Clarity and Strategy are Twins

When Your Product is in Freefall...

Have you ever stood at the edge of a cliff, looking down at the rocks below, knowing that if you don't act fast, everything's going to come crashing down?

That's exactly how it felt when I was handed responsibility for a product line that had been in decline for five consecutive years. Not just a gentle slope downwards - we're talking a 10% drop year after year after year.

The stakes? Just 300 jobs and 24 UK locations. No pressure then!

Sometimes You Need to Jump...

The product was pump hire. Not the most glamorous thing in the world, I grant you, but when 80% of your overheads are tied up in something, it doesn't need to be glamorous to keep you awake at night.

Picture this:

You're losing 30% of your customers every year and only replacing 20% with new business.

Your major account business has shrunk to almost nothing in a market where these accounts represent nearly half the available revenue.

Oh, and just to add some extra spice to the mix, 95% of your income is from an industry that's at the mercy of the British weather - not a great criteria for stable income.

But First, You Need a Plan

In true LinkedIn style, I could tell you I swept in like some superhero and fixed everything overnight, but we both know that's not how business works. Instead, I did what any sensible person would do when faced with a crisis - I made a plan to counter all three issues…

The Three-Pronged Attack

1. Stop the BleedingSet sales activity targets and bonus payments to reduce customer losses from 30% to 20%Maintain new business levels (because what's the point of plugging holes if you're not filling the bucket?)
2. Go Where the Money IsDedicate one team member to major accountsFocus on securing contracts instead of just individual orders(Yes, this meant some awkward conversations about pricing with the MD!)
3. Weather-Proof the BusinessTarget water companies through tender processesCompletely overhaul our tender submission approachRadically change how we present the tenders to the potential clients

The Secret Sauce

Here's where it got interesting - we had to delay implementation by five months due to leadership changes. You know what that means - same targets, but less time to achieve them.

The original goal? Stop the decline in year one. What we actually achieved? A 12% increase in just seven months. Two years later? Revenue up by over 60%.

I'd love to say it was all down to my brilliant strategy, but the reality is, execution came down to three fundamental things:

1. Clear communication across the entire business (and I mean CLEAR - not the "send an email and hope everyone reads it" kind of communication)
2. Sales activity targeted like a laser beam at our objectives, measured and reviewed weekly
3. Skills development that meant our team wasn't just busy, they were effectively busy

That clear communication?

The objective was to get everyone to, when asked what the pump strategy was, to say:

“We’re going to retain more of our existing clients while still getting the great levels of new business we’ve always secured, as well as increasing our share of the major accounts spend and securing some agreements with the water companies.”

If someone was asked and came out with something like that, we knew we were getting the message across.

How About You?

If you're reading this and thinking "that's fine but my situation is different, my business isn’t in crisis" let me get you to think about this:

• Can your teams repeat the sales strategy when asked?
• Can everyone see a direct link between sales activity and revenue objectives?
• Are the sales skills good enough to deliver the strategy?

If the answer to any of these is “no” or “maybe not”, then you might not be close to that cliff edge, but you’ve definitely got the opportunity to crank it up a gear or two.

Everyone knows 2025 is going to be tough, so you have two options:

1. Keep doing what you're doing and hope it’s enough to combat different market conditions (Einstein had some thoughts about that approach)
2. Make a change

If you're leaning towards option 2, let's talk. At Be The GOAT, we specialise in turning sales teams from good to great. Because let's face it - in today's market, good isn't good enough anymore.

Drop me a message or comment below. Let's start a conversation about making your sales team the Greatest Of All Time.

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