Growth Success Stories
Engineering Services Company
A 12-year-old engineering company was struggling with adding new accounts while keeping existing accounts happy. The company’s revenues were stagnant, due to a team of underperforming salespeople and a lack of professional sales management. They needed a short-term plan to jumpstart short term sales and a long-term sales strategy and plan to grow and expand their business in key targeted areas.
- Replaced two underperforming salespeople with one high performing salesperson.
- Created a new sales comp plan that rewarded the salesperson for delivering the results that company wanted.
- Developed a pro-active sales approach to bring in the right kind of new accounts and a client retention plan for retaining current accounts.
- Improved the sales opportunity qualification process and quoting process, resulting in better quote conversions and fewer resources used for quoting.
The company hired and onboarded a new business development rep who used the pro-active sales approach to land five new major accounts in first six months, representing new revenues of $4 million, and expanded existing client business by 25%.
A 100-year-old food manufacturing company struggled to find the right sales leader who would design, execute, and lead the company’s growth plan for its three business divisions.
- As the Fractional VP, created a culture of accountability within the sales team using a sales forecast by division, sales pipeline visibility and regular meetings to review progress with the sale team.
- Helped the CEO create a culture of growth within the organization by playing a key role on the Leadership Team.
- Designed and constructed a five-star customer service department with a “customer first” focus.
All three of the company’s business divisions exceeded their one-year revenue and margin targets. The new customer service department increased client retention by 55% by demonstrating a “customer first” culture and the sales team executed the sales growth plan and landed 8 major new accounts worth over $6 million and positioned the company to meet its five-year growth plan. A reliable sales forecast prepared production to handle the significant increase in business.
Food Manufacturing Company
Vendor Management Company
The CEO of a $10 million niche vendor management company that grew over the years by referrals only, wanted to create a proactive sales approach and a professional sales organization to grow the business and free the CEO to explore strategic partnerships.
- Hired and on-boarded two experienced, highly performing Regional Business Development Managers who focused on finding and closing new business.
- Created the new business sales process and created a new pipeline in the CRM to provide visibility into this part of the business.
- Created sales messaging and strategies to position the company competitively in the market.
- Created a three-year sales forecast, and individual sales plans for each one of the BD Managers.
- As the Fractional VP, managed the sales team to ensure results and accountability.
Within 18 months, new business brought in 5 new accounts to every referral and contributed 65% of the company’s new revenues. The CEO was able to focus on other parts of the business, including driving efficiencies and creating new strategic partnerships and service offerings.
The company was purchased by a new owner who was experienced in sales but didn’t have the time to run the business and build a high performing sales team. There was no pro-active approach to gaining new business.
- Created a new sales comp plan for the salespeople that rewarded them for delivering the results that company wanted.
- Created a three-year sales forecast and individual sales plans for business development and account managers.
- Developed a pro-active sales approach to bring in new accounts and a client retention plan for retaining current accounts.
- Trained account managers to cross sell with existing clients.
The company hired and onboarded a new business development rep who used the proactive sales approach to land six new major accounts in first 12 months, representing new annual revenues of $3.5 million and existing client business increased 28% from cross selling efforts.
Custom Signage Company
General Contractor
A 10-year-old commercial construction company had three major customers generating 100% of the revenues. They wanted to grow the business and reduce the dependency on the few customers they had, and they had recently implemented EOS as their accountability system. They needed a pro-active sales approach and accountability for meeting revenue targets. Previous attempts at hiring salespeople did not produce the desired results.
- Hired and on-boarded a high performing salesperson.
- Created compensation plan that rewarded the salesperson for the desired new business.
- Created a three-year sales forecast that tripled revenues and an individual sales plan for the salesperson.
- Developed a pro-active sales approach to target ideal clients and new sales messaging to position the company as a better choice.
- Created the accountability system and trained the Operations Manager on how to effectively manage the salesperson.
The company added a fully operational sales organization and proactive approach and met the goal of tripling revenues in three years. The company gained key new working relationships in the industry that gave them better exposure and created ongoing, well-qualified leads that diversified their customer base
A 30-year-old established surveying company expanding its services to offer high tech 3D, aerial, and subterranean surveying services. They moved two non-sales employees into sales positions who were ill equipped to promote and sell new services. They needed a new sales plan to gain market awareness, target new accounts, and ramp up revenues with new types of clients.
- Assessed the salespeople and identified skills gaps affecting their ability to be successful. Provided training to close these gaps.
- Created a customized prospecting approach and sales messaging for email, LinkedIn, and networking.
- Created a sales pipeline tool to provide visibility into the sales pipeline.
- Implemented the growth plan for meeting the three-year revenue targets of the new services.
Reduced friction and improved communications between the sales team and the operations teams. Gained organizational alignment on the growth plan for the new services. Equipped the sales team with the skills and tools to effectively compete in the new market, resulting in the new services segment becoming profitable in the first 12 months, and becoming 23% of the company’s revenues by the end of three years.
Surveying Company
Kombucha Manufacturer
A Michigan based craft Kombucha manufacturer had expended its production capacity and needed to increase its customer base to offset the investment. They had placement with a variety of local produce markets and independent retailers across the state and 25 store placements with the one of the top supermarket chains in Michigan and the Midwest. The goal was to expand their product placements with the large retailer in all Michigan locations along with consideration for locations in neighboring states. The CEO and President needed help with their category review presentation with the buyer and with follow up after the presentation was made.
- Re-wrote the pitch deck so it focused on why adding locations was a good decision for the buyer, and featured how the Kombucha company would drive demand at the store level.
- Attended the category review call and presentation with the buyer.
- Coached the CEO in how to frame her conversations and follow up with the buyer, including:
- Focus everything she said or wrote on why this partnership is good for the retailer (not on why it was good for the manufacturer).
- Demonstrate how their product fits into the buyer’s strategy for the category. In this case, it was important the company was Certified Organic, Certified Women Owned, Certified Vegan, Michigan Made.
- Reminded the CEO that her sense of urgency wasn’t important to the buyer. Sellers need to pace their interactions to the buyer’s timing.
- Advised the CEO to be responsive to the buyer’s requests. In this case, the buyer asked for a smaller case pack and the manufacturer responded within 24 hours that making this change was doable.
- Coached the CEO on how and when to follow up when the response from the buyer lagged.
The Kombucha company won the retailer’s business in all Michigan locations, effectively doubling the annual revenues of the company and setting the company up for future expansion in the retailer’s locations in the neighboring states.
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