Experience

A highly accomplished and strategic Sales and Commercial Director within Business Services who has consistently achieved financial and non-financial targets and has accelerated business growth in the UK and abroad. Record individual and team sales achievement, quickly identifying and removing barriers to growth and developing high performance teams cross-sector. Experienced selling at all levels including Board and managing complex sales cycles.

KEY ACHIEVEMENTS

• Highest sales turnover at UK engineering manufacturing company in 28 years leading to acquisition
• Most new corporate clients at corporate governance “not for profit” research organisation
• Trebled new business at Intercede winning Met Police £1m, Airbus £2m and Deutsche Telekom £1.5m
• Doubled business at software development company Intrinsica winning Isotrak, I2, Cambridge Assessment
• Increased monthly sales from £40k to £180k in 6 months at an aviation risk management company Airclaims winning largest single deal of £750k
• Generated new business sales increase of 60% year on year for international mail company Global Mailing through increased sales discipline and sales process
• Gained record number (18) of CFOs as members in 1 year for business research and consulting company
• Exceeded 1st 6 months sales targets at PDC BIG, first time in 24 months
• Record growth at Mind Tools

KEY SKILLS

Developing new sales strategies, markets and channel partners

• Turning customer service and account management teams into inside sales and new business and increasing sales by 20% at office supplies’ company and 15% at medical gases company
• Adding Public Sector as a sales channel into HR Directors membership in the UK to increase sales by 25% across the company for a business research membership organisation
• Successfully developing new market of homeland security for UK software development company to counter offshoring threat and doubling turnover in 2 years
• Opening up APAC and Russia/Eastern Europe for identity management/smart card/cyber security company including public speaking at events

Sales team management and leadership

• Recruiting, on-boarding and coaching sales people to success for Microsoft Gold Partner
• Successfully building sales teams in traditional non-sales environments (aviation engineering)
• Managing teams of 20-80 across multiple sites for business information, identity management, telecoms and IT Storage companies
• Highly influential and persuasive in leading and building high performing sales teams
• Active leadership role on board/UK management team

Mentoring, coaching and development

• Increasing sales conversion through 121 mentoring shadowing programme and sales training techniques at business intelligence firm, car leasing business, cyber security firm, ethnic food company
• Coaching Managing Directors of start-ups through Government Growth Accelerator scheme
• Conducting sales pipeline reviews and shadowing sales people on sales calls and meetings to provide constructive feedback and tools
• Using Challenger Sales Methodology to create customer insight and improve conversion for learning provider

Forecasting, reporting and budgeting

• Annual and quarterly sales planning, resource and budget allocation during longer interim sales roles
• Setting sales targets, reporting sales progress, sales forecasts and weighted pipeline to the board
• Strategic account planning to maximise opportunities and revenue
• Implementing CRM and integrating with front and back end systems and MI

Sales process improvement and sales turnaround

• Mapping and streamlining sales steps and implementing sales tools and CRM systems including SFDC, Sugar, Microsoft Dynamics to improve sales prospecting, needs analysis, sales solution and close
• Experience in sales performance management and turning around under-performing sales people and adapting to change and difficult market conditions
• Developing and implementing sales KPIs and sales discipline around activity levels and actions at IT storage company, international mail company, commercial security firm, telecoms, Legal research firm, Eden Project
• Assisting sales pipeline management, sales through the funnel, conversion rates and analysis
• Developing new sales proposition and proving business sustainability at charity

Advising and implementing commission and reward schemes

• Clarifying and simplifying sales rep commission schemes to improve motivation and focus at £200m turnover IT storage company
• Implemented customer acquisition incentive scheme for Food company
• Moving to monthly reward scheme at server maintenance company to speed up sales cycles
• Developed commission and incentive scheme from scratch for Irish postal operator

For details of the many roles, sectors and companies that I have worked for please click here for my LinkedIn page.

QUALIFICATIONS AND TRAINING