As the business grew, it recognised an opportunity to strengthen its commercial capability by transitioning technically skilled employees into customer-facing sales and account management roles.

The challenge was not finding talented people. The challenge was helping those people develop the commercial skills, confidence and mindset required to succeed in sales.

The ESI Approach

ESI worked with Geoactive and its Sales Enablement partner to assess the commercial capabilities of employees in technical and support roles and identify those with the potential to move into sales.

Following the assessment process, employees were selected for development through a structured sales capability programme supported by coaching, practical application and recognised micro-credentials.

The programme focused on developing both sales skills and a commercial mindset, enabling participants to build confidence and apply new capabilities in real customer situations.

The Results

The impact was both measurable and immediate.

• Technical employees successfully transitioned into sales and account management roles.
• All participants completed an ESI Micro-Credential in Professional Sales.
• Two participants progressed to achieve a Certificate in Professional Sales.
• Participants developed healthy sales pipelines and closed six-figure deals.
• Sales capability assessments showed significant improvements across core commercial skills.
• One participant improved their Sales DNA score from 59 to 89 within months.

The programme also produced significant improvements in key sales behaviours, including:

• Hunting and prospecting
• Consultative selling
• Reaching decision-makers
• Pipeline management
• Deal progression and closing

One participant moved from the bottom 39% of assessed salespeople to the top 6% in critical capability areas.

Customer Perspective

Key Takeaway

Many organisations already employ people with the technical expertise, customer understanding and industry knowledge needed to succeed in commercial roles.

The challenge is providing those individuals with a structured pathway to develop the sales capability required to unlock that potential.

Geoactive demonstrated that investing in existing talent can create measurable commercial impact while strengthening long-term organisational capability.