International Market Development
Sole account manager for a 14,000-school market across 154 countries. Built the territory strategy from scratch, grew pipeline roughly 170% in the first year and retained all but six accounts through COVID-19.
- 154 countries in territory
- ~14,000 schools in market
- ~170% first-year pipeline growth
- All but 6 accounts retained through COVID-19
The problem
In 2019 I became the sole account manager for the company's international schools market: about 14,000 schools spread across 154 countries and nearly every time zone. There was no existing territory plan. The question was where to start, how to spend a single person's time across a market that large, and how to keep existing customers while finding new ones.
A year later COVID-19 closed schools around the world and roughly 80% of the client base attempted to cancel.
What I built
I built the territory strategy from scratch. Schools were segmented by tuition level, a reasonable proxy for budget, and by time zone, which decided when I could actually reach them. That turned an unmanageable list into a prioritized calendar.
Managing a territory across 154 countries meant organizing my work around the clock. On some days I started around 2 a.m. with schools in the Middle East, particularly Qatar and the UAE, then moved west through Europe and Africa before finishing with South America as those markets came online. It meant I was calling schools while they were actually open. Some of the strongest markets in the territory were the UAE, Switzerland, Germany, the United Kingdom, South Africa and Chile.
- Prospects within each region prioritized by tuition level.
- A six-country, 34-appointment European sales tour that I planned and booked end to end, including outreach, scheduling and logistics.
- A targeted digital content strategy during COVID-19 that supported retention conversations and opened four new countries.
How it works
- 14,000 schools, 154 countries
- Segment by tuition level and time zone
- Work the day west, from the Middle East to South America
- Digital content and in-person selling
- Pipeline growth
- Retention through COVID-19
Illustrative view of how the territory was worked. No school, customer or contract details are shown.
A working day, moving west with the clock
- Start, around 2 a.m. Middle East Qatar, UAE
- Then Europe Switzerland, Germany, United Kingdom
- Then Africa South Africa
- Finish South America Chile
Calls happened while schools were open in their own time zone. Within each region, prospects were prioritized by tuition level.
My role
Everything in the territory was mine: strategy, prospecting, appointments, travel, renewals and retention conversations. It was the most independent role I have had.
Business value
Pipeline grew roughly 170% in the first year. During COVID-19, I retained all but six client accounts while 80% attempted to cancel, and grew pipeline another 20% by expanding into four new countries. The experience shaped how I think about marketing operations now: every segment, workflow and report exists to help a salesperson have a better conversation.
Tools and capabilities
Confidentiality
No school, customer or contract details are named on this page. Figures are those stated on the resume.