Executive Coaching for a Food Manufacturer
A 30 year old, family owned, food manufacturer of candy, baked goods, dried fruit, and roasted nuts is a private label supplier to the hospitality industry. They provide the food you find in the mini bar, at banquets and conferences, and in many retail establishments. Their growth had slowed to single digits and the VP Sales was being groomed for the President role.
When I started working with them, there were a number of challenges that they were facing. First, they wanted to increase growth by 10%, expand penetration in the retail space, and identify a replacement for the VP Sales who was being promoted. Additionally, the Sales VP didn’t have the experience needed to step into the President role and be responsible for all aspects of their business.
To help them meet their goals and assist with the replacement and elevation of the VP Sales, we focused on a few key areas:
Interim VP Sales. To assist with the transition of responsibilities by off-loading the VP Sales from the day to day management of the sales team, Judy acted as the VP Sales for 3 months. As a result of interviews and being out in the field for two weeks with each sales rep, she had a clear picture of what was needed. Revamping the travel policy, defining the goals and strategies, implementing new programs to gain contractual agreements from large accounts, restructuring the team, and sales training were key to increasing morale, focus, and performance.
Executive Coaching. Moving into a new role within a company can be a challenging situation for the person being promoted and the people around them who are used to operating with them in their past position. Our coaching focused on building trust across the different department leaders, individually and collectively. Communication, asking for feedback without judgment, and developing a game plan for taking on the new responsibilities required new skills and an open mind to looking at the business from a different perspective.
Recruiting and Qualifying Candidates. With the insight gained from acting in this role, creating a job description, working with recruiters, and qualifying candidates enabled Judy to accelerate the process. Not only was the experience in the industry important, understanding the culture and finding the right person to operate in this family owned business was a critical element.
At the end of the 3 months, we made significant progress:
- Morale increased as a result of a revised travel/expense policy
- New account acquisition increased by 22%
- Five new multi-year contracts were in place guaranteeing in excess of $500K annually
Start the conversation about our executive coaching with a free, no-obligation call with Judy, 310-567-7441 or email us at [email protected].