By Cultivate | October 26, 2021
In episode 1, we met Sam, the new CEO hired to drive growth at Sirius Bond. Welcome to episode 2.
“Sam – How’s it going? Week two already, huh? I have some information that I’d like to share with you...”
Justin Thyme, our COO, starts every hallway conversation this way. In my first two weeks, he’s approached me like this at least two dozen times with information he wants to share.
Usually, his information is casual and non-business focused: Hints about getting the vending machine to give me two candy bars instead of one. Or the best coffee spots in the neighborhood. This time, he has a serious look on his face.
“I know sales and marketing work in silos and don’t always keep an eye on the prize - revenue. Instead, employees get stuck in their job descriptions, guard their territory, and miss opportunities to explore out-of-the-box ideas.” He’s got my attention now.
He continues. “I know you’re here to change all that. We have the perfect opportunity to tear down those silos and break the mold of how we engage with prospective customers and close deals – all so we can take our revenue higher than ever before. Let’s team up. I have some ideas.”
He gives me an enthusiastic thumbs up, spins on his heels and disappears down the hallway.
He doesn’t know it, but his comments are music to my ears – and I’m way ahead of him. I’m really looking forward to sharing with Justin my ‘BIG idea” – a Revenue Operations model. But first, I must do my due diligence and then get the green light from the owner of Sirius Bond, Don Sirius.
Ken Kaizen is the Product Director for Tikky-Tak™, Sirius Bond’s leading brand of adhesive in the Midwest and Northeast. He knows that I’m evaluating market opportunities for Tikky-Tak and wants to ensure that I have the latest data and analysis from his department.
I haven’t known Ken long, but I can tell where his passions lie. He enthusiastically shares: “We’ve done the research and found that it’s well-suited for the expansion into the west, where we’re largely unknown. I strongly believe that a new perspective on the customer experience will be the ticket to a successful product launch.”
His data shows there’s great promise in our Western sales region, where a major player recently went bankrupt and left a gap for a supplier. Previously, Sirius Bond couldn’t gain traction in this area because this competitor consistently undercut their already low pricing to shut us out. But now I have two industry reports that confirm this region is a growing opportunity, thanks to the failure of this competitor and evolving market conditions that favor us. It’s time to maximize that opportunity. It might feel like a leap, but I know I can help Tikky-Tak stick the landing for good.
Ken and I decide to have an information gathering session with Cash Maker, the head of Sales, and his team to discuss our findings.
The pieces are starting to fall in place…
"Really looking forward to Sam's contributions."
"Sam is the leader that we need right now."