Meet Jamie Frame

From workshop floors in Scotland to dealerships and software companies across the Middle East, Jamie has spent most of his life in the automotive industry. But there's a lot more to our UK Business Development Manager than cars and technology. Motorbikes, miniature painting and a soft spot for Braveheart, for starters.

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Who are you?

I'm Jamie Frame, a Scotsman who's recently returned home after spending 16 years living and working in the Middle East.

You could say I was born into the motor trade. My dad was an automotive electrician who went on to become a service manager, and from about the age of five I was spending Saturdays in workshops with him. I'd be chatting to the mechanics, doing the lunch run and generally getting under everyone's feet. So, when I left school, becoming a mechanic seemed like the most natural thing in the world.

I was lucky enough to get an apprenticeship with Mercedes-Benz, which was a big deal at the time, and that started a journey that would eventually take me halfway around the world.

Along the way I've worked on the tools, opened my own little backstreet garage (complete with recovery truck!), managed workshops and aftersales departments, and eventually moved into automotive technology and consultancy.

The Middle East adventure actually started with an invitation to interview for Mercedes-Benz in Abu Dhabi. They offered to fly me out for a few days, all expenses paid. I thought, well, even if nothing comes of it, that's a free trip!

I absolutely loved it. About six weeks later I'd packed up my life in Scotland and moved.

These days I'm back in Scotland, with my two children and my beautiful fiancée, who's originally from Colombia. We met in Dubai, so moving from the desert to Scotland has been quite the change of scenery for the family!

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What do you do?

My title is Business Development Manager for Titan DMS in the UK, but I've always thought of myself as more of a consultant than a salesman.

I've spent so much of my life working in dealerships that I understand the challenges people face. I've been the guy in the workshop trying to get things done, and I've been the manager trying to make the whole operation run better.

Now I get to take that experience, combine it with technology, and help dealerships find better ways of operating.

I've always said that when I was running a dealership department, I could only really influence what happened within those four walls. Working in automotive software gives me the opportunity to make a difference across a much bigger part of the industry and I find that really rewarding.

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What do you love most about your profession?

The fact that I'm still learning something new every single day.

The automotive industry is changing quickly, especially with technology and AI coming into the picture. Just when you think you've got something figured out, along comes another challenge or a completely different way of doing things.

I love that. I love problem-solving, understanding how something works, figuring out why it doesn't work, and then finding a way to make it better.

There's a real buzz when you sit down with someone who's struggling with a problem and you can say, "Right, I think we've got a way to solve that."

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What do you most like about working for Titan?

The people and particularly the relationships I've built over the years.

I've been involved with Titan for a long time, going back to my days representing the product in the Middle East through Titan's ME partner, Sensus.

Matt Kroll (Titan MD) became a real mentor to me during that time. My dad had always been my biggest influence, but Matt helped me develop an entirely different set of skills, particularly around presenting, business development and having the confidence to get out there and build something from scratch.

What I love about Titan is that even when I wasn't technically an employee, I always felt part of the family. I've worked alongside Titan people in different countries, on implementations and at conferences, and that feeling has never really changed.

People genuinely want to help each other. We don't always agree on everything, of course, but we're always heading towards the same goal.

It's a really good environment to be part of.

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What’s a moment from your career that you'll never forget?

Oh, I've got a few! But one that really stands out was winning my first Titan dealership in the Middle East.

I'd been working for about 11 months trying to establish Titan in a market where nobody had heard of us. There were a lot of cold calls, a lot of presentations, and quite a few people wondering why on earth they should consider a DMS that had never been used in the region.

Then I got an opportunity with a Ford dealership in Kuwait.

We were in a boardroom waiting for the Managing Director to arrive. He was a very busy man, and when he finally walked in, he sat down and said, "You've got ten minutes. Give me a reason to change."

Ten minutes!

So I closed down my presentation and thought, right, what does this particular person actually need to see?

I opened up our Dealer Analytics product and showed him how he could see what was happening across his business and make decisions without having to chase everyone for information.

After ten minutes he stood up, said, "Sign the deal," and walked out.

And that was that!

I'd spent almost a year trying to get that first contract, and when it finally happened, the decision took ten minutes.

It was a fantastic moment. And rather fittingly, after growing up around my dad's Ford workshops, my first Titan customer was a Ford dealership.

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What's the best piece of advice you have for anyone in your profession?

Don't be a salesman.

I know that probably sounds a bit strange coming from someone in business development, but I really don't like the hard-sell approach.

People in dealerships know when they're being sold to. They've been around salespeople all their working lives!

I'd much rather have a proper conversation, understand someone's business and work out whether there's genuinely something I can do to help.

One thing Matt taught me, though, was not to be afraid of acknowledging that you're there to sell something. There's nothing wrong with that. You just don't need to be obnoxious about it.

So, I suppose my advice is to be open about why you’re there but make sure you're bringing something useful to the conversation.

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What is your superpower?

That's tricky... but I'll go for "reading a room".

I'm pretty sensitive to the energy in a room, whether that's in a business meeting, a presentation or just being around people socially.

I've watched people deliver presentations where it's obvious the audience has completely switched off, but they just keep going because they've got another 25 slides to get through!

Sometimes you need to throw the presentation out of the window and have a completely different conversation.

Maybe that's why the ten-minute meeting in Kuwait worked out so well!

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Can you share a recent success story that really made your day?

Actually, it's coming back to Titan.

When we decided to leave the Middle East and return to Scotland, it was a pretty big change for the family. After 16 years away, I knew the Middle East automotive market inside out, but I had very little recent experience of the UK market.

I'd kept in touch with Matt, and I'd mentioned that if an opportunity ever came up, I'd love to work together again.

But I honestly didn't think the stars would align. The UK operation was growing well but I wondered if I'd need to move to Australia if I ever wanted to work directly for Titan.

Then, through a rather unlikely series of conversations and coincidences, we managed to make the opportunity work.

Being able to join Titan, doing something I'm passionate about, while being back home with my family around me was a really special moment.

It genuinely felt like coming home in more ways than one.

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What are we likely to find you doing outside work?

Most of my free time is spent with my family. My son is ten and my daughter is six, and we're a pretty creative bunch. We love drawing, making things, playing games and just spending time together.

One hobby that people might not expect is that I'm really into painting Warhammer miniatures.

And I mean really into it!

I've got a collection of models that I've built and painted myself, right down to the tiniest details. I've got special brushes, lighting, a magnifying glass, the whole setup. I can happily spend hours working on a miniature.

It's something I find relaxing, and I love the satisfaction of creating something with my hands.

I'm also a keen motorcyclist. I've recently bought a Benelli TRK 702X touring bike, because after being away from Scotland for so long, I've developed this real desire to get out and explore my own country again.

When I was young, my dad used to take me around castles and historical places in Scotland, and I probably didn't appreciate them nearly enough at the time.

Now I can't wait to discover them all over again, particularly with the kids. Or just throw some bags on the bike, head north and find a nice little B&B somewhere.

Funny how you sometimes need to leave a place for 16 years to realise how much there is to see!

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Tell us a book we should read, a film we should watch, and a podcast we should listen to.

Book – The Reckoning by John Grisham. Read it recently and it was absolutely fantastic. I know you only asked for one, but The Godfather by Mario Puzo is another brilliant one that I read years ago and it has stayed with me ever since. The film is obviously fantastic, but the book is on another level and I also really enjoyed The Da Vinci Code - a story you can properly get lost in.

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Film – I'm going to be a complete Scottish cliché here and say Braveheart.

I know, I know! But honestly, I cannot watch that film without crying. Every single time. I've seen it countless times and it still gets me.

The Last of the Mohicans is another favourite. I obviously have a bit of a weakness for big, emotional historical dramas!

Podcast – I enjoy podcasts about understanding yourself, your emotions and how the mind works. Meditation, self-discovery, that sort of thing.

I used to listen to a lot of Jay Shetty, particularly his earlier material. I really enjoyed it when he was still finding his feet and exploring ideas.‍

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In three words, sum up what makes a great team.

Supportive. Understanding. Energetic.

Supportive because you need to know people have your back, whatever happens.

Understanding because we're all different and we don't always see things the same way.

And energetic because sometimes a little bit of positivity from one person can completely change the mood of an entire team.

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Thanks Jamie!

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