Hi Folks
Thanks to all who have contributed, I'm a long time lurker and have read many of your posts but never really posted myself!
We started a business 5 years ago that sells high end training to banks and financial institutions (B2B). We are ex bankers ourselves, and found the quality of training within these places was poor, learning didnt stick and we hated uninspiring "death by powerpoint" training from people lacking practical experience and subject matter expertise.
We've been very fortunate, and the business has grown considerably. Pleased to say our programs are consistently #1 in our banking clients. We havent really tried to expand overseas, but interestingly overseas banks have reached out to us and last year we generated ~40% of our income offshore.
We've got a very small team and have largely built our client base using referrals and word of mouth - no real marketing, cold calling or sales. Personally I dont think we're great at sales, but by the grace of the almighty, we've had some success.
Now, our aim is to establish a formal sales function. We're seeking a Head of Sales to lead the sales process, target new clients, and drive revenue. Of course, we intend to share our accomplishments with this individual.
To be completely honest, this territory is unfamiliar and causes me anxiety! I'm concerned about bringing the wrong person into our small business and am fixated on making the right selection. On the flip side, if we don't take this step, we'll remain a small yet profitable venture, never fully exploring our potential.
Would greatly appreciate any advice from the forum.
- How would you go about finding people? What strategies would you recommend for finding someone with a blend of sales / banking / learning & development skills (all 3 great, 2/3 can work)?
- How would you test their capability? I feel like people can interview well, but you never really know untill you see someone on the job.
- How would you incentivise the right behaviours?
- How could we help "set them up for success" in this role?
These questions might sound amatuerish, but appreciate any blunt feedback.
kp001
Thanks to all who have contributed, I'm a long time lurker and have read many of your posts but never really posted myself!
We started a business 5 years ago that sells high end training to banks and financial institutions (B2B). We are ex bankers ourselves, and found the quality of training within these places was poor, learning didnt stick and we hated uninspiring "death by powerpoint" training from people lacking practical experience and subject matter expertise.
We've been very fortunate, and the business has grown considerably. Pleased to say our programs are consistently #1 in our banking clients. We havent really tried to expand overseas, but interestingly overseas banks have reached out to us and last year we generated ~40% of our income offshore.
We've got a very small team and have largely built our client base using referrals and word of mouth - no real marketing, cold calling or sales. Personally I dont think we're great at sales, but by the grace of the almighty, we've had some success.
Now, our aim is to establish a formal sales function. We're seeking a Head of Sales to lead the sales process, target new clients, and drive revenue. Of course, we intend to share our accomplishments with this individual.
To be completely honest, this territory is unfamiliar and causes me anxiety! I'm concerned about bringing the wrong person into our small business and am fixated on making the right selection. On the flip side, if we don't take this step, we'll remain a small yet profitable venture, never fully exploring our potential.
Would greatly appreciate any advice from the forum.
- How would you go about finding people? What strategies would you recommend for finding someone with a blend of sales / banking / learning & development skills (all 3 great, 2/3 can work)?
- How would you test their capability? I feel like people can interview well, but you never really know untill you see someone on the job.
- How would you incentivise the right behaviours?
- How could we help "set them up for success" in this role?
These questions might sound amatuerish, but appreciate any blunt feedback.
kp001
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