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Speaking & Training Success Stories |
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| The following success stories, and client references come from my work as a Sales Trainer and Public Speaker. Please read on to learn what my clients had to say about working with me, and feel free to call them for a direct reference. | ||
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Client: Hollrock Engineering |
Case: Hollrock Engineering manufactures and sells golf range and course equipment (such as ball pickers, washers, score cards, etc.) all over the US and abroad. A team of six full time sales reps is responsible for phoning and developing relationships, with hundreds of target facilities in a given territory. Product sales range from 2-dollar accessories to $40 thousand ballpark batting systems Challenge: Hollrock Engineering was facing its third year of steadily declining revenues. Of the six sales reps on staff, three were veterans long accustomed to the era of booming sales that required little in the way of new account prospecting and outbound sales activity. The company had just added three new members to its sales force but had not yet built the necessary infrastructure (accurate contact databases, computers, management mechanisms, training, etc.) to adequately support them. Additionally, the arrival of new sales reps brought a redistribution of long held territories, a revised compensation plan, and new standards for all, thus creating some tension between the old and the new. Recommendation: Get management to take a hard look at some old practices that no longer fit in the new environment, including an upgrade to its IT systems, contact database, and supervisory style. Deliver a training program tailored to the veteran reps need to buy into a new way of selling, and both the new and veteran reps need for increased phone effectiveness. Develop individual sales plans, restructure the format and content of sales meeting to focus on peer support for outbound call activity, compelling sales dialog and faster qualification of prospects. Manage sales activity rather than closed business. Result: Faster and more accurate management of sales activity, sales forecasting, and territory development. Clear and acceptable individual goals, and self-accountability. Corporate re-organization that involved the reassignment of the corporate sales manager, a new compensation plan, and the departure of three sales reps. Client Reference: Rick Hollrock, President (413) 586-4653
Client: WFCR National Public Radio Case: WFCR, Western New England's, National Public Radio affiliate derives 26% of its operating budget from corporate underwriting sales, (i.e. radio advertising with strict copy guidelines). A team of four sales professionals is responsible for making telephone contact with targeted business in the region to sell underwriting 'mentions' that range in value from several hundred dollars to several thousand. Challenge: Sales effectiveness was inconsistent among staff members, with some over reliance on repeat business to meet goals. Individual yearly revenue targets weren't easily translated into direct sales activity and quarterly forecasting was unreliable. Sales momentum would sometimes bog down on low probability and/or low value prospects because unwarranted time was spent at various stages of the sales process. Prospect/customer contact information and historical records were not used to leverage more sales. Recommendation: Break down the sales process to identify those areas of strength and challenge within each team member. Develop natural sounding 'scripts' to: increase the probability of voice mail messages being returned, efficiently qualify prospects, more quickly advance the sales process, and close more sales. Conduct role-playing exercises to craft responses to common objections, gain comfort with new approach, and identify best practices. Leverage the power of in-house contact management software to up-sell, and re-sell. Result: Achieved a 33% increase in underwriting sales over the same period a year before. Increase in productive sales activity, with accompanying decrease in time spent on sales management minutia. New sales-activity tracking mechanism in place to assist in forecasting and individual mentoring. Achieved group buy-in to a 'new way' of selling that left sales reps with a higher degree of confidence, excitement about getting out and selling more, and the tools necessary for goal setting, and self-accountability. Client Reference: "Sheldon helped to asses the staffs weak areas and offered weekly suggestion, support and direction to make our efforts more productive. He made himself available to the whole staff and offered individual training off-line. He jump started our sales team!" Ms. Ruth Kennedy, Corporate Marketing Director. (413) 577-0779
Client: Camfour Case: As a multi-million dollar concern, Camfour is among the top ten wholesale firearm distributors in the US with a client base that spans both coasts and includes major chain retailers as well as mom and pop storefronts. Camfour has a solid inside sales team, a loyal customer base, and a proven sales support infrastructure, but major changes in the economic and political climate as well as industry contractions gradually took a toll on Comfour's top line. Challenge: Operating on thin profit margins, Camfour didn’t have the luxury to invest in a traditional marketing blitz. Nor could it launch a large sales recruiting effort. Instead, Camfour needed to identify ways to optimize existing sales and marketing programs and transform it’s inside sales team from order takers to order makers. Recommendation: Implement systematic ways to target and develop new customer accounts. Foster Sales Team agreement on specific performance benchmarks and the importance of new individual targets required to reach corporate goals. Lay the groundwork for a culture of team accountability and focused effort in support of corporate revenue goals. Train sales reps on specific ways to improve efficiency, as well as up-sell and cross sell existing customers. Result: A detailed sales audit found 11 specific areas for improvement and made 15 specific recommendations that could be implemented at little or no cost. We zeroed in on of performance gaps within the sales team, then designed and delivered a training program that specifically addressed skill gaps including measuring and managing particular campaigns. Client Reference: " I am very pleased with the services provided by the Steady Sales Group. After just six weeks, we have noticed a significant improvement in the performance of team members making & closing cold calls, overcoming price objections and reducing drag accounts. I highly recommend Sheldon and The Steady Sales Group to any organization looking for a professional sales consultant that can deliver results." Mike Brown, President. (413) 564-2300 xt 2344
Client: TechCavalry Case: TechCavalry is a well respected and growing on-call, computer support firm. Their motto is "Help is on the way", and customers around the region indeed rely on speedy, courteous, and competent computer support spanning a wide spectrum of technical sophistication. A team of seven uniformed computer technicians, driving branded vehicles make thousands of support calls per year to business and residential customers. Challenge: TechCavalry's management has ambitious plans for growth including the possibility of franchising. But like many growing businesses, operational issues often get attention and strategic sales and marketing initiatives get ignored. Consequently, key marketing strategies do not get adequate resources and often go unmeasured. Though traditional advertising is an effective marketing tool for TechCavalry, the firm knew it could capture even more revenue without adding new expenses by training the technicians to act as sales ambassadors. TechCavalry called Steady Sales Group to provide consulting, direction and spark to a well conceived but slightly stalled marketing plan. Recommendation: Start with an empty three ring binder to build the franchise handbook organically - chapter by chapter by chapter. Populate the marketing section of the binder with simple tactics, including policies and procedures on how to keep the tech team selling while they are servicing. Conduct a series of trainings where the team learns to comfortably wear both the sales and the service hats. Carve out regularly scheduled times each month to review and plan the marketing action calendar. Result: Enabled the entire technical team to feel comfortable in a sales role to supplement their excellent technical skills. After just a few guidance sessions, TechCavalry reported that sales were up and technicians were now coming to the president with ideas to add more value to each call. Client Reference: "Our work with the Steady Sales Group helped increased the average revenue per appointment by 20%. Total revenues for the company were up 50% during the six months after the training. TechCavalry is now an avid fan of Steady Sales Group!"
Client: Quaboag Valley Community Development Corporation (QVCDC) Client Reference: "Sheldon provides an energetic and comprehensive training on all aspects of marketing, but particularly guerrilla marketing." Susan Rutherford, Executive Director. (413) 283-3003
Client: North Quabbin Woods Guide Training Program Client Reference: "Our students found Sheldon to be a lively and engaging presenter." Kemper Carlsen, Curriculum Coordinator, North Quabbin Guide Training Program. (978) 544-3223
Client: Jacob's Ladder Business Association (JLBA) Client Reference: "Sheldon's presentation was a highly useful and enjoyable, introduction into the concepts of Guerrilla Marketing. He helped us zero in on concepts that could be easily employed to improve our marketing by investing time energy and imagination before investing money." Mr. Joe Sullivan, President, (413) 354-2340
Client: Hilltown Community Development Corporation (HCDC) Client Reference: "Sheldon brings energy, know-how and value to the trainings he's done for us. We've had him back again and again for a variety of audiences." Ms. Marie Burkart, (413) 296-4536
Client: Franklin County Community Development Corporation Client Reference: Amy Shapiro, Program Manager. (413) 774-7204, ext. 117
Client: Vermont Travel Industry Conference Client Reference: "Sheldon was so well received, we had many requests to have him return for the next conference. We also utilized his skills in a one on one basis in a "Meet the Experts" session, and everyone loved his energy and enthusiasm for the topic." Ms. Cindy Delaney, President, Delany Meeting Management.
Client: Regional Technology Corporation (RTC) Client Reference: Humera Fasihuddin, Vice President — (413) 755-1330
Client: CPE Forum (Continuing Professional Education) Client Reference: "The President of American International College, Harry Courniotes was so impressed with Sheldon’s presentation he instructed the Dean of the Business School to invite Sheldon to teach as an adjunct faculty member." Jo Saranelli, Coordinator — (413) 253-9737
Client Reference: Ms. Meredith Wise — (877) 662-6444, ext. 313
Client Reference: "I can say with certainty that I benefited immensely my work with Sheldon. I walked away feeling more confident about my sales approach, and my ability to directly yet courteously qualify prospects; a balance that was always difficult in the past. Most important, I left Sheldon’s coaching sessions motivated to make changes." Ms. Kay Vie, Account Executive — (800) 213-9860
Client Reference: "Sheldon Snodgrass is a premier sales person and a superlative teacher. He understands the aversion many business owners have to selling and provides both comfort and well-placed tips to help them over the cusp of whatever is blocking them. His sales training provides well-needed information and advice for an underserved sector in the business community. Plus, Sheldon generously put self-interest aside to assist both the Hidden Tech organization and fellow virtual companies." Amy Zuckerman, Founder — (413) 253-4124
Client Reference: "Sheldon contributed to a panel that also included marketing and advertising experts, and a father and son in a family business, going through a "makeover" in their thinking, helped by the 3 panelists. Sheldon's contribution was strong and creative, motivating them in their particular situation, but also inviting the audience to see how they each had challenges that could be addressed by his comments. He also took the lead in coordinating the thoughts of all the panelists into a useable whole. He is undoubtedly energetic, positive, likeable and talented, both as educator and practitioner." Ira Bryck, Director
Client Reference: "I heard Sheldon speak along side two deans of business schools. Sheldon was not only so much more engaging (entertaining as well) than his co-presenters, but also gave real-world concepts and real-world examples. Most important at the end I knew what to do with the information--how to apply it. Check him out if you're looking to grow your business.” Claudia Gere, Helping Smart People Become Outstanding Authors
Client Reference: "Thank you, thank you, thank you, for sharing so much precious time with me! You helped me tremendously - just to slow down and THINK. A very important step in my crazy life, and the best thing I can do for myself (and my husband!) now. I was so inspired by your workshop and the group of professionals who attended. I can't think of a better person to go to for advice and support than you, Sheldon!" Kathy Foster, Workshop Participant.
Client Reference: "Through Sheldon’s lively and engaging trainings, my staff and I developed effective sales scripts that both increased our closing rate, and gave us a repeatable system to consistently generate results. Because weight loss is so personal and emotional, we didn't want to use hard sales formulas. With Sheldon's help, we developed flexible scripted lines, based on respect for the client, and acknowledgement of their emotional needs. These scripts produce the sales closings we want, and ultimately allow us to help more people. "Just as I hire a tax expert to do my taxes, so I hired a sales expert to kick up my sales. You should too!" Mary Now, 30 Year Franchisee of Healthy Weigh Diet Center — (413) 584-9950
Client Reference: "Sheldon gave our program participants an excellent introduction to Guerilla Marketing. His enthusiastic presentation and obvious passion for the subject gave him added credibility with his audience.” Kathryn Hayes, Director, Pioneer Valley Enterprise Program.
Client Reference: "Sheldon Snodgrass has been a regular workshop presenter in my Business Planning classes for the past five years. Students, who I treat as my customers, continue to rave about Sheldon's sessions, a high compliment indeed for adults in a night class. I ask Sheldon to return year after year because I know he’ll deliver an excellent class and compelling presentation." Howard Bronstein, Owner ODT — (413) 549-1293
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© 2006 Steady Sales Group