Sales Transformation Case Study

Advising the new CEO of a private equity backed connectivity solutions provider on how to improve his sales function.

The client is a private equity backed industrials company that produces custom connectivity solutions for its global customer base.

Client

The company has a new CEO that is evaluating the entire sales process. I help provide a fresh perspective on where improvements to the sales organization should be made.

Context

  1. Interview the Chief Operating Officer and each member of the sales team to better understand existing sales structure and processes.

  2. Create a cross-functional process map that covers lead generation through quote submission through post-deal-close support.

  3. Present improvement recommendations to the company’s CEO and private equity sponsors.

Tasks

  1. The company’s sales process is burdened with layers of management approvals, resulting in missed RFQ deadlines.

  2. Sales personnel are responsible for both account management and business development. They prioritize servicing existing accounts, resulting in limited growth opportunities.

  3. The sales variable compensation plan does not properly incentivize behaviors that align with the company’s high level EBITDA goals.

Problems

  1. Provide more autonomy for the sales person to approve deals to allow for quicker quote response.

  2. Create a new sales organizational structure that separates business development and account management.

  3. Create a unique workers compensation plan for each sales position with variable compensation that aligns with key milestones.

Recommendations

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