ROBERT H. WILKINS
Aurora, IL 60504
630-978-8589
wilkins2@comcast.net
Summary
Sr. Sales & Business Development Leader with a distinguished career building sales organizations, developing management teams and significantly improving operational performance. Demonstrated exceptional leadership abilities with the capacity to build, train and mentor highly productive sales management teams. Change agent with outstanding strategic vision, leadership, communication and organizational skills, which have proven to be critical assets in developing a positive work environment, managing people, and exceeding company goals. More than 15 years of progressive sales leadership and management experience.
Key Qualifications
Business Development
Productivity/Efficiency Improvements
Change Agent Catalyst
Turn-Around Leadership
Partnerships Development
Mergers/Acquisitions
Sales Management
Key Client Development/Retention
Team Building
Recruiting/Staffing
Mentoring and Coaching
Performance Management
Operations Management
Operations Analysis
Organizational Design/Development
Process Performance Improvements
Training and Leadership Development
Project Management Portfolio
Planning/Marketing
P&L/Budget
Strategic Business Plan
Vendor and Customer Relations/Contract Negotiations
Cross-Functional Team Development
Brand/Product Marketing
Professional Experience
American Messaging – Regional Vice President of Sales Chicago, IL 2006 - 2007
Responsibilities: Sales Management, Account Retention, P/L Accountability, and Business Development. Revenue: 33% of Organization’s Sales.
Direct Reports: 4 Directors of Sales across 5 states, 1 Senior Account Manager (of national accounts). Indirect reports: 11 Account Executives (hunters), 18 Account Managers.
• Faced with the challenge of integrating sales teams during merger transition activity. Galvanized team with a strategy that would lead us to the vision of our combined companies. During this 7 month period we kept our best reps in place, held onto 100% of our largest customer base, & successfully transformed our regional status to that of a vibrant nationwide carrier.
• Challenged with regaining lost sales account. Researched and determined the open issues, partnered with CEO in meetings with the account, & guided cross-functional efforts to begin providing the solution to their key problems. In 8 months the account re-signed with us, regaining $276,000 in annual revenue.
• Tasked with convergence initiatives due to the merger of our company with another, while continuing to achieve sales targets. Succeeded in keeping the sales team energized and focused on meeting and exceeding sales goals with no voluntary rep turnover, no loss of key business accounts, and actually re-signing 6 major accounts to multiple year contracts while working through a billing system conversion, new compensation plan rollout, revised job descriptions, and account re-deployment.
Ameritech/SBC Cellular and Paging, Chicago, IL 1997 - 2006
Vice President, Sales (2005 - 2006)
Responsibilities: Sales Management of all Paging channels, P/L control, and Operations management. Revenue: 95% of organization’s sales.
Direct Reports: 4 Directors of Sales, 1 Senior Account Manager (of national accounts), 1 Operations Manager, and 1 Administrative Assistant. Indirect reports: 21 Account Executives, 17 Account Managers across a 7 state company.
• Charged with multiple simultaneous tasks of creating an exit plan, & developing presentations for potential buyers of our business unit while maintaining day to day performance. Within 9 months, worked confidentially with specific resource partners to complete the packages required while leading sales team to exceed our yearly revenue goal by $3.2 million, & our profit goal by $1 million. Our unit was not shut down, but instead was purchased as a profitable go forward business.
• Renewal letter campaign – cards sent to smallest accounts (1-25 UIS). 1290 accounts renewed ($656K rev) with no price reductions.
Director, Channel Initiatives and Sales, (1999 – 2005)
Responsibilities: Sales and profitability of 1300 dealer and reseller locations in 6 states, marketing and business development of product and service offered, building a Paging business unit separate from the cellular unit. Revenue: $100 million.
Direct reports: 3 Regional Sales Managers, 1 Operations Manager, 1 Customer Service Manager, 1 Manager of Contracts, 1 Administrative Assistant. Indirect reports: 37 Corporate Account Executives, 20 Corporate Account Managers.
• Tasked with resurrecting an underperforming sales region. Hired additional personnel, provided training & direction that resulted in signing the largest account in the last 2 years, increasing activations by 173% & annual revenue by $1 million.
• Faced with potential loss of largest account. Identified the risk inherent in not having our largest account under contract, led the year long initiative that resulted in signing the 13,600 unit account for the 1st time ever, guaranteeing $1.8 million in annual revenue.
• Challenged with maintaining revenue while splitting current business unit. Partnered with Senior Management, created an organizational restructuring plan, developed new standards, and policies. Led implementation of plan within 7 months which resulted in smooth transition, minimal churn from our 1300 dealers/resellers and maintained revenue stream.
• Reduced churn in Business and Dealer channels to 1.8% (lowest in 3 years) while shutting down frequencies, holding the line on contract pricing and adding a network administration fee.
• Exceeded EBITDA target by 40% ($5.4 million) in 2004.
• Large account renewal initiative – renewed 250 of our largest business accounts and 433 mid size, retaining $30 million in recurring revenue (2002-2004).
• Challenged to develop presentations to mass retailers and grow “pick up and go” distribution while building a paging organization separate from cellular. In 2 years (1999-2000) built a paging organization for over 1300 dealer/reseller locations and over 2000 business accounts, creating job descriptions, hiring and training reps (increasing reports from 12 to 28), creating sales tracking documents, while signing over 700 locations to sell pick up and go cellular/paging product.
• Ameritech Cellular channel growth – tasked with energizing and growing the cellular/paging stores while getting expenses under control and replacing 17 managers lost to the competition. In 18 months increased store locations from 30 to 62 (including Sears SWS and Triangle dealer stores acquisition). Improved store cash over/short 74% ($34K). Overall operating expenses improved from $141K worse than plan to $515K under plan. This resulted in an operating profit of $709K over plan (+250%).
Venture Stores, Chicago, IL 1987 - 1997
District Manager/Divisional Vice President of Stores (1996 - 1997)
Regional Responsibilities: Full P/L responsibility for 18 stores in 2 states, sales management, operational process improvement, hiring and training of managers. Revenue: $260 million in annual sales.
Direct reports: 18 Store Managers, 1 Administrative Assistant. Indirect reports: 1800 store employees including management, cashiers, sales, stocking, maintenance, operations, and security.
Store Manager/Senior Regional Merchandise Manager, (1989 – 1996)
• Assigned the initiative of quickly salvaging a severely under-performing store. Assessed the circumstances, set specific goals, & implemented procedural changes. Within 3 months increased the average sale/customer by 10%, decreased rain checks by 50% and reversed the sales trend from a 12% loss to a flat trend. Became walk through store for the District meeting.
• My division won the company contest for the highest average sale increase per customer.
• Tasked with assuring an organized on time launch of the 1st 4 stores in a new market. Located & opened all temporary offices, began the hiring process in each location, interfaced with Sr. Management & local construction contractors. All 4 stores opened with full staff, on time, & hit their initial sales & profit goals. My store won the grand opening sales contest and was the only store to beat earnings plan for the 1st year. Ranked #1 customer service score for all new stores.
• Faced with reversing the performance & morale of a store where the manager had just been fired. Transferred to the location, re-organized the staff, developed, and implemented new prioritized strategy. Within 7 months, set store assortments back to planogram, reversed sales trend from a loss to +6 %, decreased inventory shortage by 13%, became #1 store in the District for expense savings, & was promoted as a result of the turn around.
• As store manager, promoted over 30 employees to various positions.
Education and Training
Bachelor of Arts, Economics
Wabash College, Crawfordsville, IN
Dean’s list, Rush chairman of fraternity
• Personnel and Operations Manager Training
• Advanced management skills & training techniques
• Dimensional manager training
• General Manager Camp (SBC)
• Leadership development seminar (certificate of leadership development) |
