Privately owned IT Support company in the Midlands with turnover under £1m and an owner seeking a reduced role.

Engagement Brief and Challenge

• The business was experiencing slow growth and poor client retention despite operating in a strong market sector.
• Areas identified for improvement included:
  • Sales & Marketing – insufficient market share and a shortfall in revenue.
  • Pricing – low profit margins, limiting capacity for growth.
  • Company structure – alignment of people, accountability, and effectiveness needed.
  • Company operations – efficiency controls required to improve productivity.

Addressing the Challenge

• A strategic review of the business was undertaken, with priority placed on sales, account management, market offering, and proposal structure.
• This resulted in a detailed action plan identifying key remedial actions, including:
  • Sales & Marketing
    • Reviewed and implemented a sales and marketing strategy, introducing digital techniques not previously deployed.
    • Enhanced online presence through social media integration, website improvements, and SEO development.
    • Conducted a competitor market position analysis to identify growth opportunities.
  • Commercial & Operations
    • Reviewed the commercial and contractual position, revising the offer and financial structure.
    • Assessed and improved operational activities to increase efficiency.
  • Team
    • Identified succession and contingency risks and developed a strategy to mitigate them.
    • Built the internal sales team through systems development, targeted training, and mentoring.

Outcomes

Sales revenue and new business increased by 35% within nine months and by 50% within 18 months, with gross margins maintained for existing contracts and increased by 10% for all new accounts. The owner successfully stepped back from daily operations, with empowered Directors now running the business.