CloudXL
Size: £27m
Unified telecommunications and IT
The project
CloudXL offers cloud-based information technology and telecommunications infrastructure. It specialises in cloud-based consultancy and technology services, with clients including Avaya, Brocade, Microsoft and Mitel.
The challenge
Our primary objective was to integrate three businesses formed into CloudXL as a portfolio investment strategy and create profitable growth in the fastest possible time to prepare the business for an exit within two years.
David has a unique ability to gain a clear understanding of how a business works in a very short space of time. He is a driven, focused and most importantly, a fair individual with an application of detailed analytics to setting KPIs, which leaves all those who report to him, in no doubt of their requirements. Often, the theory gets lost in the day-to-day challenges of business life. Not in David’s case. His belief structure enables an environment for success. You just have to be careful of the ‘Welsh pounds’ David uses for target setting. They seem to be bigger than English ones.
Peter Watson
Head of Sales, IntraLAN Group Ltd
The solution
We made an initial assessment of the different sales teams, realigned some roles, recruited new people, and created a unified team and a new CloudXL brand.
With a new industry sector focused strategic and recovery plan, we worked with the directors, sales managers, country managers, implementation teams and vendors to create new growth.
Standardised & localised’ sales processes, systems and methodologies were introduced, with strong vendor support.
We also helped improve the CRM systems to become more aligned to selling large-scale networking and IT systems projects and license renewals profitably.
Daily, weekly and monthly briefings were introduced with in-situ and online video coaching, backed by performance tracking and KPI measurement. And we developed sales best practice knowledge and skills performance improvement programmes with sales, marketing and product management teams.
The impact
Within less than a year, we had grown sales pipeline values twenty times larger than when we started, saw a 400% increase in quarterly direct profit margin contribution, and 103% growth in net profits.
The investors completed a successful exit in the second year with a healthy, fully integrated new business brand.