Interim Management Executive: Jeff Bradley

My focus is helping big market and emerging companies really transform their trajectory and helping accelerate revenues and really focus hard on strategy, structure, process and culture. How do we develop and align those components and most importantly how do we help unlock the unique gifts and talents of individuals and teams? My particular area of emphasis involves manufacturing technology companies with a focus on changing the revenue trajectory, helping align strategy, structure, process and culture.

Jeff Bradley is an experienced senior business executive with 25 years in the technology and manufacturing industries. He has developed high-performing teams across sales, marketing, new product development, strategic planning, and business development at companies like Eastman Kodak, MCI, US West, Josten’s Learning, Xerox and IBM.

Jeff Bradley
Interim Management Executive, OneAccord
seattle@oneaccordpartners.com

How Can Interim Management Increase Revenues?

Interim management can be an effective tool for increasing revenue growth at a company. Can you give an example of when you have been hired in an interim marketing or sales management role in which you helped a company increase revenues?

The client is a network security consulting firm, needing to transform its sales structure and culture from a product focused approach to a service based revenue stream.

Founded in the 1990’s, the market around the internet, hosting/outsourcing, security, along with the move from product to services was rapidly developing, with few standards. The client desired to build a significant regional presence, associated revenue stream, business processes & resulting
strong business valuation, with the intent to be acquired. The sales team was made up of 15-20 direct sales reps with little leadership, structure, or defined metrics.

The OneAccord Solution
OneAccord guided the organization through the design and implementation of a comprehensive sales and re-engineered organizational, created new roles, position definitions, metrics and recommendations for new compensation structures. OneAccord helped to define authority and accountability to revenue generation, define a sales strategy and assisted team members and management in execution.

Engagement Highlights

• Development of a comprehensive Revenue Generation Structure

• Clearly defined roles and responsibilities

• Defined accountability to results

• Tools for measuring critical activity

• Field tested manual

• Internal sales training process

• Creation of an inside sales team partnered with a direct enterprise level group

• Channel Partnerships developed

• Improved revenue generation

Results
Over the 3 year project, moving from project based work to Interim Sales Leadership, there was a significant increase in the critical sales activities, including cold calls, building industry relationships, channel partnerships, and targeted account acquisition.

Jeff Rogers is founder of OneAccord, an interim executive company, that provides best in class interim sales and marketing leadership for companies all across the country.

In 2008 I was Interim VP of Sales for a Midwest company in the Gift Industry. I was brought in while they conducted a nationwide search for a permanent VP of Sales. The company ended 2007 down in sales and was starting 2008 in the same downward direction. As Interim VP of Sales I focused my efforts on reversing this trend. I identified several critical processes and procedures to implement to reverse the negative sales trend. By the end of March, 2008 their sales were +9.5% over the same period in 2007. The engagement was extended through the fall of 2008 as OneAccord focused on several other revenue generating opportunities after the permanent VP of Sales was hired.

Interim management executive, Richard Brune, is a sales and marketing professional with over 25 years of experience in building and managing some of America’s most recognizable consumer brands including Stanley Tools, Hartmann Luggage, REI Inc., Swiss Army Brands and licensed products with Eddie Bauer and Disney.

SITUATION:
Truck and Commercial Vehicle Product Category had very negative quality reputation in marketplace and significantly lagged market share of automotive products. Internally low existing sales and persistent quality issues resulted in defeatist attitude about potential to improve. Sales people creatively avoided selling this segment of the product line – as they did not want to stake their personal reputation on a poor quality offering.

ACTION:
Research competitive products to bench mark key features that drive customer preference and product performance. Direct engineering activities to develop distinctive products that fit within manufacturing capabilities. Create internal business plan for increased sales and lower warranty costs would offset increased piece cost. Develop Training materials and Sales Support materials including brochures and magazine advertisements. Coordinate launch product through sales force and customer base. Built on momentum by communicating both internal and external success stories.

RESULT:
First year unit sales increase of 20%. Eliminate poor quality reputation in the marketplace on this visible product category. Field evidence and acceptance of superior quality occurred within 6 months of launch. Re-energized sales force to aggressively pursue sales opportunities with existing accounts and more importantly new accounts who were not open to prior discussions due to previous persistent quality issues.

Interim management executive, Dale Hintz, is a highly organized, strategic and creative executive with expertise in product research/development, price optimization, market segmentation and mapping brand strategies. He can be reached at 972.824.6923 or dallas(at)oneaccordpartners.com

Last year after speaking with a CEO of a company doing 8 figures per year, he realized I had been VP Marketing for a competitor of a company he had received news of an auction on — and engaged me for a few days in order to help him determine the potential value and an appropriate bit amount. So for under ten grand, he got serious “feet on the street” with eyes that had different “focal range” than his.

When that particular acquisition opportunity didn’t manifest, he expressed his appreciation for adding value without ramp-up time and said he wanted to launch a SERVICE business to complement his SOFTWARE offering. Unfortunately, given economic conditions, his management team was up to their eyeballs in alligators — so this new business opportunity would ALSO have been unable to contribute any revenue or profit to the corporate coffers.

He thus engaged me as an Interim VP New Business Development to explore the business and create it if indeed the opportunity were real. In a four-month timeframe, I:

• Scoped customer pain and tested the value proposition and price elasticity

• Created a brand with input from the legacy marketing department

• Developed interoperability arrangements with a JV partner to ramp fast

• Built a financial model demonstrating the opportunity to DOUBLING REVENUE

• Returned the business, packaged in a box, such that the existing team could run with it

Paul Travis is an interim marketing executive at OneAccord. Mr. Travis is based out of Seattle with 25 years of experience in high technology, marketing, and consulting. He can be reached at Paul.Travis(at)oneaccordpartners.com and at 206-910-2222.

Scott Powell Discusses the Client Value of Interim Marketing Executives

Interim marketing executives can help companies achieve and sustain revenue growth. Scott Powell discusses the value of finding an experienced interim executive for a company looking to grow.

It’s a Great Time for a Revenue Tune-Up. Where is that Reset Button?

by Chuck Besondy

In light of the global economic chaos smart CEO’s recognize that this is actually an excellent time to assess and tune every aspect of the company’s revenue engine. “Business as usual” just won’t cut it because we’re not facing an “as usual” market. The time is right for an interim executive, the master mechanic of a sputtering revenue engine.

Fresh ideas, complete honesty, and an absence of bias is required to conduct an insightful audit of the company’s revenue engine—the marketing and sales functions that lead to revenue generation.

This is yet another excellent scenario for using interim managers. Frankly, only an outsider can provide the unbiased perspective necessary for an accurate assessment of the inner workings of the revenue engine. Also, only a well-seasoned executive with strategic and tactical or operational experience in marketing and sales has the in-depth experience that an assessment requires.

Here’s what one typical interim engagement might look like if aimed at assessing the effectiveness of a company’s revenue engine and realigning it for achieving 2009 revenue targets. This engagement could be lead by a VP or C-level interim marketing executive with back up from a VP-level interim sales executive (or switch the lead and backup roles).

1. Assess characteristics and capabilities of the sales force and channel partners. Define the ideal set of characteristics needed for success over the next 12-18 months and make recommendations how to align the organization accordingly.
2. Assess the compensation strategy and plan. Revise as necessary.
3. Assess the opportunity pipeline. Just how real is the forecast? Revisit and adjust the opportunity scoring methodology—remember this isn’t business as usual.
4. Revisit and assess if the stages of the pipeline are well defined in light of today’s business climate and how your customers are purchasing. Is a CRM system being used properly?
5. Evaluate if marketing and sales strategies and tactics and properly aligned to each other and to the pipeline.
6. Assess every component of the marketing plan, specifically the positioning strategy and all lead generation activities. Are the right investments being made? Will the marketing activities be sufficient to generate the required leads?
7. What metrics are being used to measure marketing and sales? Are these the right metrics or are there others that better indicate contribution to company objectives?
8. Conduct an analysis of the competitive landscape. A formal SWOT analysis is good, but at least conduct an analysis of positioning, messaging, and direction. How does the company compare?
9. Review all customer satisfaction surveys, or if none exist conduct a survey that includes key question for Net Promoter Score.
10. Assess management. Are the right people in key roles within Marketing and Sales? What skills are missing that should be added via training or outsourcing?

No doubt the list could include 20 steps or more. It wouldn’t be difficult to create another list of 10 steps with completely different activities. However, I’ve seen that if these areas are evaluated and tuned to the realities of the marketplace by un-biased, seasoned executives, the company’s revenues will jump.

In this example scenario the two interim executives assigned to the engagement could conduct the assessment and make the majority of changes in about 3 months.

There are three primary benefits to engaging interim managers for this work:

1. Unbiased, objective counsel from senior executives.
2. They drive the assessment and the action to make necessary changes.
3. They are focused on the engagement’s objectives while the existing management team keeps their eyes on the day-to-day operations.

Imagine: A revenue tune-up in 3 months. No loaner car required.

Want to learn more about the effective use of interim management in marketing and sales? Preview the book, Leadership On Demand: How Smart CEO’s Tap Interim Managment To Drive Revenue

You can read more about Interim Marketing Management by Chuck Besondy at his blog One Riot-One Ranger