Colleen Francis is the president and founder of Engage Selling Solutions, a thriving sales–training organization that delivers tailor–made, winning solutions to sales and marketing professionals internationally. She credits her personal sales record to having applied what she's learned from the business habits of the top–20% of sales performers. Businesses of all size call on Colleen—not only because of her highly regarded, people–friendly approach and her company's innovative field–tested selling principles. They also count on the insight that comes from her experience as a top-ranked sales professional who has been in the trenches of day–to–day sales and marketing.
Here are highlights of Colleen's achievements to date:
An internationally praised approach and a distinction in sales
- New York–based Sales and Marketing Magazine has rated Colleen's company, Engage Selling Solutions, as one of the top–five most effective sales–training organizations in the market today.
- She has been designated as a Certified Sales Professional by the Canadian Professional Sales Association. This designation holds her to the highest standards of sales excellence and has opened doors to valuable partnerships with firms in the educational and publishing industries.
- Colleen's message is much sought–after. She's regularly quoted and featured in news media, including Sales Rep Radio, The Ottawa Citizen, Rogers TV, Profit Magazine, and other publications.
Led an aggressive expansion in sales at Open Text Corporation
- As the Director of Sales of Open Text's iRIMS division, Colleen led the expansion of sales to both the U.S. federal government and private-enterprise markets. She also built a successful indirect sales channel for her team of software sales representatives. Within her first year, her team achieved a staggering 150% of their stated revenue goal. In the following years, Colleen motivated her team to increase the average per-sale size by 50%, and doubled the quarterly sales run–rate.
- She successfully negotiated with the United States Air Force, securing a multimillion–dollar contract for software that was named as a standard within a 13–month sales cycle.
- She negotiated international partnership agreements with EDS, Xerox, IBM and Logicon, and increased partnership revenue from $250,000 in 1998 to over $1,500,000 in 1999. From 1999 to 2000, partnership revenue tripled with the signing of Lockheed Martin.
Consistently overachieved sales objectives as an Account Executive
- As an Account Executive at London Life, Colleen was invited to attend the Achievers' Club every year because she consistently exceeded annual stated objectives.
- Earlier, at Enterprise, Colleen succeeded in growing the corporate customer base in Ottawa by 300% in just over a year.
- As a first-year Account Executive at iRIMS (a division of Open Text), Colleen achieved 125% of her quota. This included: growing a regional market in Texas market from 1 to 9 clients within 18 months; locating and securing funded and unfunded beta trials for startup a software company; doubling a European client base in one year; and increasing sales revenue by 150% between 1996 and 1997.