West Midland lettings and estate agents have been at the centre of a new business venture for Tamworth-based www.officebroker.com.
Following a successful pilot across Tamworth, Lichfield and Sutton Coldfield, the company has decided to roll out its agency referral program - called Incentivise - on a national basis.
Said to be the first of its kind in the UK, the company's Incentivise service encourages estate agents to refer any small commercial office space enquiries to officebroker.com, in return for a pre-agreed commission.
Jim Venables launched officebroker.com in 2001 with Andy Haywood.
He said: "Before launching Incentivise, we noticed we were getting a small number of enquiries from forward-thinking agents who were receiving requests about commercial office space.
"Unable to deal with these enquiries direct-ly, the smart agents, who were keen to keep customers happy were doing their homework and referring them to us."
Mr Haywood added: "The Incentivise pilot has been a great success. Referrals such as these create prospective sales opportunities for us, particularly among smaller companies and start-up businesses who often don't know where to start looking for serviced offices or short-term lets.
"The agent receives a commission for every enquiry which converts into a placement. They are encouraged to display an officebroker.com sticker in their shop window, positioning them as a one-stop shop for all property enquiries."
Agents who have successfully trialled the service in the West Midlands are Green & Co, Paul Carr, Alexander Scott, The Estate Agents and Martin & Co. Belvoir Lettings and Your Move have also signed up.
Mr Paul Ivens from Green & Co said: "We receive a surprisingly high volume of enquiries for small commercial office space because businesses often don't know where to turn.
"In the past this problem was compounded because we didn't have an obvious solution at hand. officebroker.com has given us the perfect resolution for our clients."
Jim Venables said: "We have received nothing but positive feedback from everyone taking part in our West Midlands pilot which is why we are now in the process of rolling the Incentivise program out nationally. It's a winwin situation for everyone concerned."
Officebroker.com has grown into a multi-million pound enterprise with offices in the UK and US. The award-winning company is now focused on developing its interests in Hong Kong and the Far East as well as continuing to capitalise on its market leading position in the UK.
