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Sales Performance ✅
More profit from the sales team you already have
More profit from the sales team you already have
Enquiries come in. Quotations go out. Some convert, others quietly go cold, and too many are won on price at margins that barely pay their way.
Meanwhile the overdraft sits close to its limit, the team waits for you to step in, and you're the one holding it all together.
I've sat in that chair. Selling more isn't always the answer. When cash is tight, more orders can make things harder. So I start with the profit you're already earning, then help you win more of it.
Two steps, in the right order
Step 1: More profit from the sales you already make
Tighter pricing, less unnecessary discounting and a better sales mix. More gross profit and more cash, without extra stock, staff or borrowing.
Step 2: Win more business at better margins
Better conversion, follow-up and accountability, using the salespeople you already employ. A stronger team that performs without you constantly stepping in.
If cash is tight, we take them in that order. If it isn't, we work on both together.
An illustration: a business turning over £2m
Recover 2% of margin through better pricing: +£40,000 gross profit
Win £100,000 more sales at a 30% margin: +£30,000 gross profit
Together: £70,000 a year, with no extra salespeople or marketing spend
What changes
The business: more profit, more cash, less reliance on the overdraft.
Your team: more confident, more accountable, and needing you less.
You: your time back, and a business worth more if you come to sell. A business that makes more profit and doesn't depend on you is worth more to a buyer.
Not every business has profit waiting to be recovered. A short conversation is usually enough to tell whether yours does, and if it doesn't, I'll say so. I've sat in the MD's chair myself, so this is a straightforward business conversation, not a sales pitch.
Is your sales team delivering its full potential?
Is your sales team delivering its full potential?
Many businesses have capable salespeople and good products, yet still lose profitable opportunities. The usual causes are inconsistent follow-up, uneven conversion rates and no clear sales accountability.
The managing director ends up chasing enquiries and pushing deals over the line, which leaves less time to run and develop the business.
The problem usually isn't a shortage of leads or the wrong people. More often, the team simply has no consistent way of working.
How the work is done
How the work is done
I find where profitable sales are being lost and put practical improvements in place. I focus on six areas:
Margin: spotting unnecessary discounting, under-priced work and unprofitable customers.
Sales conversion: helping your team turn more existing enquiries into orders.
Follow-up discipline: making sure promising opportunities aren't forgotten or left to drift.
Sales performance: finding what your best salespeople do differently and helping the rest improve.
Accountability: introducing simple, measurable weekly actions that drive results.
The MD's time: reducing how often you need to step into day-to-day sales activity.
The aim is straightforward: more gross profit, a more effective sales team, and more time for you to run the business.
What MDs say about working with me
What MDs say about working with me
Bill Fallon, Managing Director, The Engineering PM Ltd
Spencer Anglesea, Managing Director, Just Internet Solutions Ltd
Mark Earnshaw, Managing Director, Empowered Studios Ltd
Tim Guest, Managing Director, Contedia Ltd
How much additional profit could your existing sales team generate?
How much additional profit could your existing sales team generate?
If you're running an established UK business and suspect you're not getting the profit or performance you should, let's have a conversation.
We'll explore where margins, missed opportunities or inconsistent sales performance may be holding your business back.
My fees are largely linked to the results I deliver.
No lengthy presentations. Just a straightforward business conversation.
Steve Richardson
Richardsons Solutions
Email: steve@richardsons.solutions
About Steve Richardson
About Steve Richardson
I have more than 35 years of practical business experience, including over 25 years as a managing director and more than a decade advising businesses in sectors from technology and manufacturing to medical and scientific.
I've run businesses myself, so I understand the pressures owner-managers face: protecting margins, managing people, driving sales, and finding time to work on the business rather than in it.
My approach comes from commercial experience, not theory. I work alongside managing directors and their sales teams to spot weaknesses, plug profit leaks, put practical improvements in place and measure the results.
In my recent advisory work on R&D tax claims, I found money that businesses didn't know they were missing:
A North West manufacturer of timber doorsets gained £90k from three months' work together.
A Yorkshire manufacturer of gritters benefited by £220k, also from three months' work.
Over the past 10 years, I've helped more than 50 SMEs in the same way.
Finding value that's hiding in plain sight is exactly what I now bring to sales.
Getting more from the people and opportunities you already have can deliver substantial returns without the expense of generating new leads.
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