Mike Kunkle - Sales Effectiveness Advisor & Consultant, Transforming Sales Results, LLC & SPARXiQ

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Work Background

SPARXiQVice President, Sales Effectiveness Services

Dec. 2018New Ipswich, New Hampshire, United States · RemoteClients turn to SPARXiQ to improve sales results and accelerate profitable growth. Our mantra is “Diagnose First, Then Prescribe.” We take a data-driven approach to analyze root causes, co-create solutions that will deliver business results, and then support you in implementing to get the outcomes you need. As VP, Sales Effectiveness Services, I guide clients through interpreting sales force diagnostics, implementing sales hiring assessments and hiring systems, implementing sales training and sales coaching systems effectively, and provide advisory services and coaching to implement sales management operating systems and improve sales performance. We offer: 🔹Strategic Pricing Analytics/Services 🔹Sales & Profitability Analytics 🔹Sales Hiring Assessments 🔹Sales Force Evaluations 🔹Sales Methodology (Modern Sales Foundations: https://bit.ly/MSF-site) 🔹Sales Training Courses (see https://modernsalesfoundations.com) 🔹Sales Coaching Training (see https://bit.ly/SCE-site) 🔹Sales Enablement Services (based on The Building Blocks of Sales Enablement) 🔹Sales Advisory Services

Fast Lane USVP, Sales Transformation Services

Mar. 2017 - May. 2018Greater Boston AreaI built and led the sales transformation practice for Fast Lane (see http://www.FastLane.com), a new division of Fast Lane Consulting & Education Services. Fast Lane serves the high-tech market and provides training and consulting services to enable technical teams to perform at their highest levels. Clients range from growing mid-market systems integrators to Fortune 25 digital transformation leaders. Fast Lane also focuses on the high-tech market, serving the Internet of Things/Industrial Internet sector and all the various players in the IoT ecosystem (OEMs, VARs, SIs, etc.). We established the sales transformation practice to guide clients through the process of preparing their sales force, channel, and ecosystem partners to capitalize on the market opportunities ahead with IoT. Solutions included diagnostics, assessments, sales competency work, sales process and buying process alignment, a systems approach to sales (primarily the sales selection, sales readiness and enablement, sales learning, and sales management systems) and the 5 stages of sales mastery and behavior change, to deliver pre-determined outcomes. I provided the expertise internally and put the necessary partnerships in place to help clients radically transform their sales results. Download the white paper I wrote for them on Realizing the Growth Potential of the Internet of Things at: http://bit.ly/IoTPotential-FLD Download my eBook on Sales Coaching Excellence at: http://bit.ly/SalesCoachingEbook-FLD

BrainsharkSr. Director, Sales Readiness Consulting

Oct. 2016 - Jan. 2017Greater Boston AreaDid demand generation by sharing thought leadership about Sales Readiness, Sales Enablement, Sales Training, Sales Coaching, Sales Manager Enablement and more, through webinars, publishing, podcasts, and speaking. • Published in many leading industry content providers including Brainshark, Sales & Marketing Management, Selling Power, MarTech Advisor and more; quoted in Forbes. • Leading monthly webinar series for Brainshark and Sales & Marketing Management, and participating in BrightTALK’s Sales Experts channel. • In the role transition in late Q4 2016, drove 1,778 registrations, 810 AQLs, and 6 fully-qualified leads (so far) with only 3 webinars. See my posts on Brainshark's blog at: • https://www.brainshark.com/ideas-blog/blogger-bios/mike-kunkle See Brainshark upcoming webinars and on-demand replays at: • https://www.brainshark.com/company/events Join the Sales Experts BrightTALK channel (I'm a webinar leader there) at: • https://www.brighttalk.com/channel/14877/the-sales-experts-channel In 2017, I'll be leading a monthly webinar series on Sales & Marketing Management Magazine's channel, "Sales Transformation Series with Mike Kunkle." See: • http://bit.ly/MKonSMMConnect For an example of the value I've delivered over my career, see http://bit.ly/MikeKunkleCareerProfile

BrainsharkSr. Director, Sales Enablement

Sep. 2015 - Oct. 2016Greater Boston AreaBrainshark helps thousands of companies around the world improve productivity with cloud-based solutions for sales, marketing, training, and sales coaching. Brainshark sales enablement software solutions accelerate revenue through faster training, increased buyer engagement, and more successful sales conversations. Responsible for sales onboarding, sales training, sales certifications, sales readiness, sales manager development, talent development, sales methodology implementation and certification, sales enablement - including working with Marketing on sales messaging and administration of sales enablement tools - and overall sales productivity. Lead a team of 3 sales enablement specialists. • Implementing sales process and sales methodology (including Force Management's Command of the Message and Command of the Sale). • Aligning content to the buying process exit criteria for our various buyer personas and preparing sales reps to deliver consistent messaging and articulate value. • Providing business and financial acumen training to prepare reps to have better business conversations with executive buyers. • Managing the internal implementation, adoption and effective of Brainshark Sales Accelerator, to serve up the right content to sales reps, at the right time in the sales process, for the right buyers. • Improving sales onboarding to shorten ramp-up and improve new-hire productivity. • Implementing more effective sales hiring systems. • Creating effective learning systems with the right content, knowledge sustainment, skills transfer, and coaching to mastery. • Implementing CloudCoaching International's "Pathways to Growth" and 9 Disciplines for sales management and providing sales coaching training for all frontline sales managers. • Working with the executive team to create a strategic partnership network to provide clients with the needed capabilities and support to truly transform their sales results.

GE CapitalCommercial Training and Development Leader

Mar. 2014 - Sep. 2015Irving, TXAs part of GE Capital's Commercial Development team, I was embedded in the Equipment Finance division in Irving, Texas. I worked there with the Commercial Excellence team and Sales Effectiveness Managers, and used my background in best-in-class learning strategies, sales training, performance levers, sales process, sales methodology, change leadership, and sales transformation to develop the capabilities of sales representatives and sales managers to drive business results. • Conducted a top producer analysis • Guided the implementation of insight selling with the elements of an effective learning system • Developed and delivered multiple presentations to GE Capital dealers/customers • Developed a series of training videos with handouts, for channel reps to use, to train and support customers • Implemented a competency assessment system and used results to develop custom curricula to support sales training needs • Supported the development of a new course designed to teach sales managers how to leverage data and analytics to improve sales results

RichardsonDirector, Product Development (Sales Training | Sales Enablement Products)

Dec. 2012 - Mar. 2014Dallas/Fort Worth AreaI worked with Richardson's Chief Strategy Officer and Marketing team and was responsible for managing the development of products, solutions and partnerships to help Richardson meet the emerging needs of our evolving marketplace. I developed and launched Richardson's Selling with Insights® program, which you can learn about at: http://bit.ly/R-SWI. To help align sales and marketing and enable effective insight selling, I developed an Insight Blueprint framework as a source document and modified Richardson's dialogue models to develop an Insight Message model and worksheet, for personalizing and preparing for the delivery of insight messages to buyers, within a sales conversation. If you’re not familiar with Richardson, you can learn more about the company at http://www.richardson.com and read their blog at http://blogs.richardson.com. Richardson is a global sales training and strategy execution company that partners with leading organizations to increase their sales effectiveness and drive business results. They're a proponent of consultative selling, dialogue skills, and highly-customized sales training. Their award-winning sales enablement and consulting team helps clients formalize sales strategy and execute sales transformations through effective change management and change leadership.

Insphere Insurance SolutionsDirector, Sales Effectiveness | Sales Training

Jan. 2011 - Jul. 2012Dallas/Fort Worth AreaHired to lead the sales effectiveness and sales training efforts for Insphere, an insurance distribution company backed by a group of private equity investors including The Blackstone Group, Goldman Sachs Capital Partners and Credit Suisse. • Implemented psychometric assessments for management development and sales performer research. • Conducted sales performance lever analysis (a sales research project supported by a University of North Texas professor) and led the best practices data collection and training redesign. • Developed and implemented agent business plans with a commitment to success and performance evaluation and planning documentation to foster accountability and manage sales performance. • Developed sales coaching training for new and incumbent sales leaders. • See http://slidesha.re/PerfLevers082011 for an example of my work (not limited to Insphere).

Torchmark CorporationDirector of Sales Training

Oct. 2010 - Jan. 2011Hired to lead the sales training and sales effectiveness efforts for United American Insurance Company and Liberty National Life Insurance Company, two of the Torchmark affiliates (NYSE: TMK). Organized and delivered sales training to frontline sales reps and leadership training for sales managers.

McKesson Health ITDirector, Training Delivery Services

May. 2007 - Sep. 2010Led a professional services training team teaching EMR software to customers and providing product training to employees. Managed scheduling, registration, customer service, training delivery (classroom and virtual), LMS management, delivery P&L, daily operations. Tasked with process improvement to ensure scalability. Staff of 22. • Achieved $22.07MM revenue (9% over goal) and EBIT of $11.48MM (8% over goal) in one fiscal year. • Sold and delivered $759.5K in unbudgeted (organic growth) training classes. • Led the instructor team to deliver customer satisfaction scores of 4.74 (5-point scale) and an average post-course proficiency assessment score of 88.8%. • Led a migration to a virtual instructor-led training environment (with hands-on labs), projected to lower customer Total Cost of Ownership and reduce employee travel costs, while retaining training effectiveness.

Transforming Sales Results, LLCFounder | Sales Transformation Advisor | Speaker | Author

Jan. 2007New Ipswich, New Hampshire, United States · RemoteCOURSE: THE BUILDING BLOCKS OF SALES ENABLEMENT LEARNING EXPERIENCE (powered by FFWD) 🔹https://GoFFWD.com/Blocks MY BOOK: THE BUILDING BLOCKS OF SALES ENABLEMENT 🔹https://www.amazon.com/Building-Blocks-Sales-Enablement/dp/1952157625/ After my initial years in sales/sales management, I've spent 28 years as a corporate leader or consultant, leading departments and projects with one purpose – improving sales results. See page 2 of http://bit.ly/MikeKunkleCareerProfile for examples. In 2007, I began sharing my sales transformation methods, speaking at conferences, leading webinars, publishing, and advising companies and consulting. I help companies and business leaders strategize all aspects of their sales transformation. Here’s just a sampling of the recognition I’ve received. 🔹https://gtmbuddy.ai/blog/top-sales-enablement-leaders-to-follow 🔹https://ambition.com/blog/entry/2017-11-02-100-world-class-sales-coaches-and-trainers/ 🔹https://lab.getapp.com/top-sales-experts-linkedin/ 🔹https://thedailysales.net/the-top-50-sales-experts-influencers/ 🔹https://now.iseeit.com/top-100-most-innovative-sales-bloggers/ 🔹http://www.knowledgetree.com/blog/2015/04/30-top-sales-enablement-thought-leaders/ 🔹http://blog.getbase.com/50-sales-pros-to-follow-on-twitter 🔹http://www.ringdna.com/blog/sales-influencers-to-follow-on-twitter METHODOLOGIES: 🔹http://bit.ly/SystemsApproachSalesTransformation 🔹http://bit.ly/PerfLevers082011 🔹http://www.mikekunkle.com/shop/ I can be reached through my website at https://www.mikekunkle.com/services or right here on LinkedIn. As an employee or consultant, I've worked in: Software / Internet, Financial Services, Insurance, Healthcare IT, Luxury Hotels, Meetings & Conventions, Music & Entertainment, Professional Services & Consulting, and Wholesale Distribution/Industrial B2B. While there are nuances worth noting, sales performance improvement concepts are universal. I get results.

NovaStar Mortgage, Inc.Director, Business Analytics | Performance Improvement

Jun. 2006 - May. 2007Promoted by the CEO in June 2006 to develop customer and performance analytics, re-engineer territory management and account assignment practices, determine whether our performance improvement initiatives are working, and foster a data-driven mindset for business decisions. • Developed customer satisfaction and retention models and metrics. • Built reporting schemas to evaluate initiatives. • Re-engineered account assignment and territory management practices to reduce conflict and increase production. • Developed account analytics to reshape how we viewed and sold to the customer base, and to determine how to best grow production.

NovaStar Mortgage, Inc.Project Team Leader - Six Sigma | Process Improvement

Jan. 2006 - Jun. 2006• Defined and led Six Sigma DMAIC projects to capture best practices and redesign business processes to increase operations productivity, decrease errors, improve service, create a stronger accountability chain, and decrease costs. Six-month rotational assignment to earn my Green Belt in Lean and Six Sigma.

NovaStar Mortgage, Inc.Director of Sales Performance Development

Apr. 2003 - Jan. 2006Led the 7-person team responsible for instructional design, sales training delivery (instructor-led, online, and blended solutions), and sales transformation / performance improvement projects for inside, field, and major account sales and management. Managed a $4.6MM budget. • Achieved a $9.96MM annual net ROI through multiple projects to improve hiring effectiveness, shorten ramp-up time for new hires, lift sales results for incumbent underperformers, and improve the performance of sales managers. • Designed an implemented a sales coaching program that taught leaders to diagnose and correct weaknesses or reinforce strengths in their employees, based on analysis of metrics and observable behaviors, relative to key performance levers. • Played a pivotal role (one of three architects) in the development of NovaStar University, a custom Learning Management System, and the NovaStar University Leadership Development Curriculum.

Force Field Performance ServicesFounder | Sales Performance Consultant

Oct. 2001 - Apr. 2003Consulted with business owners and corporate department managers to increase revenue and decrease expenses, for better business results. Offered analysis, strategic and tactical planning, hiring, training, sales training, business process redesign, executive coaching, performance management and profit improvement consulting services. Supported clients in the entertainment, pharmaceutical, manufacturing, telecommunications, and retail industries. • Through changes in territory management practices, accountability systems, and sales coaching, increased sales per rep by 47% in six months. • Implemented strategic account management practices that significantly increased revenue from major accounts within 4 months, and improved average profitability per sales rep by 11%. • Developed a competency-based performance measurement system that doubled as a career-pathing tool. • Administered developmental and multi-rater assessments, designed executive development plans (including training, developmental programs, personal work analysis/redesign and time management, and more), and counseling and coaching key business leaders to higher levels of effectiveness.

Pfizer Consumer HealthcareManager, Sales Training

Jan. 2001 - Oct. 2001Responsible for design and implementation of sales training for consumer healthcare pharmaceutical reps. • Conducted in-depth needs analysis of sales performance levers and began course development. • Worked with sales management to implement sales training sessions at local and regional meetings. • Personal family circumstances forced a personal leave and eventual premature resignation.

PlanSoft Corporation (now StarCite)Various Training & OD Leadership Roles

Jun. 1997 - Jan. 2001VP, Sales Force Performance Asked by the CEO to help the Sales SVP increase sales performance through sales training and sales effectiveness initiatives. • Delivered sales training for consultative selling skills and major account management. • Designed recruiting and selection systems, including behavioral interviewing and assessments. • Streamlined business processes to more effectively sell, serve, and manage accounts. VP, Strategic Implementation Promoted by the CEO to guide the executive team through the execution of a major change in strategic direction. • Implemented a matrix organization structure, issue and conflict resolution plans, key progress reports, and organization-wide project tracking methodologies to foster a culture of accountability and accomplishment, at an accelerated pace. Successfully guided the change in strategic direction to conclusion, on-time and within-budget. VP, Professional Services Promoted by the President to build and manage PlanSoft's implementation, training, and client support departments. • Managed a 30-person staff responsible for all product implementations, including pre-sales consulting, installations, implementation project management, training, “go live” management, and customer support. • Improved departmental performance from one failed implementation (prior to arrival) to multiple successful implementations in 9 months. Director, Technology Training Hired as employee 11 for this B2B, e-commerce software start-up, to build client training department and the design and delivery of instructional materials, documentation, and job aids • Developed and implemented client training plans, including instructor-led training, online training, Help systems, and plans to establish training as a profit center. • Hired and managed a 12-person training staff, including instructional designers, technical writers, technology instructors, a training coordinator, a design manager and a delivery manager.

Hyatt Hotels CorporationDirector, Sales Training & Management Development

Jan. 1995 - Dec. 1997Hired by senior sales managers of this luxury hotel chain to lead sales training and management development efforts. • Conducted needs analysis for field and national sales teams and designed sales training and management development curricula that included training transfer plans and evaluation systems, to ensure results. • Worked with The Ken Blanchard Companies, AchieveGlobal and Communispond to provide leadership development. • Trained and coached the 14-person field team that conducted sales training. • Forecasted and managed a sales training development budget of over $1.5MM.

Household Finance CorporationNational Sales Training Manager

Aug. 1989 - Apr. 1995Asked by senior management to nationally implement the sales training programs previously designed for the Central Region, due to their overwhelming success. Responsible for management of analysis, design, development, implementation and evaluation of all sales training and management development programs. • Aligned hiring, sales training, compensation, coaching and performance management practices to increase new hire sales performance; 4-month employees outperformed a control group of 5-year employees. • Reengineered the training function to decrease costs by $600K annually, without sacrificing productivity. • Managed a staff of 7 sales trainers and a $1.25 million training budget. • Played a key role as Subject Matter Expert for an 18-month developmental certification program for Branch Sales Managers. • Designed and delivered training for new sales reps, during which students prospected real customers. • Increased loans closed per employee in the 3-month period after sales training by 2.3 per month (average revenue increase of $183K per class of 12, or over $36.6MM over 12 months). • When research showed a 60-day, post-training performance drop, created a sales coaching program for managers which increased 60-day post-training performance to surpass the growth curve of the 30-day groups.