Paul Leybourne is head of sales for Greater Manchester-based Vodat International, a supplier of managed networks and IPT solutions to the UK retail market.

Vodat’s clients include Jaeger, Beaverbrooks, Fat Face, White Stuff, Karen Millen, Lush, Reiss, Dune, 99p Stores and B&M Bargains. Vodat has not lost a client in more than seven years.

Paul started working with Pixel8 in Manchester 17 months ago…

“I think truth, honesty and really engaging an agency to understand the goals and core objectives of your business are the most important things in a great client-agency working relationship.

“The more an agency understands, the more they can give. I think too many sales and marketing people keep agencies at an arm’s length out of fear. They don’t want to lose control of any aspect of the business. And I think insecurity can play a part too – if your agency is coming up with all the ideas, then what is your role?

“We see both Pixel8 and our PR agency as business partners, and that’s not just rhetoric. We have bought into Pixel8 and they have bought into our business vision.

“I think poor client-agency working involves the client being too directive and the agency just running around to their orders. But we brought Pixel8 on board for their design and marketing expertise, so we’re not going to just leave them with the donkey work. Pixel8 adds value to our company and they do a lot of the creative thinking that we just don’t have time for. They allow both me and our MD Mike Bielinski to concentrate on running the business and generating sales.”

Jamie Watson, joint managing director of Pixel8 said, “Vodat are excellent communicators and invite us to a monthly meeting which is always very productive. They are honest with us about any issues their company is facing and encourage us to really get involved with ideas and solutions.

We originally started working with Vodat’s MD Mike Bielinski then as their company expanded Paul took over the sales department. We are really pleased to have developed an excellent working relationship with both Mike and Paul.”

For more information please visit Vodat International.

Pixel8’s SEO Consultants in Manchester started working out on the UK Fitness Network website on 26^th. February 2010. By 28^th. May, search engine visitors had increased by 61% compared with the previous 12 weeks, which included the January rush of people searching online for exercise classes and gym memberships to fulfil their New Years resolutions.

Google visitors were up by 55% from 3,421 to 5,329 over the three month period, Yahoo! and Bing visitors increased by 255% and 40% respectively.

The initial SEO updates Pixel8 exercised on the website included pumping some iron into the website content, giving the News section a makeover, and doubling the SEO capabilities of the hundreds of not-for-profit leisure centres which are listed on the website.

Since the leisure centre updates were implemented, many of the leisure centre pages have realised a 100% increase in visitors, and Google visitors from the keyword phrase: leisure centres in London – has increased by 1,000%. The website is currently number one in Google UK for: exercise classes London.

David Hopkins, who administers the UK Fitness Network website on behalf of Proleisure said, “I was very impressed with how quickly Pixel8’s SEO team got up to speed on the project, and again by the speed at which the copywriting and web development updates were completed and put live. The increase in visitors to the website and the exposure for our leisure centre partners is fantastic.”

The UK Fitness Network is a charitable not-for-profit organisation owned by its partner members in London, Surrey, West Sussex, Oxon, Oxford, Buckinghamshire, Kent and Hertfordshire.

UKFN members can use hundreds of different gyms, fitness centres, swimming pools and take thousands of exercise classes using one membership card.

For complete details please visit the UK Fitness Network