Established Company #2: No Sales Manager

SITUATION
Sales were flat for this 12 year-old company. Great all-female company culture. Self-funded. Rented facility for offices and manufacturing.

 PROBLEM
Issues with brokers and distributors during the start-up phase were holding the owner back from pursuing growth through these avenues. Low margins limited marketing and promotions. No one was doing sales outreach, only incoming sales efforts. National retail shows were perceived as vital to the business but weren’t vetted for ROI. Always adding new products that cannibalized existing items rather than grew sales.

 SOLUTION
Hired a motivated but untested sales manager at a low salary but with a high commission structure that emphasized growth channels. Coached her and she excelled. Sold off National retail shows to local participants who continue to be customers alleviating all the costs of long-distance logistics. Installed a CRM system to manage wholesale direct customers. Started doing outreach via phone and direct mail. Limited selection for distributors to the best sellers, ensuring good turnover and repeat business. Hired brokers to facilitate distributor and key account growth.

 BENEFITS
Sales grew 400%; second generation has taken over. Founder is retired, enjoying grandkids, golf and doing new product development.

For more information, contact Deb Mazzaferro at 727-258-8015 or [email protected] .