3 minute read
Company Profile
The company delivers software solutions for manufacturing and product design customers, together with full-service customer support and training. Customers cover the full range of scales from global corporates to solo designers and contractors operating across all the UK providing cutting-edge SolidWorks technology.
CEO’s Mission
The CEO identified significant scope for growth in Scotland where the supply of SolidWorks software was dominated by a Scotland-based re-seller. Their very limited customer base in Scotland was being reactively managed by a single very unambitious salesperson.
Appointing a pro-active proven Sales and Sales Management leader (CSO) would allow the company to effectively compete with the Scottish incumbent supplier.
The brief was to open 2 new offices, recruit and appoint a sales team and a technical support team, as well as develop a full-service local training facility.
CSO’s Objectives
- Take full responsibility for Scottish P&L and for the day-to-day management of the business.
- Fully re-design the regional business strategy and implement it at pace.
- Appoint and train a sales team to operate the re-designed sales process.
- Appoint a technical and training team.
- Find, secure, and equip two new offices.
- Create an exciting culture to deliver exceptional results.
What the Sales Leader / CSO did
Provided leadership and pro-active focus.
Leading from the front, walking the walk, initially secured the limited customer base, expanding each account. It was clear that a radical upgrade of activity and professionalism would be required while implementing a repeatable and trainable Sales Process. Built the Team and Infrastructure. Recruited and trained a sales team of four, sourced, secured, and equipped two offices, and recruited, and trained a customer support team of three, all within 6 months.
Designed and delivered a sea change in performance.
With the team and the infrastructure in place, it was time to build skills and accountability and most of all, develop a culture of performance, activity, and fun. This was achieved by total involvement from the new team, by inspiring them, creating a respectful culture and accountability to each other. Training a Sandler methodology across the board, was equally important, if not, more so, in Customer Support.
The Sales Leader delivered a clear plan to leverage the strengths of the company its people, products, and technology with a focused outcome without disruption to the existing business.
Day to Day Management of the Business
With the right people, infrastructure, and culture, there was no excuse for delivering anything less than exceptional performance. The Sales Leader adopted a player/coach role. The common language adopted was a combination of MEDDIC (Metrics, Economic Buyer, Decision Criteria, Decision Process, Identify Pain, and Champion), and the tried, tested, and proven, Sandler Selling System. This allowed for tight management of all activity and ensured very effective and efficient use of time, working smart, with accountability and forecast accuracy, and a healthy step change in the tough qualification of all potential opportunities.
The Results
The Sales Leader created an environment for growth, change and success:
- Implemented regular local customer user group meetings, a real value-add over the incumbent competition.
- Delivered a local customer training facility, a critical selling point for expansion.
- Successfully developed bottom line annual closed business of greater than £2.5m, a 10x uplift from before the Sales Leader appointment.
- Successfully secured £1m investment to support a new business plan.
- Delivered the company’s UK top-performing sales region, with every salesperson exceeding quota, previously quota had never been achieved in the Scottish Region
- Improved customer satisfaction during transformation and beyond, creating an engaged user community, and an increasing USP over the complacent incumbent competitor.
