The situation
A Texas-based food service company with over 50 years of success recognized it needed outside expertise to address growing gaps in sales infrastructure and revenue. Sales leadership had been managed directly by the President, a model that was no longer sustainable for future growth.
Early in the engagement the market was disrupted and many customers closed, testing the company’s resilience and the strength of its new strategic approach. The company stayed focused on immediate priorities while positioning itself for long-term success with stronger sales leadership in place.
Challenges
- No sales culture
- Sales team make-up: concern they did not have the right people on board
- Inconsistent selling process
- Compensation plan was not clear
- Communication between sales and operations was not clear
Solution
- Assessed the sales infrastructure and sales team needs, then implemented sales infrastructure
- Restructured the sales team, then recruited new sellers as the market recovered
- Executed a new website and implemented demand generation tactics
- Identified ideal customer profiles and the unique value proposition
Final result
- While revenue was reduced during the disruption, the company cut costs and improved pricing and profitability, then returned to growth, adding headcount and marketing.
- Double-digit revenue growth and new accounts in all five major Texas cities.
- Installed a vibrant sales culture with accountability and cadence.
