Topaz Case Study

Electronic Parts Supplier Increases Annual Revenue by 30%

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Services Delivered

Sales training and coaching

Leadership training and mentoring

Sales hiring system

About

Upper Edge Tech

While working his way through graduate school, Chris Wilson — the Founder and CEO of Upper Edge Tech — discovered there was a severe need for reliable laptop repair services for individuals and businesses. So, in 2011, with zero background in owning or running a business, he launched Upper Edge Tech, intending to service clients (primarily K-12 schools and educational programs) all over the globe with the highest level of laptop and Chromebook repair service available. Chris and the Upper Edge Tech team are committed to serving teachers and students by keeping them connected to the classroom with properly working computers and technical equipment. 

Challenges

Ineffective Hiring

Over the years, Chris has struggled to hire solid salespeople to help grow Upper Edge Tech’s bottom line. He recognized a consistently flawed recruiting process and researched sales consultants and training opportunities to alleviate his issues.

Minimal Onboarding

Upper Edge had made many new hires. Unfortunately, without a thorough introduction to the company’s sales processes and resources to succeed, turnover was high.

Executive Challenges

In addition to his responsibilities as CEO, Chris recognized that sales were a bottleneck for Upper Edge Tech’s business and didn’t feel equipped to act as a sales coach and a resource to his sales team.

Solutions

Streamline the Path from Hiring to Productivity

Our Metahire sales hiring system was implemented at Upper Edge to identify candidates with the right skills, mindset, and potential to excel. This reduces the risk of bad hires and ensures new hires are an ideal fit for Upper Edge Tech.

As part of the sales hiring process, tools are available to ensure new sales hires are onboarded efficiently and effectively, with a clear understanding of their roles, the company’s sales strategies, and the resources at their disposal. This streamlines the path from hiring to productivity, helping new hires contribute to the bottom line faster.

Implement a Structured Sales Process

We enrolled Chris and his team in our Buyer Facilitator sales training program to help guide them through structuring a sales process followed by all. Bimonthly live training sessions were held with the entire Upper Edge Tech sales team to address their challenges and role-play through various difficult customer scenarios.

Sales used to be the bottleneck for Upper Edge Tech’s business, but that’s no longer the case. With Topaz’s training embedded into their sales culture, they can now spend more time and energy on refining different elements of their business.

Cultivate Leadership Skills

Jorge Chavez suggested that Chris start by reading Getting Naked by Patrick Lencioni. Jorge thought it would help Chris see the importance of having a clear sales process to build strong and lasting relationships with customers, which is really important for his business to do well. Then, Chris went through Topaz sales leadership training to work on his sales strategies and how to lead his team. The training focused on making him a more effective leader who can coach, motivate, and lead a cohesive and energized sales team.

One-on-one coaching furthered the leadership training by providing Chris with personalized mentorship. Coaching helped build Chris’s confidence, hone decision-making skills, and nurture the leadership qualities necessary to inspire and motivate his team to exceed their sales targets.

“Personalized. Very impressive. The customization was great and made everything very relevant to our business.”

Chris Wilson
CEO and Founder

"Chris and his team have taken their sales competency to a new level."

Jorge Chavez
Topaz President
0 %
Increase in Annual Revenue

Results

With the Metahire sales hiring system and Buyer Facilitator sales training fully incorporated into Upper Edge Tech’s sales and recruitment culture, the company has set a high standard for the sales team they created and is set for sustained growth for years. Their clients are receiving better service than ever, their sales team is more agile and capable of identifying the right or wrong opportunities, and turnover is dramatically reduced because of consistent hiring practices.

Our sales hiring system helped Chris identify and hire a new sales manager qualified to manage their sales organization and help it thrive.  He also replaced three underperforming sales representatives with three qualified, standard-setting individuals.

Chris now feels confident as a resource to his sales team. They work through each problem as a unit and prioritize facilitating a positive buyer experience and relationship while navigating any difficult or challenging scenario.

Having a sales team with higher standards has presented new opportunities for growth and development for other teams within Upper Edge Tech, raising the bar for the entire company.