Background
Brief from Winning Pitch: The company has the potential to grow its market share quickly – if it can now market itself more effectively, devote more resource to sales & marketing and then secure additional major new customers. They need a clear strategy for the growth of the company including targeting & winning new accounts, growing existing accounts, resourcing their sales and marketing team with the right skills, roles/responsibilities, back office/customer support resourcing
They therefore now need support from a coach who is an all rounder, experienced in growing a business but also with marketing and sales expertise – and with an understanding of the retail/tourism marketplace. We recommend David Lee for this role.
The challenges
The business owner was too involved in the day to day activity of the Company and needed to delegate to allow him to concentrate on the strategic relationships with key customers and suppliers that would facilitate growth.
His internal sales person was very inexperienced and lacked the confidence to approach the blue chip clients need to grow the business as planned.
The business had a reliance on seasonal summer time trade and had quiet winter periods.
Additionally they were exposed in the supply chain with their product being sourced through a Chinese agent and no knowledge or relationship with actual manufacturers. A similar concern was the imminent retirement of the agent responsible for a significant part of the sales in the South of the UK again with no relationship with the customers in place.
The outcomes of these challenges
Tasks were identified that could be handed on to current staff, two new staff members were added to cope with extra work load, intensive training was given to internal sales person with great success. MD able to find time to visit blue chip clients and add new clients. Sourced new product through new suppliers in China. Agreed to introduce Xmas lines which could be sold through existing client base and remove reliance on summer season. Internal sales person tasked with building direct sales with blue chip clients. Agent agreed to work with Company to ensure his retirement was “managed”
The approach
The client was very astute and quickly grasped the reasons for the change needed and embraced and implemented all suggestions. The training was particularly helpful in building confidence in the sales person and along with the agreed new sales strategy helped build sales dramatically. The approach was therefore very much a mentoring role for the MD and his senior management and a training role with the sales staff.
The business has grown dramatically since my first visit in Nov 2015 and exceeded all targets. The new seasonal products will remove the poor performance experienced in previous winter months with a major boost to profitability. Senior staff now have the time to drive the business forward and make the necessary plans to cope with the changes growth brings. They have moved in to larger premises to cope with the further growth anticipated. The business is less exposed to major change both with suppliers and customers. The sales staff are now better able to contribute to the sales effort and introduce major clients
Company Type: Retail & Tourism
Company Location: North Wales
Client Testimonial:
“I would just like to say how pleased I have been with your advice over the past year.
You are a very approachable person with a great can do attitude towards business.
I’m sure you have had a significant part to play in our business’s recent growth and success.
I have enjoyed working with you to plan the Companies growth and I am sure it will put us in a great position for the future.”
Managing Director
Supplier of Giftware to Tourism Outlets.
