A Sign of Trust

BRENDAN MURRAY, WITH HIS GENUINE PASSION FOR MUSIC, IS A BREATH OF FRESH AIR IN THE CONSULTANCY BUSINESS. THE TRUST NETWORK BOSS TALKS TO JIM EVANS ABOUT WHY TRUST IS CRUCIAL TO HIS COMPANY'S PROGRESS
"ic qnal ideas"
A sign
of trust
Operating from a base near
Cardiff, South Walts, a consul-
business that produces export
solutions manufacturers in
audio and music industries has been
growing Steadily in Stature
ence over the past 10 years.
Established in 1991, The Trust
is by husband
and wife team Brendan and Ros
Murray. Their portfolio Oi clients
incltKk•s Reference Cable, HK Audio,
AER, GAE Audio Engineering, L-
Acoustics, Chevin Research, Nady
Systems Marshall Amplification
A1 its HQ TTN also happens to boas'
one of most comprehensive inter-
national pro audio databæses and rei-
erence libraries in the business.
to a With
ple from Gretch Guitars— a relatÅe
ly new — Brendan
Murray took time off to discuss busi-
plans and philosophy while
keeping a weather eye on Ireland's
progress in the World Cup.
Refreshingly in the clinical world
of consultants and business advisers,
Murray retains a passion music
and, indeed, for the equipment that
brings it to a wider audience.
"We get excited by music and
unnpanies with great
determined people. It's the musician
in us," he Says. "Also. it's our passion
for seeing the spark 'hat is in such
heing allowed to reach its full
potential. outside their
markets had heard oi the fidelity
the acoustic amps — and now, sound
reinforcement systems — of AER, or
wonderfully innovative power
amps oi Chevin Rcq•areh, or bril-
liant designs oi Hardcase percussion
When first
brought 'hem into foreign countries.
and
regarded international
Muway, whose CV
as export sales manager at Celestion
at Hohnc•r UK.
emphasises that INN operates on a
non-commission basis, with clients
on their services priorities,
cash flow arvd capacity dictate".
TO this TINS company liter•
ature quotes imm Charles Handy's
book The Age Of Unre%asom
"Organisations have realised that
while it may 10 have
everyone around all the time, with
their tinw at your command because

THE STRATEGIC POSITION: BRENDAN MURRAY & THE TRUST NETWORK
bought their time. it is a
luxurious way oi marshalling
the necessary resources. It is
cheaper to keep them outside the
ion, employed by them-
selves
and to their services
when
idea for IIN deneloped while
Munay working with
Was in the before the Iron
Curtain came down. East ard West
were two separate mar-
ketplacß_ Interesting and fascinating
limes. In visiting of these
tries, began to realise what a really
dramatic the who
are handling your prcxiucts in a
eign 10
prospects there. You can have the
same product. pricing sales
and service support and marketing
strategy but your Imel business can
he dramticalty different depending
upon the quality the
people you.
in 1989.
it was on the
national stage and had a mature
export &parlmenl. I-lowe.•er. in the
first I g rujnths we managed to dou-
the business did in coun-
tries I was looking after. Put simplv.
we soon established that many oi the
who were handing the pn-.d-
LICt Were Wrong. Hali Of them We
changed, half just
il"!. The resulting increased in sales—
He continues the philosophy,
"When you get matching Oi the
ambition of the manufacturer to
build his his business with
ambition antl adrenalin Of
and distribution) vwople wanting
build their you get a coming
together. a fusion. It can be won-
derful. We began to identify these
Winning combinations. all while
taking into account factors such as
needed ambitious people who still
needed 10 get soil
really re•.ealed to me the need to get
the right "
The name Murray'S compa-
ny was ckcided upon whilehe was
reading of John
the former CEO of Pepsi who later
"On a typical project, the first we
spend two days with the client at
their factory, immersing ourselves in
the company and the products."
knowledge oi the prcHIucI sector.
empathy for the product lack Of
conflict with rival prtKIucls."
In reorganising Celesticm's distri-
bution, his team came
across a few interesting
scenarios. "In the former Yugoslavia. "
he recalls, "businrgs haddramatiQl•
Iy fallen over a two-year period.
When we got out there we disu.w-
ered that the guy handling distri-
bution had in iac: been appointed
European sales manager for a
peting brand exactly two
had simply high
Celestion commission to act as a foil
to the price rival prxluct.
"In another the
yacht
really didn't have the motiva-
tion to work our prod«ts. needed
grmvour Iwsirtess and to do that
took over 'he Apple hot
Steu? Jobs, "He IScuIIyl said [hat
one oi key things he'd learned in
made me think that in the nature Oi
what be doing, would be
absolutely crucial and fundamental
10 our progress we'd be
privy detailed and confidential
both manufactur-
ers and distributors. Unless a circle
Of existed, be able
to to do the job."
research
of client comoar,ies• '*Handi as
well as complete understarding oi
their is to TIN'S
egy. "On a typical project, the iirst
is to
with client at factrxy, imn-,er9
ing ourselves in the company the
products. Why they make this
product? What are they giving the
world tha' it doesn't alreach have:'
We then have to communicate that
absolutely faithfully to in the
Supply chain With
Clients' so ronv•
mu it rmriet_
In that wa•,•, a true conmxtion is made
of the
uct and the consumers in
designing it."
Wilh regard to 'he various
ketplaces. Murray emphasises thal
TIN works globally, coverng the
Americas, Far and Paci.•ie Rim
territories as well as the UK and
Europe. Through his
els and his previously
database and library, the company
up date with state of
economies
he his clients work in.
about develop-
ment of East European countries'
economies he belivwrs i' has been
"rather disapll)inting". He "Ym
talk day •Why',
commercial realities oi the situation
are that in was the Old East
EMC.pe, things are still very difficult
and business tends to be The
cultural changes that have
required have been so
they've 1.1ken jar than anyone
anticipated, Thereiss'ill shortage
places, ye.'rs ('i a
cenain thing, can't i' in
UK as "robust with good business to
be done" and riles Spain, Italy and
as potential growth
pro audio. "Overall,- he observes.
"Europe is holding its breath and
putting a lot faith and Iwpe in the
Euro.- is it working/
"Conceptually, a single
makes a lot of practical and prag-
done has not in Sin-
currency evolving. as such things
naturally Rather. II currencies
have amalg.u-nated as one
one swoosh Size doesn't matter.
What matters is the oi
economy to create vvealth. Look at
Cyprus and Singapore - both are
comparatively vet produce
great wealth. Look at Russia and
that
have problenis crea'ing As
far as politicians
size
matters. For those oi us in business,
size isn't the Size is a waste it
it isn't eficiently and
abilities are freed up to
"I'm that the European
the '*Aitical side,
proicmt
(Iiiiererues hard to
deal With.
diffewencc•s. Look any one
iarnilv. or the various distribution
s'rategies employed just in the pro
audio market - full
variations. vive la