Case Studies

Industry:Civil Engineering I Manufacturing I Distribution
Demographics:40 employees I MI HQ I Midwest
Projects:Custom Training I OD I Management Training and Coaching I Soft Skills I

CSI Geoturf was founded in 1980 by the President and CEO Donn Ellis. Donn founded CSI Geoturf to provide effective civil site construction geosynthetic and landscape products to clients throughout Michigan.

We started working with Donn and his team in 2015 helping to design, write and facilitate a custom sales training program. After launch, we also worked one on one with the sales team in the field to help reinforce the training. Over the years we also helped them with recruiting of sales engineers and operational team members, as well as provide executive coaching of the next generation of Ellis’ to take over the business.

Projects Included

  • EI and DiSC Profiling
  • Custom Sales Training
  • Management Training
  • Soft Skills Training
  • Company Image Development
  • Proposal Response Package Refinement
  • GTM refinement
  • Sales Engineering, Coaching
  • Sales Meeting Management
  • CRM re-launch and Customization
  • Sales Representative Business/Territory Plan Development
  • Project Management and Engineering Department Training
  • Owner Strategic Planning

Results

  • Personality profiling to help increase individual rep effectiveness in the field.
  • Complete custom sales and management training documentation and toolset.
  • Redesign all sales and marketing literature and tools.
  • CRM re-launch and customization to increase rep and ownership usability.

Testimonials

We experienced significant changes after working with Summit Learning Solutions. The structured approach to developing proper selling habits was just what our sales force of 10 needed. It totally turned around salespeople who had lost the discipline required in today’s competitive selling environment.

The training was all customized to our market and built alongside our sales team, increasing adoption rate and accountability. While the training was very helpful, what I found even more beneficial were the sales tools that accompanied the training. Training is only worthwhile if execution is accomplished. The tools Brian built with our team provided us the ability to use the training in our everyday prospect meetings.

The sales rep profiling and coaching based on that profiling was eye-opening for all of us. Behaviors that we historically couldn’t understand made perfect sense once we understood how our reps were driven.

The work done on getting our sales team to finally use, and benefit from, the CRM system really paid off. Once they understood that it was a tool for “them” and not management oversight they became invested in it. Then Brian helped us customize it to our sales process and market. After that, we didn’t have to “fight” with our reps to use this valuable tool.

Probably one of the biggest benefits we received from working with Brian was the business plan and individual sales plan development he helped us with. We immediately pivoted from a reactive team to a more proactive team, getting involved in the sales and decision-making process much earlier than we had been doing over the years.

Donn Ellis - Owner

Brian put his heart and soul into our company. He challenged me to rise above what I thought was “good enough” and helped me produce at a higher level and better quality than I thought possible. We built a thorough business plan, executed it every day, and as a result, we had our best year ever. But what I found most useful was our time together in one-on-one sessions. He did more than coach me. He mentored me and taught me how to be a professional. To take pride in my work and how to make “it” about the customer, not the sale..

We were free to implement what we wanted and modify what we felt needed modification.

Our sales process improved and the results showed. Metrics became extremely important as numbers don’t lie! Our sales team learned to ask the right questions at the right time. The team became more efficient and sales revenues increased.

Nathan Ellis - Sales Executive