Charles and the Directors - thank you so much for a fantastic holiday. I am so motivated after mixing with so many lovely and positive people."

"Thank you, thank you, thank you - I came away with tips galore and ways to push my business forwards. It was great that the top leaders were there too, so I could steal their knowledge from them! I made sure I got a picture with Clive & Di, Steve, Robin, Wes and Stef so that when negative people tell me that the business isn't for real and all these people are actors, I can show them! What a great bunch on-board, all relaxing together, sharing ideas and having fun. Thank you, thank you, thank you!"

"Some folk question this business, doubting that it could ever work for them. To be honest we did and very nearly turned the opportunity down. What a mistake that would have been! We are just back from this all expenses paid luxury six star cruise of life-time...wonderful in every respect. This is our second free holiday with Telecom plus in three years (the first was to Las Vegas), we drive one of the Company's very nice BMW Mini One's, we have 1000's of share options and a residual income that already knocks spots off the pensions that would have resulted from 40 odd years of work...and all that from just a few years of part-time effort. This business works!"

Labels: distributor-news, distributor-opinion

posted by Jeremy Tromans at 5/25/2007 11:43:00 AM

Alongside a rewarding compensation plan, established Utility Warehouse Distributors have the opportunity to qualify for the Company's Car Plan. The Utility Warehouse Distributor Car Plan is heavily subsidised by the Company, allowing active Distributors to own a brand new car (currently a BMW Mini One) for £50 or less per month. Those who qualify for this benefit will be Distributors who have attained at least Executive Director status within the Company's promotional structure. They will have gathered a minimum of £100 personal customers (who must be active) and will be earning a consistent minimum of at least £350 of CVC per month. Currently, around 50 Utility Warehouse distributors are enjoying the benefits of the Company's car plan and just this month a further two Distributors were presented with their own BMW Mini One by Executive Services Director, Wayne Coupland.

Earlier this month, Executive Directors Andy & Imi Fagg became the latest proud owners of their very own Utility Warehouse MINI One today, driving all the way to Head Office to ensure they had it available for use at events over the Bank Holiday weekend. Andy & Imi also qualified (along with 198 other Distributors and their partners) for a luxury six star cruise with Silver Sea's, aboard The Silver Whisper, returning sun tanned and happy just a few days ago. Executive Services Director Wayne Coupland presented Andy & Imi with the keys to their new car and everyone at Head Office offers their congratulations.

This months second Utility Warehouse Mini adventure went to Executive Director Peter Cliffe, who also to travelled to Head Office, where Executive Services Director Wayne Coupland presented Peter with the keys to his new car and everyone at Head Office wishes Peter many miles of happy motoring and much future success with his Utility Warehouse business.

Along with this Car Plan, Telecom plus Independent Distributors have a unique opportunity to build a substantial regular monthly income by helping people save money on their monthly phone and energy bills.

Labels: distributor-news

posted by Jeremy Tromans at 5/25/2007 11:12:00 AM

The Utility Warehouse has announced yet another distributor incentive / customer gathering promotion. During the month of May, every Utility Warehouse distributor has the opportunity to aquire an iPod Shuffle by gathering just five personal customers during the month. The iPod Shuffle is worth around £55 and this customer gathering promotion is on top of the current Piggy Bonds promotion and as well as healthy cash bonus payments, paid for every customer gathered.

Labels: distributor-news

posted by Jeremy Tromans at 5/01/2007 01:29:00 AM

The Utility Warehouse have just advised that they will be reducing their energy prices (gas and electricity) with effect from 1 May 2007 in line with their “Triple Value” guarantee.

On average, Utility Warehouse gas prices are being reduced by around 15% and electricity prices are being reduced by around 2%, although there are of course some regional variations. Full details of the Company's new energy tariffs (for both residential and business club customers) are available via the Company's website.

Labels: service-news

posted by Jeremy Tromans at 4/25/2007 01:25:00 AM

The Utility Warehouse has just announced the Company's top Business Club customer gatherer for January.

"Congratulations to Jonathan Mason who, in January, was the Top Customer Gatherer for the Business Club, scoring the highest number of points for the month. Jonathan deserves special recognition as his January points total was the highest that the Company has recorded in a month since the Business Club Top Customer Gatherer award began in October."

Jonathan commented...

"I am an IT consultant and I bolt my Telecom plus business on to that role. The two compliment each other very well. I try to target SMEs with our mobile phone service and that’s where I’ve gathered the points this month. The current free roaming offer that we have for BlackBerry has really helped too. It makes BlackBerry a very attractive option for owners of small businesses who want to keep in contact with the office wherever they are. I've found it very easy to sell. Signing up a new customer is a great motivator but I also go to COPs and COE training to keep me
motivated too."

Congratulations Jonathan!

Labels: distributor-news, testimonials

posted by Jeremy Tromans at 2/19/2007 01:13:00 AM

The match of that day is the long awaited clash of the Titans. HQ’s finest, the “Heroes” will play the “Dynamos” in what promises to be an action packed display of sporting skills!

Jimmy Chapman, the Arse’n’Vinegar of the amateur football world will be bringing along his handpicked team. His players, selected from a national squad of Distributors, boasts seven ex-professionals among the ranks, some of them are former premier league trialists.

The Head Office Heroes, flushed with success after their triumphs this season, will be there dressed in Adidas, wearing Police sunglasses and each carrying a can of Pepsi in the hope that they can pick up some of the contracts freed-up by Beckham’s forthcoming move to the US.

Wes Linden will referee with dispassionate impartiality, despite offers to throw the game from major international betting syndicates. The scouts will be there. The ground only holds 3,000 so please make sure you are there in plenty of time to cheer along your team. Kick off is at 6:30pm and we hope to see lots of staff and Distributors at the game and in the clubhouse afterwards.

Labels: distributor-news

posted by Jeremy Tromans at 2/06/2007 01:04:00 AM

Just announced is this year's mid-year distributor seminar - Massive Action Day (MAD) on Sunday 29th June at The Aviator Hotel, Northampton. Massive Action Day will be hosted and organised once again by Trainer Council and Distributor Management
Board Members, Wes Linden and Robin Brooks...both Marketing Directors with The Utility Warehouse.

The Utility Warehouse have invited Distributors from the North and South to attend for an action packed day of motivation and recognition, along with masses of take-away business tips. delegates will hear keynote speeches from Company Directors and fellow Distributors, old favourites and up and coming new faces will share experiences and hot news on what’s building the business.

Labels: distributor-news, seminar-news

posted by Jeremy Tromans at 2/05/2007 12:50:00 AM

The first of three Utility Warehouse Distributor seminars arranged by leading Distributors, as a kick-start to 2007, took place in Manchester this weekend. Organised by National Marketing Directors Clive Leach and Diana Ross, the event was a great success!

For Utility Warehouse Distributors in other parts of the UK, other 'kick-start' seminars have been organised for the 20th and 27th January.

Sharing tips, ideas, recognition and fun is a great way to start the year and Utility Warehouse Distributors will hear from some of the best, inspirational speakers in the Utility Warehouse business and meet senior management from HQ. Jimmy
Chapman will host the seminar in Oswestry on 20 January and Rob Barras will host the southern seminar in Bournemouth on 27th January.

Labels: distributor-news, seminar-news

posted by Jeremy Tromans at 1/15/2007 12:29:00 AM

Hot off the press at Telecom plus, it has just been announced to Utility Warehouse Distributors that there will be changes to the Senior Management team.

Firstly, Andy McWilliams, Executive Services Director, will be leaving the Company at the end of February to take up a new role as director of home delivery at B&Q. The Company's new Executive Services Director will be Wayne Coupland, who is already a familiar face to many Utility Warehouse Distributors, as he has been a
core member of the Company's Senior Management Team for a number of years. Wayne initially joined Telecom plus as Business Development Director, where he successfully introduced gas, electricity and broadband into the Company's product range, before progressing to become Energy Director.

Secondly, Ravi Khanna, Customer Services Director, will be leaving the Company at the
end of February.

Telecom plus also announced their intention to recruit several additional key individuals over the course of the next few months to further enhance their already strong senior management team. This will include both a new Commercial Director and a Communications Director.

Labels: corporate-news, director-news

posted by Jeremy Tromans at 1/11/2007 11:55:00 PM

The Utility Warehouse has just announced their first £5000 winner of their current Distributor Piggy Bond promotion. Congratulations to John Dowle and Jill Owen from Llandudno Junction.

Thousands of other Distributors have already won instant cash prizes of between £10 and £1,000 each, and there are almost 20,000 instant cash prizes still waiting to be won! Plus, of course, there is the chance to win a star prize of £20,000 cash at the Company's £100,000 Express Day 2007 give-away.

On top of significant other financial benefits, Utility Warehouse Distributors have the opportunity to earn Piggy Bonds by gathering new customers and recruiting new Distributors. Along with cash awards, Distributors have the chance of being awarded one of nine luxury prizes, including a brand new Mini One and several holidays.

Labels: distributor-news

posted by Jeremy Tromans at 1/04/2007 11:41:00 PM

The Utility Warehouse have again improved their compensation plan, this time with an enhancement to the popular Porsche Boxster incentive, that previously rewarded distributors who gathered 200 personal customers via the use of one of the Company's fleet of Porsche Boxster’s for one month. The Utility Warehouse compensation plan enhancement now rewards Utility Warehouse distributors each time that they gather an additional 200 new personal customers.

This has previously been one of the Company's most popular rewards, providing a memorable and motivating experience for all Utility Warehouse 200+ Club members. This recent enhancement has been in response to positive feedback and requests that the 200+ Club Porsche Boxster incentive be expanded, thus allowing the Company's top customer gatherers to experience this reward again and again.

Watch Utility Warehouse video

Labels: distributor-news

posted by Jeremy Tromans at 1/03/2007 06:40:00 PM

"We all have two choices as we live, we can make a living or we can design a life. There are many who spend their lives making a living. They go off to work each day with no vision for what their lives could become and before they know it, their lives are over. Some are so fearful that the dreams they do have will forever go unfulfilled because they never have the courage to take a risk that would enable them to reach their goals and live their dreams." Jim Rohn

If you are reading this, let these words encourage and inspire you to be the one to 'design a life'. Dare to soar and to expect more of yourself during 2007 & beyond, than ever before.

What's interesting at this time of year is that most of us will spend more hours in planning Christmas, than in planning our lives. We have an expectation for a Christmas each year on December 25th, such that there is never any question that this will not happen. Everything is planned with meticulous detail and positive expectancy. There is no question, it's in the diary, it's happening and failure is not on the agenda. Likewise, how many of us give similar or greater priority to next years summer holiday, those two precious weeks where we can actually do what we want for a change...date in the diary, tickets booked, spending money in the budget along with a sense of excitement and expectation that lives within us each and every day until we are safely at this years destination.

Within these habits lies the doorway to a life by design versus a settled for existence and within the essence of expectation, lies the key to the realisation of our dreams. So, dare to expect more of yourself, to live the life that you have designed and soar to heights that you had never previously dreamed possible.

Labels: distributor-opinion

posted by Jeremy Tromans at 12/14/2006 12:26:00 AM

Telecom plus announce interim results for the six months ended 30 September 2006

Telecom plus PLC, the UK's leading low-cost multi-utility supplier (gas,electricity, telephony, internet), announces interim results for the six months ended 30 September 2006.

Financial and business highlights

• Turnover up 32% to £68.5m (2005: £51.9m)
• Profit before tax up 9% to £5.5m (2005: £5.1m)
• Net cash balance up £18.7m during the period
• Interim dividend of 2p per share (2005: Nil)
• Services provided up 5% to 521,000 during the period
• Launch of attractive new broadband packages
• Positive contribution from energy, with npower agreement protecting Telecom plus from fluctuations in wholesale energy markets

Peter Nutting, Chairman, said:

"The difficulties of last winter are now firmly behind us, and the business is now in excellent shape. We are confident of delivering results for the full year which exceed our previous best pre-tax profits of £10.5m to 31 March 2005, and we look forward to the future with renewed confidence."

Chairman's Statement

I am pleased to report significant progress in the development of our business during the period covered by these results.

Pre-tax profits rose by 9% to £5.5m (2005: £5.1m) on turnover which increased by 32% to £68.5m (2005: £51.9m). The reduction in gross margin from 26% to 22% is due to the changing sales mix within our business, where the proportion of turnover which is derived from energy and telephony line rental has increased to 59% (2005: 43%).

The number of services provided to our customers climbed to 521,000, an increase of 5% over the period, with the total customer base increasing marginally to
around 213,000 households. The absence of significant net customer growth mostly resulted from our decision to delay responding to the so-called "free" broadband offers launched by other companies during the spring and early summer, until the necessary network infrastructure to support such services was more widely available and had been properly tested.

On 17 September 2006, our annual Distributor conference was attended by around 2,500 of our business partners. We announced a number of important changes
including the launch of "BroadCall" (a new service available to all residential households in the UK from just £20 per month), which combines line rental,
broadband and attractive call prices within a single package. We also announced the introduction of "Free UK Calls" as a multi-service discount, replacing our previous "Cashback" scheme.

These changes were well received by those present, and the resultant increase in activity, particularly in respect of the number of new Distributors now joining the business each week, is an encouraging sign that customer growth will resume during the second half.

We have received a positive response to these changes from our customers, with many of them having already chosen to transfer additional services to us in
order to increase the value of the benefits they receive.

Our relationship with npower is progressing well, and we are achieving the positive contribution from supplying energy which we anticipated at the time the
transaction was announced earlier this year. We are now fully insulated from any fluctuations in the wholesale energy markets over the winter months, and look forward to a further positive contribution from our energy business during the second half.

Cash Flow and Dividend

Our cash balances increased by over £18 million during the period, reflecting the combination of strong underlying profits, the final unwinding of our
historic energy purchasing commitments following the transfer of buying responsibility to npower, and the positive seasonal cash flow swing from
supplying energy on "Budget Plan" (where a customer's expected annual energy consumption is divided into 12 equal monthly instalments).

The greater working capital expected to be absorbed by the business during the winter in funding Budget Plan, needs to be reflected in the timing of future
dividend payments. This means that the total amount we distribute to shareholders each year can be expected to be weighted towards the final dividend.

The Board have therefore decided to pay an interim dividend of 2p per share (2005: Nil) which will be made on 1 February 2007 to shareholders on the
register at the close of business on 12 January 2007.

Boardroom Changes

I am delighted to announce that Michael Pavia (60) has agreed to join the Board as a non-executive director and chairman of the audit committee with immediate effect. Michael is a Fellow of the Institute of Chartered Accountants in England and Wales (ICAEW), and has significant experience of the energy industry, having served on the Boards of LASMO, SEEBOARD and London Electricity. He is currently a non-executive director of Thames Water, British Nuclear Fuels PLC and WHAM Energy PLC, and is a member of the Council of the ICAEW.

I am sorry to announce that Stephen Davis has decided to step down as Finance Director in order to join Credo Group (U.K.) Limited, a private client wealth
management group, and will be leaving on 31 December 2006. Over the last 18 months he has played an important role in the development of the business,
particularly in establishing our relationship with npower, and we wish him well with his future career. Stephen will be succeeded as Finance Director by Richard Hateley (42) who joined the company in June 2006 as Head of Finance and Company Secretary and will join the Board on 31 December 2006. Richard qualified as a Chartered Accountant with Ernst & Young, and subsequently worked for a number of companies including Level (3) Communications, Kvaerner Group and Blue Circle.

Outlook

The difficulties of last winter are now firmly behind us, and the business is now in excellent shape. We are confident of delivering results for the full year which exceed our previous best pre-tax profits of £10.5m to 31 March 2005, and we look forward to the future with renewed confidence.

Peter Nutting
Chairman
13 December 2006

Labels: corporate-news

posted by Jeremy Tromans at 12/13/2006 11:55:00 AM