Building relationships
Upon establishing the eponymous named brokerage firm two years ago, Chris Cecil-Wright has focused on the importance of building relationships before selling yachts. Rebecca Taylor caught up with Chris yesterday in London for a chat on the importance of selling yourself first.…
Chris Cecil-Wright took a leap two years ago and left the world of the 'big five' brokerage houses and LYBrA behind to start his own smaller, more intimate brokerage firm. Spending his days with more client face time and strengthening established relationships are his goals with firm objections to the way most businesses continue to run.
When you sit and have a chat with Chris, you are immediately at ease and feel you're catching up with an old friend. When he says he has a passion for creating partnerships that will span the years, this filters down to the way he talks to you, the way he does business and where he places emphasis in his life. "When you're young, all you want to do is sell a yacht and make a commission" he shares with a smile. "Everything is the best thing, when in reality it's the opposite. If you build a relationship first, no matter what yacht the client ultimately buys, they'll get it from you".
The superyacht industry embodies emotive hobbies and playtime. Owners don't want to spend time away from the office getting more stressed. As Chris comments, "all you're doing is spending money on fun. If you're spending your money and not having fun, that's not good". The team makes it their goal to ensure clients they work with, through new build, sales, charter or even management are enjoying the process, having their voices heard and enjoying their time spent working with the industry.
99m Madame Gu completed at Feadship for one
of Chris' clients
of Chris' clients
With the capacity to take on more, Cecil-Wright and his team are keen to remain small and loyal to their current list of clients, while growing organically. "The best clients are repeat ones and if you're offering a fantastic level of service, this should be happening nearly every time. Stay focused on the relationship, remain very honest, give straight forward, fast and efficient service" he shares.
The ethos of the company and identity Chris and the team are building is in contradiction to the age old and sometimes outdated methods. As he and fellow colleague Liz Coz commented, "we don't want hundred of clients, and waiting rooms and big offices. You're sitting here in one of the spaces we use when in London - it's an apartment where guests can feel comfortable and at ease when having a chat about their goals and projects. It's simply a different way of doing things".
With an array of repeat charter guests booking up for this year, more new build orders coming through, many with Feadship, and a healthy catalogue of yachts for sale, it's easy to see that the team have created a strong foundation on which to grow.
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