Grosse Pointe’s Demand growing, will hire 3-4 people this year

Few people figure out that they can make more money working for themselves than they can doing the same thing for some one else. William Patterson is the exception.

He started his company, Demand, in 2004 when he had the epiphany that it made more sense to start his own company than work for someone else. Even though he was a partner in a marketing firm, he knew he could do more with his niche –direct marketing– on his own.

Four years later Demand has a client base that stretches across the nation, dozens of contractors, six employees and plans to hire three or four more this year. That’s after his Grosse Pointe Park-based company grew its revenues by 125 percent last year and expects to grow another 90 to 100 percent this year.

“We have that ability to provide value-based services that give our customers a high rate of return,” Patterson says. “It’s to the point where most of our new business is from referrals.”

Demand focuses on pinpointing marketing efforts with specific messages toward smaller audiences. It uses complicated analytics to isolate its client’s target audience and hone its message. It mainly focuses on business-to-business marketing.

Patterson’s firm is now spreading into telemarketing, multi-media and outsourcing areas. The idea is to continue to grow while doing what Patterson does best –making money for his company.

Source: William Patterson, president of Demand
Writer: Jon Zemke