Promoting Fiber Optic Expansion with Courage
Interview with Patrick Grabowski, Managing Director of United Promotion GmbH
As one of the most successful direct sales companies in Germany, United Promotion has been consistently driving the expansion of fiber optics and the further spread of photovoltaic systems nationwide for almost 20 years. Why courage is one of the basic prerequisites for sustained business success and what his employees have already achieved was revealed by founder and managing director Patrick Grabowski in the interview.
Wirtschaftsforum: Mr. Grabowski, you often describe the core mindset behind your company with three letters: courage. In what way is United Promotion braver than other market participants?
Patrick Grabowski: From my perspective, courage begins with making independent decisions – and unfortunately, fewer and fewer people do that today. Many do not live anymore; instead, they are being lived. Courage means taking different paths and possibly reaching different outcomes than the masses. My business partner Ali Türüt and I might be good examples of this: When we founded United Promotion in 2008, we necessarily had to go all-in – either the project would succeed or fail spectacularly. Even though the first few years were rough, we struggled with some growing pains, and there was hardly any private life left for us, this decision absolutely paid off.
Wirtschaftsforum: What services does United Promotion specifically offer?
Patrick Grabowski: Essentially, as a direct sales company, we connect providers of fiber optic networks or photovoltaic systems with end customers, to whom we explain the technical processes in detail and manage the corresponding contract affairs for them. In doing so, we rely on a high proportion of permanent employees, a large fleet of vehicles, and our established nationwide presence. With the aid of our own input tool, we can also precisely track how intensively individual localities have already been worked on and how profitable the expansion activities there are. Although the growth potential in both segments remains attractive, we see even greater opportunities in the photovoltaic sector: While we are advancing into increasingly urban regions in fiber optic expansion, where competitive pressure is becoming more intense, only 2 million out of 16 million roofs in Germany are currently equipped with solar cells.
Wirtschaftsforum: How can the remaining households be reached?
Patrick Grabowski: Here we rely on a multi-stage system, starting with our dedicated field staff who scout and precisely explore for us which homeowners would be fundamentally interested in collaborating. These are then visited by technical specialists, where relevant circumstances such as roof size or shading are assessed. Meanwhile, a particularly compelling offer lies in the financing model of the provider we represent: Instead of selling the photovoltaic system to the end customer for a one-time amount of well over 10,000 EUR, from now on, the customer pays a monthly rate to his provider for 15 years, which along with the remaining deduction amount to the electricity supplier, turns out to be much lower than his previous monthly electricity bill. This saves the end consumer cash from the first month and avoids the financial burden associated with purchasing a photovoltaic system. Additionally, if he also drives an electric car that he can charge via a Wallbox with his self-generated electricity, the calculation is of course even more convincing. Moreover, intensive post-care of our customers is important to us; other market participants, on the other hand, continue to operate according to the motto 'Chop, drop, and leave!'
Wirtschaftsforum: What do you offer to the people who work for you?
Patrick Grabowski: I sometimes see us as transport entrepreneurs – we pick up people where they are and take them where they want to go: whether they want to work independently, support a family, or finally be debt-free. We offer a safe harbor as a work environment, coupled with very good promotional opportunities: Someone who conducts customer visits at the doorstep today can already work as a team leader in six months, a area manager a year later, and subsequently become a regional manager. The success stories of our employees are now my central personal driving force to consistently develop our company further: because when one of our employees, who was recently insolvent, tells me that he can now treat his mother to a cruise or fly on vacation with his family for the first time, I regularly get goosebumps.