Client Background & Challenge
Concordia Publishing House (CPH) operates in a high-ticket, high-volume B2B environment, serving the church market with software and ministry resources through its software division Concordia Technology Solutions (CTS). Despite a strong product portfolio and loyal customer base, the sales organization lagged behind industry standards. Processes were informal, accountability was inconsistent, and the sales tech stack was underutilized.
The result? A sales team working hard but without a unified playbook. The two existing reps—called Software Consultants—were essentially in order-taking roles rather than true consultative sales. Quotas were set without pipeline visibility, accountability was inconsistent, and HubSpot, though purchased, was barely leveraged. Leadership knew the potential was there but lacked the systems, roles, and processes to scale effectively.
Approach & Solution
Rob Davidson led a sales professionalization effort that blended RevOps discipline, sales process design, and change management to transform CPH’s sales function from clerical order-taking into a predictable growth engine.
People (Roles & Capability)
-
Redefined roles & trained for consultative selling: Transitioned the two “Software Consultants” from clerical order processing to full-cycle, consultative sales—installing discovery frameworks, objection handling, solution positioning, and accountability for pipeline ownership.
-
Coached reps on pipeline management: Taught them how to actively build, track, and progress opportunities rather than wait for inbound activity.
-
Trained on nurturing cold contacts: Showed reps how to take cold leads and methodically move them to warmth through sequencing, follow-up, and value-driven conversations.
-
Created an SDR function: Hired and onboarded CPH’s first Sales Development Representative to run lead sourcing, cold outreach, and qualification, building outbound discipline and freeing AEs to focus on closing.
Process (Playbooks & Operating Rhythm)
-
Built standardized playbooks: Documented stages, handoffs, activity expectations, and exit criteria; added pitch decks, email templates, and competitive one-pagers to ensure consistent positioning.
-
Instituted deal reviews & cadences: Added pipeline reviews and coaching rhythms to reinforce accountability and improve forecast hygiene.
Platform (HubSpot & RevOps)
- Territory strategy: Recut territories using data (volume, potential, coverage) to reduce friction, clarify ownership, and improve planning.
-
Reimplemented HubSpot: Cleaned data, rebuilt objects/fields, and deployed automations for lead routing, tasking, and follow-ups; stood up dashboards aligned to stages, quotas, and activity metrics.
-
Redesigned quotas & pipeline: Standardized stage definitions, aligned quotas to real territory potential and historical conversion rates, and overhauled compensation to drive performance. Instead of paying reps on every deal, payouts only kicked in once monthly quota was met—at 5%. If reps also achieved their annual quota, their commission rate retroactively increased to 7% on the year. This created healthy pressure to consistently hit targets, while delivering outsized rewards for year-end overperformance—all without blowing up budget discipline.
Results & Impact
-
Quota attainment doubled: Team performance improved from roughly 65% to consistent 120%+ of quota within six months under Rob’s leadership.
-
Revenue growth accelerated: Structured pipeline management and conviction-driven selling drove 37% year-over-year revenue growth.
-
Efficiency gains unlocked: Speed-to-lead acceleration improved by +1300%, enabling faster response times, more selling activity, and more units moved.
-
Confidence restored: With clear processes, professional tools, and disciplined pipeline management, the team gained conviction and clarity—turning scattered activity into scalable execution.
Why It Matters
Most sales teams don’t fail for lack of effort—they fail for lack of structure. At CPH, the talent and product strength were already in place, but without clear processes, defined roles, or reliable systems, growth was inconsistent.
By introducing discipline across people, process, and technology, Rob Davidson helped transform a reactive, order-taking sales function into a professionalized sales organization capable of predictable growth.
The key lessons:
-
Alignment first. Sales systems collapse without leadership buy-in.
-
Collateral matters. A clear playbook and modern tools prevent drift and build conviction.
-
Data integrity is non-negotiable. Without clean inputs, quotas and forecasts are just noise.
Rob’s work proved that with the right structure, even a small, underdeveloped sales team can evolve into a disciplined, growth-oriented engine—one that consistently exceeds quota and scales with confidence.
Ready to Professionalize Your Sales Engine?
CPH didn’t lack effort—it lacked structure. By redefining roles, building systems, and aligning quotas with real pipeline potential, the team moved from 65% quota attainment to consistently exceeding 120%—and unlocked 37% YoY revenue growth.
That’s the kind of transformation our Revenue Bottleneck Audit is built to uncover.
If you’re a founder or leader doing $500K–$25M and your sales team feels stuck—whether that’s missed quotas, unclear roles, or messy CRM adoption—we’ll pinpoint the real constraint and show you how to fix it.
No vague advice. No generic playbooks. Just clarity you can act on.
➤ Email me for your free audit and let’s turn potential into predictable growth.
