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

His guidance, leadership, and friendship are PRICELESS

He has mentored me to achieve amazing professional goals without losing sight of the most important part of my life as a wife and mother. His guidance, leadership, and friendship are PRICELESS!!

Brian is a Full Service Mentor

Over the years, Brian has not only mentored the sales team, but also our Department Managers throughout the corporation developing personal goals, department goals, leadership skills, and execution.

A Great Motivator

He has been a great motivator for me, my team, and our organization’s management team. Outside of the impressive sales increase, there is an abundance of projects and initiatives that Brian has successfully led I would like to highlight some of them that ultimately changed my life both professionally and personally.

Learned How to Grow Territory

During the time I work with Brian, he challenged me, showed me how to sell and how to win in almost any circumstance. Brian helped me grow my sales territory (Chicago) from nothing to a $1,000,000+ book of business.

The Summit Solutions is not a one-fits-all process

Is the Summit Solutions a one-fits-all process that will lead to selling more? No, there are plenty of national programs with regional support that will sell you on that. I will tell you from my experience, they are outdated, not personalized, and don’t work. They typically also only focus on the sales department. Brian’s method is to work with the whole organization, while stressing the importance of creating a company culture that people want to be a part of.

As the VP Sales Manager, I was initially skeptical

As the VP Sales Manager, I was initially skeptical and guarded as to why we had to bring in an outside sales expert. I perceived this as an insult to my abilities and the performance of our team. Today I can honestly say that the association, teachings, and concepts Brian presented were the BEST thing to happen to our Company, myself, and our team.

When we started with Summit Learning Solutions we had 62 employees

When we started with Summit Learning Solutions we had 62 employees mostly serving the state of Michigan. Now, we have nearly 200 employees serving 17 states; and we’re still growing consistently. Moreover, when we started with Summit we sold about 3-5 Million a year in new business; now we sell 13 Million a year in new business.

They sourced and hired our first-ever sales team

They sourced and hired our first-ever sales team and created the sales and marketing plan to start the process. They designed our sales team’s compensation plans, trained them on appropriate sales methodology, and lead our overall strategy. Candidly, we thought they were way too optimistic in their sales projections. It turns out they undersold the possibilities. The program was very successful, very fast.

We are a better, healthier, and the more performance-driven company

We are a better, healthier, and the more performance-driven company now thanks to Brian’s training and support. Most importantly, it’s more profitable.