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CASE STUDY • COMMERCIAL SALES GROWTH

Building a Commercial Sales Team to Sell Products While Improving Retail Store Performance

A large-scale sales leadership case study focused on building a commercial sales channel, improving store-level execution, and creating sustained revenue growth across a national organization.

Company: Sears Holdings Global Sourcing Limited Role: Senior Business Development Manager Period: Sep 2001 – Nov 2004 Location: Hoffman Estates, Illinois • Remote

The Business Challenge

The role required building and scaling a commercial sales effort while also improving execution across retail locations. Success depended on coordinating field leadership, store management, forecasting, accountability, and new-channel business development without losing focus on the performance of the existing retail operation.

Why this matters today

This case study reflects the kind of sales-leadership, recruiting, performance-management, and channel-development experience that informs how PowerSalesJobs approaches employer applicant-generation and sales hiring campaigns.

Results That Moved the Business

$120.9MRevenue after 28% Year 1 growth
230%Quota attainment in Year 1
29%Share of national new-channel revenue generated

Sales Team and Channel Execution

  • Led 7 District Sales Managers and 92 Store Managers.
  • Built commercial sales execution around a new channel.
  • Improved forecasting and accountability across the field organization.
  • Strengthened team performance and management discipline.
  • Connected new-channel sales growth with better retail-store execution.

Outcome

Revenue increased 28% in Year 1 to $120.9 million, with 230% of quota achieved and a #1 national ranking. Revenue then increased 18% in Year 2 and 16% in Year 3. The business generated 29% of national new-channel revenue while field leadership, forecasting, and accountability improved.

Transferable Lesson

Strong sales results usually come from aligning people, accountability, market strategy, channel execution, and clear performance expectations—not from simply increasing activity.

What a Colleague or Leader Said

“Carlton was as an excellent RBDM during his time at Sears - he was very detail oriented and focused on achieving both his specific KPIs' and the overall business plan for the division. Excellent in communication skills and concerned about his team's contribution,”
— Kevin Callahan - V.P of Sales BrightNow See LinkedIn Recommendations

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