My Go Global Experience
The Northwestern Ontario Innovation Centre launched their first Go Global program in May 2017 and I was thrilled to be a part of this 15-month program. When I first heard about the Go Global program I was finishing my business degree at Lakehead University looking for my first full-time job. Coming straight out of University and getting thrown into the real world of sales was quite daunting but looking back at it I am so happy I had the opportunity be part of this program and the great team that runs it.
What is the Go Global Program?
The goal of the Global program is to achieve substantial sales growth for the selected companies through hiring, training, mentoring and supporting a dedicated Business Development Representative position in each of the participating companies. During the 15 month program, the Business Development Representative, the company and the team at the Innovation Centre will set sales targets, develop and implement sales and marketing strategies, monitor results, adjust strategies and achieve results.
Program Objectives
- To increase participant’s business revenue to a level that the company can support a full-time business development position at the end of the program.
- To develop full time professional business development capacity within each participating company to facilitate additional growth and commercialization of innovation.
- To increase the available talent with sales, marketing and business development skills in NWO by providing youth with professional training and mentorship, hands-on experience, and a team learning environment.
My Experience
Throughout my 15 months in the Go Global program with Wolfhead Coffee I developed my skill set in many aspects such as sales and marketing through the various workshops and mentoring that the program provided us with. Early on in the program we attended a one-week sales workshop where we learned everything from cold calling, to creating our value proposition, to objection handling. This workshop gave us a great jump-start on the world of sales and how to start getting our products sold. Throughout the entire process I had support from the staff at the Innovation Centre as well as Dave Grady, who was our mentor. I was always able to rely on the support of this team to answer any questions I had and to even help guide sales meetings and pitches. The Go Global program provided me with a few opportunities to travel. First off I had the opportunity to fly to Toronto to attend the Restaurant Canada show. This show exposed me to the coffee industry and helped me shape my sales pitch after talking to many store owners and seeing what they look for when purchasing a coffee. I was also able to attend a Metro buyers meeting in Sudbury where I was able to pitch Wolfhead Coffee to group of buyers and put my sales training to use.
The Results
Looking back on the past 15 months it is evident of the growth in Wolfhead sales month after month. My first sale was to Maltese and I will always remember how good it felt to put my sales training to use. After my first sale, Wolfhead continued to grow throughout independent stores and distributors in Thunder Bay. Over the past 15 months in the Go Global program Wolfhead has been approved by Sobeys; hitting the shelves here in Thunder Bay and also Metro; our products are now available in 20 Metro’s across Canada. My time in the Go Global gave me a strong foundation in sales and marketing and I am so excited to continue working along side Wolfhead Coffee after the end date of the program.