MARKETING / PRODUCT MANAGEMENT / SALES LEADERSHIP
* Partnership/Alliance and Channel Development
* Brand Development, Communication, and Management
* Sales and Customer Relationship Management
* Business Strategy and Marketing Plan Development
* Product/Service Definition and Lifecycle Management
* Go-to-Market Strategies and Execution
* Market Segmentation, Targeting, Positioning
* Promotions and Pricing Strategies
* Pre and Post-Sale Field Support
* Media and Analyst Relationship Management
Director, Global Partner Program – Masergy Communications, Inc. July 2007 to Present
Responsible for business partner (indirect) sales channels. “Channel steward” in charge of the overall design, partner development, market traction, on-giong management, and performance monitoring of sales channel generating $55M+ a year for privately held company with $100M+ in annualized revenue. Involves guiding and directing changes in the go-to-market system as a whole and making sure channel strategy and design create discernable value and are well aligned with the needs of partners and customers.
* Re-tooled channel program: redefined channel roles, obligations, and responsibilities during customer life cycle; changed recruitment focus of “ideal channel partner” to VARs and solution providers offering “added-value” while retaining base of traditional telecom master agents; created new, innovative compensation model aligned with business practices/needs of targeted partners, consolidated 18+ commission arrangements into cohesive structure emphasizing revenue growth
* Increased profits: improvements in channel recruitment, channel relationship management, and deal/contract management resulted in 6% year-over-year increase in average deal margin for joint sales
* Increased revenue: channels delivered 10% year-over-year increase in average contract value signed each month (new bookings); focused efforts on joint sale activities resulted in 22% year-over-year increase in average monthly contract value
* Reached more customers: program delivered 67% of company’s new customer bookings, a year-over-year increase
* Increased sales productivity: developed qualified lead generation program contributing to 8x increase in average monthly revenue production for junior account managers
* Developed and launched channel partner “stretch goals/new bookings incentive” tracking to achieve projected 30% revenue growth from top 15% of revenue producing partners
* Trending to surpass 12-month goal of 40 new partners to be signed under new channel contracts; achieved 50% of annual goal within first 60 days of new program introduction; also achieved significant conversion of existing base to new program
* Built strong channel infrastructure (positioning and messaging; channel policies; supporting resources)
* Reduced long term commission liabilities by 25%+ in future years, a potential expense reduction of ~$500,000/year
* Lead company negotiator on all business-business and channel partnerships sales and marketing relationships
* Achieved notable successes in first 10 months on job in spite of significant limitations placed on ability to modify channel program during company’s auction period and decision making slowdown resulting from executive management turnover
Senior Director, Marketing - TelStrat, Inc. June 2005 to July 2006
Led team in creating strategies and establishing sales and marketing infrastructure overcoming company identity and market awareness issues. TelStrat Access Group, sold to New Hampshire-based Pannaway Networks, was part of privately held company with $41M annualized revenue providing products to independent service providers. Managed $800,000 budget
* Established brand and portfolio strategy and supporting positioning and messaging; initiated brand re-launch backed by integrated communications program with new themes and value propositions fully aligned with customer buying criteria
* Implemented company’s first CRM/sales force automation toolset providing significant benefits to opportunity management, manufacturing forecasting, management reporting, customer service/support, and marketing campaigns
* Created trade show strategy and managed 50+ events per year, oversaw capital investments of over $100,000 in new booth properties, and established controls that reduced costs by $150,000/year while increasing generation of qualified leads and enhancing market exposure. First year cost savings leveraged to fund additional marketing initiatives
* Developed new corporate web presence; established web strategy, set business objectives, and formulated design criteria; involved enhanced customer portals, back-office integration, and management of external creative and programming teams
* Led multi-faceted media relations efforts involving tracking of editorial coverage, making pitches, securing bylines; increased hit ratio (release/pick-up) from .29 to 1.0; increased substantive media activity by factor of 4x compared to prior years
* Established new product introduction program enabling pre-selling activities in advance of product availability; reduced ‘lag time’ between product/feature introduction and volume purchase orders
* Overhauled all external facing communications; delivered more, higher-quality sales support tools within first six months than had been completed in prior three years prior to arrival (e.g. collateral, presentations, positioning papers)
* Put in place processes for planning and specifying requirements for new product developments; key contributor in the formulation of and agreement on requirements for all new product developments
* Established strategy for new product software offering; development phases, go-to-market plans, licensing, and pricing
* Developed strategy behind hardware and software product warranties and tiered customer support offerings
Vice President – The ConsulttUs Group, Inc. June 2002 to June 2005
Boutique management consulting firm; provided outsourced strategic and tactical marketing services to client base in information technology, software, telecommunications, medical technology, and transportation industries. Led companies in the identification, validation, and exploitation of market opportunities through business plan development, strategic marketing plan development, portfolio management, branding strategies, and go-to-market efforts.
* Provided strategic counsel, developed go-to-market programs and increased sales force effectiveness through better linkage of selling activities with corporate strategies, objectives, and company capabilities; led development of web presence, marketing collateral, and positioned management as thought leaders within media
* Advised incubator of medical technology ventures on business potential and product viability of prospective program companies
* Developed channel strategy, supporting programs, and go-to-market programs for market leader in network service assurance and application performance management systems for telecommunication service providers and enterprises
* Developed business plan and strategic marketing plan for company offering supply chain management software tools
Director of Marketing - ADC Telecommunications, Inc. Feb 2000 to Nov 2001
Recruited by general manager of Access Products Division to form new group leading strategic planning, market development, and go-to-market activities targeting communication service providers. Accountable for revenue achievement, identification and development of new product and business opportunities, development of strategic alliances, customer contract negotiations, pre and post-sale support activities, product positioning, marketing collaterals, and new product launch. Managed six senior staff members. Received voluntary severance package 48 hours prior to sale of division to private equity holding company (50% reduction in force occurred within 30 days after acquisition by new owners).
* Responsible for achievement of $109M FY01 annual operating plan encompassing ten product lines and all service provider accounts. Established revenue plans and sales quota responsibilities for 37 account managers; responsible for win/loss tracking and revenue forecasting.
* Built sales to $78M in FY00, a 37% increase over prior year, by leading tactical sales efforts and through securing purchase agreements with AT&T, Sprint, WorldCom, Verizon, SBC, and Qwest
* Established joint venture and channel strategy with Visual Networks that boosted revenue, increased gross margins, and enabled entry to new accounts and markets. Negotiated contract encompassing intellectual property rights, software licensing, joint developments, and cooperative marketing and selling efforts. Coordinated activities between diverse cross-company groups (e.g. technical support, product management, sales organizations) and led go-to-market planning
* Developed market entry/product launch plans and led execution of marketing programs, marketing communications, field support, and tactical sales initiatives
* Spearheaded formulation of next generation product requirements based upon analysis of needs derived from customer focus groups. Developed product requirements, product functional specifications, and established market positioning
* Planned/executed transition in business strategy from two-tier distribution channel to service provider re-sale distribution model
* Keynote speaker for multi-city seminar series offered by Network World (a leading industry periodical)
Manager, Sales - ADC Telecommunications, Inc. Jan 1999 to Jan 2000
Promoted to lead an 11-person cross-functional team. Managed entire process for several highly competitive, multimillion-dollar RFI/RFP’s from initial planning and preparation through closure
* Negotiated/secured contract that delivered over $150M in annual sales; first global master purchase agreement with MCI WorldCom; established ADC as a preferred vendor and impacted sales across multiple company divisions
* Built revenues to $8 million despite intense competition and achieved 110% of plan
Senior National Account Manager - ADC Telecommunications, Inc. Aug 1997 to Dec 1998
Directed all account activities related to the sale and support of nine product lines. Initially challenged to revitalize relationship with MCI WorldCom, which had not generated revenue for the three quarters prior to accepting assignment
* Obtained certification and secured role as one of three vendors approved for use with managed service offering
* Captured an exclusive agreement establishing ADC as the preferred equipment provider for remote access data services
Manager, Product Management and Marketing - MCI Telecommunications, Inc. June 1992 to Aug 1997
Led the strategic planning and overall life cycle management of advanced data service offerings. Led product definition, product development, brand positioning, and market launch of service enhancements. Guided cross-functional teams responsible for development of order entry and billing systems, network infrastructure deployments, operations support, and engineering testing/evaluation. Directed pre-commercial service trials. Presented to over 50% of the Fortune 500 companies during tenure with company. Made hundreds of “best and final” briefings to senior management and C-level executives. Significant involvement in securing numerous multimillion-dollar contract wins.
* Built product revenues from $52 million to $324 million within four years through developing service enhancements, brand positioning, and designing/executing innovative, high-performance marketing, promotion, and communication campaigns
* Extracted additional value from services and delivered a 7% net margin improvement on product line with $185 million in annual revenues. Revamped packaging, pricing, and market positioning. Developed and led supporting market communication efforts that garnered favorable press coverage
* Led product/service requirements definition, established functional specifications, oversaw development, managed pre-commercial service trials, and led market introduction of over ten significant product/service rollouts
* One of original architects of MCI’s highly successful Enterprise Networking Services strategy responsible repositioning the company and achieving increased profitability through branding, cross-selling, and bundling of multiple services
* Responsible for internal/external marketing communications; created PowerPoint presentations, customer collateral, and other field support materials used by 5000+ sales professionals and technical support personal, including white papers and bylined articles on topics including networking protocols, VoIP, MPLS, QoS, emerging technologies, and network architecture design and optimization
* Developed and led technical training programs for systems engineers and ‘solutions selling’ training for sales personnel; personally trained in excess of 3000 participants
* Wrote press releases, led briefings and interviews, and worked with analysts and print media as MCI's primary point of contact. Achieved major publicity, frequently quoted in leading industry publications, and won positive coverage
* Served as company’s principle representative to key industry organizations; authored contributions resulting in the establishment of global standards addressing network performance measurements and service level management
EDUCATION
Bachelor of Science – Cum Laude - Communication Systems Management – Ohio University, Athens, Ohio
COMMUNITY INVOLVEMENT
President, Board of Trustees for not-for-profit provider of group homes for developmentally disabled adults (2004 – present)
Member, Board of Trustees for North Dallas-based not-for-profit Montessori academy (2001 – 2007)
Member, Plano Independent School District’s School Based Improvement Committee (2004 - 2006)
Youth soccer and baseball coach (2003 – present)
Boy Scouts of America (2005 – present)
August 2008 – a |
