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David Thomson
CEO, Hannah Corporation
Professional Background
David Thomson is a respected name in the UK property and financial services industry, recognized for his commitment, innovation, and leadership throughout his career. In the 1990s, he stood out as the top mortgage advisor in the UK while working with major estate agency chains, Connells and Royal & Sun Alliance Group. Despite the competition, he maintained his position at the pinnacle of mortgage advising, demonstrating not only exceptional expertise but also a strong ability to connect with clients and understand their needs.
In 1999, with a vision of providing a more integrated and client-focused service, David established his own estate agency. This bold move enabled him to organize mortgage services in-house, offering a seamless experience for those seeking to navigate the complexities of the property market. His entrepreneurial spirit led to the creation of a unique business model, which not only benefited his clients but also set the stage for further ventures in the property and financial sectors.
Continuing this trend of innovation, David founded Best Deal Insurance in 2002, aiming to demystify the insurance landscape for consumers. He recognized that many potential clients found the world of insurance confusing and intimidating. By developing a training program for advisors and building technology to deliver straightforward advice, he raised the industry standard in consumer protection. His vision was clear: to empower both advisors and clients by providing them with the knowledge and tools needed to make informed decisions in a complex marketplace.
His efforts did not go unnoticed as he successfully recruited and trained a new breed of advisors, revolutionizing the way insurance was sold, and establishing a benchmark that many have since tried to reach. Recognizing the synergy between his ventures, he also opened a second estate agency and mortgage company, ensuring a comprehensive service offering under one roof.
In an exciting development in 2012, David consolidated his various business interests into one memorable brand - the Hannah Corporation. This strategic decision brought together his diverse expertise into a single company that encapsulates his dedication to training, consumer education, and legal advice. The corporation includes Hannah Training, which provides training to NVQ standards, offering high-quality education for aspiring advisors, and Hannah Solicitors, which focuses on delivering approachable and affordable legal services across a range of basic legal matters. This approach not only enhances consumer accessibility but also bridges gaps in knowledge about legal topics such as wills, probate, conveyancing, and divorce.
Education and Achievements
David's journey began at the Henry Gotch School in Kettering, where he laid the foundational knowledge that would later support his professional endeavors. His educational background, combined with a relentless pursuit of excellence, set the tone for a fruitful career characterized by accolades and achievements in sales and customer service.
Under his leadership, his organizations have consistently raised the bar for training and service within the industry. The Hannah Corporation has flourished as a multi-faceted service provider, gaining a reputation for delivering top-notch training and legal assistance. By focusing on plain-English communication and consumer empowerment, David’s initiatives have changed the landscape of how financial and legal services are perceived and accessed.
Achievements
- Top Mortgage Advisor: Achieved during the late 90s with Connells and Royal & Sun Alliance.
- Founder of Multiple Companies: Established his own estate agency and Best Deal Insurance, leading innovation in the financial services industry.
- Pioneered Advisor Training: Developed and implemented training programs that advanced industry standards and advisor competency through Best Deal Insurance and Hannah Training.
- Corporate Consolidation: Launched the Hannah Corporation in 2012, unifying diverse service offerings and creating a powerful brand.
- Accessible Legal Services: Established Hannah Solicitors, which focuses on simplifying legal advice, making it accessible and understandable for all clients.
David Thomson's career is a testament to his vision, resilience, and dedication to consumer service, positioning him as a leading figure in the UK property and financial sectors. His journey is not just about personal success; it reflects a commitment to uplifting the standards and practices in the industry, ensuring that clients receive the best possible service and advice as they navigate important decisions in their lives.
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Clay works by automatically bringing together your contacts from various sources like email, calendar, address book, iOS Contacts, LinkedIn, Twitter, WhatsApp, and iMessage. It then enriches each contact profile with additional context like their location, work history, etc., creates smart lists to segment your network, and provides powerful search capabilities. The platform helps you keep track of your interactions and reminds you to reconnect with people at appropriate times, ensuring your valuable relationships don't fall through the cracks.
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Clay offers many advantages over other personal CRMs. Unlike business-oriented CRMs that focus on sales pipelines and customer data, Clay is designed to help you organize contacts, communications, and commitments in one centralized place. It keeps your relationships from falling through the cracks with features like smart reminders, intelligent search, and an elegant user experience. Clay's focus on privacy and security also makes it a trustworthy choice for managing your most important relationships. Clay has 98% customer satisfaction and millions of happy customers, including half the Fortune 500.
Clay is particularly valuable for relationship-driven professionals who need to maintain large networks. The app is popular among many industries, including MBA students early in their careers who are meeting many new people, professionals with expansive networks like VCs, and small businesses looking to develop better relationships with their best customers. Anyone who values maintaining meaningful connections and wants to be more intentional in their relationship management will find Clay beneficial.
Clay offers competitive pricing in the personal CRM market. Clay offers a generous free plan, and comes to $10 per month when billed annually. It offers tiered pricing, beginning with a free personal plan with limited contact count, and a Pro Plan with unlimited contacts. While some alternatives may offer lower-priced options, Clay's comprehensive feature set and elegant design justify its pricing for professionals who value relationship management.
Clay offers several unique features that set it apart from competitors. Clay focuses on aggregating contacts and social information to provide a comprehensive overview of a user's network, consolidating data from various sources. Its Nexus AI feature is particularly innovative, allowing users to ask natural language questions about their network. Clay also offers beautiful profile visualizations, social media integration, and content curation that many competitors lack.
Yes. Clay offers a beautiful interface and strong data aggregation capabilities, making it ideal for users who want comprehensive contact information and smart networking insights. Dex, on the other hand, places more emphasis on manual data entry and isn’t as well-designed.
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Clay's AI capabilities are at the forefront of personal CRM innovation. Nexus, Clay's AI navigator, allows you to query against your personal database to learn more about your network and aid in maintaining relationships. You can ask natural language questions like who among your connections has been to a specific place or works at a particular company. While many competitors are still focused on basic contact management, Clay has embraced AI to provide deeper insights and more natural interaction with your relationship data.
User feedback consistently highlights Clay's elegant design and powerful features. Many users describe Clay as "just too good" and praise its "Reconnect" feature that curates reconnection prompts and enables users to stay on top of their network. Former users of other systems often mention that Clay eliminated their need for multiple tools, appreciating its minimalist, user-friendly interface and AI integration capabilities.