12/01/2023
How a Truss Sales Manager contributed to 3x company sales growth by redefining what makes a good customer.
EXECUTIVE SUMMARY:
Full line lumber and building materials dealer serving residential home builders and remodelers needed to develop a market strategy and tactical sales approach for the truss side of the business. Misura Group recruited an excellent candidate, but there were some misconceptions around their character after a negative reference. Through our relationships as a third party, we were able to gain facts and unbiased details for our client. By removing the emotion, distrust, and competitive bias, we determined this professional acted with integrity and would be an excellent addition to the team.
Results:
Grew truss sales from $5m to $15m
Improved gross margin by 10 points
Fired legacy accounts that were high cost and low volume, leading to a cultural shift around what defines a good customer
THE CHALLENGE:
MARKET STRATEGY
Our client is a full-line lumber and building materials dealer with a Truss General Manager who was excellent with production and design but struggled with customers and was unable to develop an overall market strategy.
VALUE PROPOSITION
The LBM sales team did not understand the value of selling trusses. A truss sales leader was needed to develop the sales strategy and coach the sales team on the nuances of the selling trusses.
OUR SOLUTION:
CUSTOMER RELATIONSHIPS
Misura Group identified an excellent candidate with a proven history of success in truss sales – having brought in 90% of their previous employer’s customers. This individual had many established relationships in the market with builders and framing contractors in addition to being well-connected with talent to build a sales team.
THIRD-PARTY OBJECTIVITY
During the interview process, there were some misconceptions about the candidate’s character after a negative reference. Through our relationships as a third party, we were able to gain facts and unbiased details for our client. By removing the emotion, distrust, and competitive bias, we determined this professional acted with integrity and would be an excellent addition to the team.
THE RESULTS:
FINANCIAL IMPACT
Truss sales volume has increased from $5m to $15m, and gross margin has improved by 10 points.
CULTURAL IMPACT
The candidate led a culture change around what makes a “good” customer. This involved removing legacy customers that were high-end custom projects at low volume and high cost. After creating a smarter pricing strategy, they then leveraged a broad network of relationships to target more national and super-regional tract builders and multi-family general contractors to develop a more profitable customer base. With the success in that market, they have begun capturing sales from metro markets over 100 miles away.
WHAT THE CLIENT HAD TO SAY:
“Misura Group helped us hire a sales manager that brings in 75% of truss sales. He gets excited about new business; you can see the fire in his eyes. Working with Misura Group brought us tremendous value; I would refer them to anyone looking for a solid recruiter in the truss and building materials industry.”
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