Stafford based telemarketing specialists HBM Telemarketing has helped a leading hairdressing group to increase its annual apprenticeship recruitment by almost 100 percent.
Multi-award-winning Francesco Group, which also has its headquarters in Stafford and has 37 salons across England, has been struggling to recruit apprentices as part of a national skills crisis in the hair and beauty industry.
But after striking a partnership with HBM, the Group was able to take on 43 new apprentice starters in its 2023 intake – a near 100 per cent rise on the previous year.
Francesco Group Managing Director Ben Dellicompagni said: “We have a culture of recruiting and training apprentices stretching back over decades. They are the life blood of our business with many going on to senior positions.
“The number of apprentice recruits dropped to 22 in 2022 and I knew we had to take action to reverse this decline. Career advice has been decimated in the last decade and we need to work so much harder to promote our own rewarding career pathway.
“I knew Helen Bancroft-Morris from HBM Telemarketing, and we had a conversation to see what we could do together to up apprentice recruitment.
“I would never ask someone to sell on our behalf unless they too had a passion for our product so the first thing we agreed was that HBM staff would be invited to have their hair cut at our Stafford salon.”
HBM Director Helen Bancroft Morris said: “We thought it was a fantastic opportunity to sample the Francesco experience and we took up the offer.”
“We were all struck by the level of professionalism, friendliness and customer care which made us all feel special as well as walking out with amazing hair.
“We gained a real insight into what a career in hairdressing at the Francesco Group was all about and this was a tremendous help in working on our data and sales techniques. We would never simply call a prospective candidate; we act as the sales department for our clients and speak with the same passion as the business owner.”
The formula worked and as well as the 43 new recruits it helped to attract around £250,000 funding in related training costs.
Ben Dellicompagni said: “I have been absolutely thrilled with our partnership with HBM Telemarketing. Helen shares my business passion for recruiting the best people who will guarantee business continuity and excellent customer service.
“I consider HBM Telemarketing to be my sales team and I know we have a partnership that is far more than a one-off campaign.”
