The Edge


Proven Best Practices

Strategy & Planning     Product Development & Commercialization      Order Attainment     Customer Retention

feedback.jpeg

Recognized by C-suite as best-in-class ... more

CEOs (including four who AS' Founder reported to), Professors, Consultants and Executives from many small to large cap companies have consistently stated that the processes, tools and training materials used by AS are best-in-class.

Rated highly by Users in Blind Surveys ... more

In a blind survey of approximately 1000 worldwide participants from 50+ businesses, 97% rated the Workshops, Processes & Tools as worthwhile.

In a separate blind survey of the same group about one year after their workshop, >85% said the Process & Tools contributed to their success and rated Toolkit usefulness "very high."

Benchmarked Best-in-Class Processes, Tools & Training for each core commecial skill topic ... more

AS' Processes, Tools & Training materials for each core commercial skill topic were developed by consolidating the best practices from recognized sources of expertise including leading Companies, Business Schools, Books, White Papers, and AS' Founder's personal experiences. All Processes, Tools & Training are continually refined based on user feedback and on-going collaboration and benchmarking.

Accelerant Solutions' WEBINAR with 99 manufacturing executives hosted by the Manufacturer's Alliance for Productivity & Innovation (MAPI)  >

AS' Founder & Principal consistently achieved >20% organic growth at accretive margins throughout his career enabled by best-practice Processes, Tools & Training that filled commercial skill gaps ... more

AS doesn't claim to have invented commercial skills such as Value Selling, Voice of Customer, Negotiation, Innovation, Strategic Planning, Sales Channel Performance Management and others. However, its Founder & Principal did successfully customize, deploy and continuously improve Processes, Tools & Training to fill various mission-critical commercial skill gaps throughout his 30+ year career at GE Energy, GE Aviation, MEMC (formerly Monsanto Electronic Materials), and IDEX Corporation, as well as through consulting engagements and on-going collaboration with multiple best-practice companies.

His executive leadership record consistently demonstrates significant accomplishments in accelerating & sustaining profitable growth, starting-up, turning-around and integrating businesses. This performance was consistently recognized by Senior Executives.

He had to live with the Processes, Tool & Training he implemented at these companies for multiple years which is too often not the case for consultants. Living with the tools enabled continuous refinements that improved efficiency & effectiveness.

What he learned from his real-world hands-on experience, as well as his good and bad experiences as a client of numerous consultants is incorporated into his client relationships to improve the efficiency & effectiveness of his client's consulting experience.

 

Effective Deployment

The foundation for effective deployment is an OBJECTIVE ASSESSMENT of your Commercial Skill Gaps ... more

If you already know your prioritized commercial skill gaps, please contact AS to explore options for filling those gaps. If you would like an independent assessment, AS will assess your commercial skills to identify any mission-critical skill gaps, and then prioritize those gaps based on their contribution to your ability to accelerate profitable growth

  • It begins with AS applying >60 SITUATION ASSESSMENT FACTORS related to your Commercial KPIs, Hindrances to Objectives, Commercial Organization & Roles, Commercial Compensation & Incentives, Sales Channels, Products, Markets, Competitors, and Customers
  • Then, AS applies 24 SKILL ASSESSMENT FACTORS to assess your commercial Processes, Tools, Training, Leadership, and Metrics as each relates to your core commercial skills

If you would like to perform your own self assessment & prioritization of commercial skill gaps…


AS' existing best-practice Processes, Tools & Training will be TAILORED TO YOUR NEEDS without sacrificing Proven Principles ... more

A One-Tool-Fits-All approach can work but it can also constrain your rate of profitable growth. So, language, branding, integration with your other processes, and the training approach can all be customized to improve & sustain impact. Once any customizing is completed, AS' repeatable deployment approach will enable a common process and language across your company.


AS' Processes, Tools & Training will MINIMIZE YOUR DEPLOYMENT TIME & COST while OPTIMIZING EFFECTIVENESS ... more

Based on AS' experience, a DO-IT-YOURSELF APPROACH TAKES 13-22 MONTHS (depending on the commercial skill category) to identify skill gaps, benchmark best-in class processes & tools to fill the skill gap, then package the training materials & tools, beta test, and train employees. With AS's already proven best-practices, you can BEGIN TRAINING PROMPTLY and optimize effectiveness while minimizing your development costs and resource commitment.


Through AS' optional TRAIN-THE-TRAINER approach, you can CREATE INTERNAL EXPERTS & COACHES with no added Headcount or prolonged consulting engagement ... more

If you want to train your trainers to help you fill your commercial skill gaps, AS' 3-pronged approach will help you to do it efficiently & effectively:

  • Trainer Selection Guide - Provides guidance to help you identify your most effective trainer candidate.
  • Trainer Support Guide - Your trainer's role can be in addition to their full-time role if you provide some basic support to them as outlined in this guide.
  • Train-The-Trainer Process - For each of your designated trainers, AS will provide a trainer workshop, instructor's guide, objective trainer certification, observation & coaching of the trainer's first workshop(s), and blind trainer evaluations from their students. The Instructor's Guide includes the Instructor's Role, Workshop Logistics (e.g., Materials, Communications, Location & Meeting Room Set-Up, etc.), and Workshop Presentations with Speaker Notes and an Agenda with Timetable.

AS' Processes, Tools, Training and Deployment methods will help your leaders to ENABLE A HABIT OF BEST PRACTICES for their commercial teams

Leaders Enabling Habits.jpeg

Highly interactive workshops where participants apply the skill being taught to their personalized & real scenario through a Learn > Do > Discuss approach for each process step

Through a TRAIN & SUSTAIN approach, AS equips your workshop participants to effectively & efficiently implement Core Skills on a sustained basis - Too often, people return from a workshop and do not apply the skills they learned, or the skills they learned were not helpful.

TOP 10 ENABLERS OF AN EFFECTIVE WORKSHOP:


(1) Workshop participants believe in AS' proven best practices for accelerating profitable growth ... more

As evidenced by the USER FEEDBACK at the top of this page, AS' proven best practices and workshop approach are effective at filling skill gaps on a sustained basis. High user satisfaction is a significant factor for impact & sustained use.


(2) Highly Interactive Workshops with Personalized Scenarios ... more

Over 75% of each workshop is applying the best-practices of the core skill being taught to each PARTICIPANT'S REAL OPPORTUNITY / CHALLENGE that they bring to the workshop. There is NO DEATH BY POWERPOINT!


(3) Personalized Skill Application & Feedback ... more

The workshops follow a LEARN > DO > DISCUSS approach for each process step. Participants receive PEER & INSTRUCTOR FEEDBACK to help them fine-tune application of the principles to their real opportunity. For selected workshops, participants receive a TAPED ROLE PLAY for their personal review.



(4) Toolkits provide user-friendly best practices and examples for each process step ... more

Each workshop participant receives a digital Toolkit containing user-friendly best practices & examples for each process step of the Core Skill being taught. They use the toolkit during and after the workshop. For each core skill there is a separate toolkit that enables a common language & process across your company. THE TOOLKITS ENHANCE IMPACT & ENCOURAGE SUSTAINED USE BECAUSE THEY ARE:

  • Effective - Toolkits are based on proven best practices and allow the user to share, archive, and mine data.
  • Efficient - The Toolkit's navigation is intuitive. Everything is in one place, there are no website constraints, and access is by desktop or handheld device. It is Excel-based for broadest compatibility and to enable automated features.
  • Flexible - Users can customize the Toolkit to their own language & needs, and the core skill's processes are adaptable to various situations, which prevents it from becoming a form-filling exercise.

These toolkits are included with AS' Workshops, or may be purchased separately in some circumstances.

Some "Toolkit" examples are available in the SERVICES section of this website, or contact AS directly for a toolkit demonstration.


(5) Objective Skill Certification ... more

Workshop participants can earn Skill Certification by passing a COMPETENCY ASSESSMENT TEST and completing a post-workshop DEMONSTRATION OF SKILL IMPLEMENTATION TO OBJECT CRITERIA. An ANNUAL ON-LINE RECERTIFICATION is also available.


(6) Post-Workshop Coaching & Audits ... more

Post-workshop coaching and progress audits are available from AS to help sustain skill excellence.


(7) Leadership Guides ... more

AS provides you with Leadership Guides for each core skill to enhance leadership engagement and encourage sustained & effective skill implementation. It includes key points about the core skill's processes, tools, certification, and implementation. It also provides guidance for assigning internal champions and communicating expectations about the core skill.


(8) Intranet Learning Resources ... more

AS' Intranet Resources are available for your use to encourage on-going self-education, best practice sharing, and sustained implementation, Content for each core commercial skill includes Best Practice Examples; Implementation Examples; Certification Criteria; Skill Self-Assessment; Leadership Guides; Recommended Articles / Books; and Workshop Profiles.


(9) Compelling Push/Pull Incentives ... more

Knowledge + Incentives will drive profitable growth. So, AS provides guidance for how to incentivize sustained skill implementation such as Skill Certification being a job expectation, recognition, and specific annual performance objectives that influence promotion & compensation.


(10) Meaningful Progress Metrics ... more

Of course, how you measure progress toward Skill Gap closure will either drive the right behavior or the wrong behavior. So, based on AS' experience, you will be provided with 6 proven METRIC OPTIONS FOR INITIAL SKILL GAP CLOSURE and 11 proven METRIC OPTIONS FOR SUSTAINED SKILL GAP CLOSURE that will help you to drive the right behavior.

You can sustain Skill Adoption without a prolonged consulting engagement ... more

AS' Founder is 100% engaged from beginning to end of each client’s project, but as someone who has hired consultants himself he knows that you prefer to avoid prolonged consulting engagements and expense. His breadth of experience will help you to avoid roadblocks and to efficiently & successfully adapt the Processes, Tools & Training to your company. You will be provided with all the tools required to self-sustain skill excellence and growth.

 

Impact

journey to ComEx.jpg

How much of your profitable growth potential is diluted by COMMERCIAL SKILL GAPS?
According to a survey published in HBR about Sales Rep's Biggest Mistakes (see chart), more ...

... sales people can make some costly mistakes. Of course, these mistakes tend to adversely impact orders, share, customer retention, profitability, and new product traction.

EFFECTIVE APPLICATION OF CORE SKILLS WOULD MITIGATE YOUR SALES REPS' BIGGEST MISTAKES


AS' Founder & Principal consistently achieved >20% organic growth at accretive margins throughout his 30+ year career enabled by EFFECTIVE APPLICATION of Processes, Tools & Training that filled commercial skill gaps more ...

His commercial leadership record at GE Energy, GE Aviation, MEMC (formerly Monsanto Electronic Materials), and IDEX Corporation consistently demonstrated significant results in accelerating & sustaining profitable growth, starting-up, turning-around, and integrating businesses.

AS' Founder & Principal is 100% engaged from beginning to end of each client’s project

How much of your profitable growth is diluted by UNREALIZED PRICE & VOLUME ? - According to a study published in HBR that is referenced in the "Profit Lever Impact" chart, just 1% improvement in PRICE (or 1% less discount) yields an 11.1% operating income improvement.   Just 1% improvement in UNIT VOLUME yields a 3.3% operating income improvement

SOURCE:  Harvard Business Review comparison of profit levers based on average economics of 2,463 companies in "Managing Price, Gaining Profit" by Michael V. Marn and Robert L. Rosiello 

Similar "Profit Lever Impact" results were achieved in a study commissioned by AS for 100 publicly traded manufacturers of engineered products more ...

The number of companies in the study were about evenly split across small, medium and large capitalization categories.

Understanding the specific impact from each profit lever for your company can help to optimize your intensity of focus across the 4 profit levers (Fixed Cost, Unit Volume, Variable Cost and Price).

If your company has COMMERCIAL SKILL GAPS and/or inadequate focus on its COMMERCIAL PROFIT LEVERS, you have an opportunity to accelerate profitable growth!

Compounding Effect.jpg
 

Expert Resource

AS can lead or supplement your efforts to fill commercial skill gaps - AS' level of involvement can range from Assessing Skill Competency, Providing Toolkits, or Coaching  to Facilitating Workshops, Training your Trainers, or Leading Commercial Initiatives

Accelerant Solutions' Expertise

Core commercial skills within these four categories

Accelerant Solutions' Service

AS can supplement or lead your efforts to fill skill gaps

  • Skill Assessments
  • Training / Workshops
  • Train-the-Trainer
  • Coaching
  • Toolkits
  • Custom Projects
  • Guest Speaking
  • Commercial Organization Assessments

Julius "Rusty" Glaser

AS' Founder & Principal

JRG photo.png

Rusty achieved >20% organic growth at accretive margins throughout his 30+ year career enabled by EFFECTIVE DEPLOYMENT & APPLICATION of Processes, Tools & Training that filled commercial skill gaps - His commercial leadership record at GE Energy, GE Aviation, MEMC (formerly Monsanto Electronic Materials), and IDEX Corporation consistently demonstrated significant results in accelerating & sustaining profitable growth, starting-up, turning-around, and integrating businesses.  This performance was enabled by effective application of Processes, Tools & Training that filled commercial skill gaps.  Executive References & Documentation are available.

His breadth of experience will help you to EFFICIENTLY & EFFECTIVELY implement & sustain the proven best-practice Processes, Tools & Training.  Rusty is 100% engaged from beginning to end of each client’s project

Accelerant Solutions has flexible Compensation Options

  • Pay for Performance
  • Retainer
  • Daily / Weekly Rate
  • Quoted Project
  • Budget Based

However you engage AS, you will be provided with tools, guides, and/or resources for a tailored scope-of-work enabling you to successfully Implement & Sustain skill excellence without a prolonged consulting engagement