What is your plan to increase sales and what resources will you need to do this? We will help you identify what differentiates you from your competitors, which customers you should focus on for profitable sales and whether you have the right people, pricing, systems and processes to achieve your aims.

Following on from defining your sales strategy we will then need to communicate it to staff, customers and prospects by developing a clear and compelling proposition as to why people should do business with you. Are you targeting the right people at the right time with the right message? What mutually rewarding partnerships and alliances can you easily foster?

We can often be utilised to manage the whole sales process on a part-time or interim basis. This might include reviewing all sales processes within your organisation and the management of the current sales team. This is ideal when it does not make financial sense to have a full-time Sales Director, or you are awaiting a full-time Sales Director appointment, or where a Managing Director is no longer able to performance manage the sales function.

By taking over the performance of the sales team we are able to introduce KPIs (Key Performance Indicators) to set performance measures and activity levels for sales staff and in this way develop, mentor and coach them to be more effective and independent. We can also implement effective sales processes and systems, and motivate and incentivise the sales function.

Working from a basic premise coupled with personal experience that classroom learning has its limitations, and that “role-plays” are not “real-plays”, we take the training into the work environment, on the job, listening to direct sales calls, and attending sales appointments. The conclusion is that with the right sales process and tools all sales people will be able to sell more, sell at higher prices and sell more quickly.

By listening to your sales calls objectively we can pinpoint what is not happening and put it right. By accompanying your sales people to appointments we are able to assess the critical success factors that will win or lose that business. What is the key information your sales people should present and take away from these meetings, what is their ability to close “in the moment”, negotiate, and listen to both spoken and non-spoken buying signals? What pre-visit preparation do they perform, how could they do it better, how do they manage the meeting and the protagonists? Once they’ve left the meeting, how do they most effectively manage and progress their pipeline to closing business?

We can also assess whether your sales people are in the right job, there is no training available if they don’t have the potential to sell, ever.

For many organisations the sales function has developed by accident with workflow systems, sales processes, and sales tools lagging far behind. We can assess the need for CRM and advise on the most appropriate system for your business

By understanding what your sales team should be achieving we can measure their results, provide them with the necessary tools to be most effective, and identify key metrics. Sales targets exist to be met or exceeded, incentive systems are there to motivate so must be visible and understood. If your sales people are underperforming we will know immediately and can rectify.

“Strategy is fine but we know what we need to do, we just need the right person to execute it”. Through understanding how executives make business decisions and the challenges they face we are able to be a solution provider rather than just a supplier, a business person rather than a salesman. Why sell from the “bottom up” when you can engage a prospect organisation from the “top down” by targeting a senior executive who can make a buying decision more easily?

We don’t do telemarketing but we do target specific short-listed companies that can increase profitable sales. This may be after successful business development has determined new channels, products and services, or customer segments. Extensive executive networks both in the UK and Europe and over 18 years solution sales experience mean that you are using the best.

We can research new markets and distribution channels, expansion plans into new regions, new products and services without interrupting the current sales focus and spreading the sales function too thinly. With analytical and academic research skills we can identify emerging markets and trends, foster relationships and affinities and latent business opportunities.

For certain organisations it does not make sense to have full-time sales people but rather to use an independent shared-cost sales consultant with deeper knowledge of sales than a junior sales executive. In addition, the cost of managing full-time sales people can be prohibitive, and particularly managing them out of the business.

A flexible, pay-as-you-need consultant gives you all the benefits of results-based performance without the headache of under-performance. We can merge seamlessly into your organisation without external companies knowing we are not part of your company.

Through non-executive directorships we can provide ongoing strategic advice and guidance at Director/Board level. This is particularly useful when seeking funding or exit.