As VP, Business Development & Strategy, and reporting to the CEO, I am accountable for increasing revenue for the company’s HR/workforce management software, which competes with significantly entrenched competitors. I have identified, championed, and launched business development strategies that opened new verticals and revenue streams and put Valiant on the national “map.” I have originated the company’s partner marketplace by forging alliances with complementary businesses for co-branding opportunities, cross-pollination of leads, and white label integration of harmonizing software. Capturing these arrangements necessitated finesse in negotiating revenue shares for co-marketing and technological integrations with the senior management of other companies. Other business development strategies I have spearheaded have been… ►initiating a fundamental change in the sales strategy by moving the company from selling software licenses to a subscription model, which resulted in a dramatic uplift in revenue. ►launching roundtable events across the U.S. with CEOs and thought leaders from specific industries, thus contributing to the company’s 96% account retention rate.

As Director of Sales, I oversaw all facets of the sales organization and tripled the customer base. I forecasting sales, created individual quotas, developed the sales commission structure, and established the pricing for three product categories with the added complexity of each product’s ability to be customized. I aligned and realigned territories across the U.S. and also evaluated, selected, and implemented CRM software, with current use of Salesforce. I managed and mentored sales and client services managers as well as 12 associates, hiring approximately seven of these professionals. I provided direct mentorship, included composing the talking points for product differentiation as well as training salespeople how to deftly negotiate pricing within a pre-defined range.As Vice President and Director of Marketing, I built the marketing strategy after significant competitive analysis for product features and pricing. I managed a marketing budget and hired and delegated work to two vendors (six professionals involved). I ensured the company’s web presence was robust and compelling, overseeing SEM/SEO efforts, inclusive of content writing, new website page creation, website videos, and cyber-publishing of client testimonials. I also pioneered the company’s social media marketing and directed the efforts of an outside firm to create and manage Facebook and LinkedIn pages and posts. Managing content creation for sales training manuals, PowerPoint slide shares, white papers, and outbound e-mail marketing messages, was also part of my job. Additionally, I launched customer surveys to generate feedback on products and services and used that information proactively. As Director of Client Services, I was accountable for approximately 1,200 client relationships. I called on existing customers to assess product utilization and service needs. Upsold and pursued referrals.

I stepped in from my former company, TDI, to help this business learn to sell computer supplies, which was not part of its product line. I trained more than 400 salespeople at distributer sites around the U.S. and guided procurement professionals in how to source items.