HEADFORWARDS is an outsource software development company based in Cornwall. With a team of more than 100, the business turns over £6m a year and has ambitions for business growth.

Katie Sandow was asked to review the current position and deliver a proposed approach to developing a sales and marketing strategy that would underpin future growth. The next step was to support the business in the delivery and implementation of the approach, identifying the best way to resource and create an effective, sustainable marketing and sales function.

With ten years of business under their belt, Headforwards had a great portfolio of clients and long term partnerships. The team wanted to focus on getting the right kind of leads which would enable them to grow a certain type of account. With high value contracts, conversion from enquiry to sale can take months.

We recognised we couldn’t accelerate growth without a number of operational evolutions happening simultaneously. The team wasn’t equipped to spend time nurturing leads, and converted leads required recruitment of teams which the business needed to be able to deliver within a reasonable timeframe.

Our first step was to recruit a Sales Coordinator that would be responsible for coordinating the sales flow and process, ensuring potential clients weren’t falling between the gaps, making sure the right people were on calls and workshops and proposals were effectively delivered.

Once this role had bedded in and our sales processes moved from theoretical to practical, we recruited a Marketing Coordinator whose focus is on the delivery of the marketing plan. The current focus is on brand, the sales proposition, building and nurturing the right relationships and driving leads.

Headforwards co-founder, Toby Parkins says: “Katie is a superb strategic marketing director. Her understanding of marketing is second to none and is supported by her capability to fully explore and understand deeply how a business actually works on the inside.

“This enables her to provide objective views on how a business needs to be positioned and perceived externally. The result is she doesn’t just create nice looking marketing campaigns, but instead helps a marketing campaign align with the whole business to form a cohesive and effective marketing strategy.”