Soho
Sampling

Context

 

Soho Sampling, a start-up product sampling agency spun out of a brand activation business, brought me in as Commercial Director to establish the company’s go-to-market strategy, create the sales infrastructure, and generate new business opportunities.

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Challenge

 

The business had no sales pipeline, proposition, or marketing structure in place. My remit was to build the commercial function from the ground up while actively generating leads and securing meetings with target brands and agencies.

 

Action

 

• Designed and launched a new brand proposition and messaging framework.

• Built all sales enablement materials: creds deck, case studies, proposal templates.

• Set up and customised a CRM system to capture and manage leads.

• Created a lead universe of 676 companies, segmented into 148 high-priority accounts.

• Implemented targeted LinkedIn outreach, contacting 70 prospects, securing 25 connections (36% acceptance rate).

• Published a steady stream of thought-leadership content via my personal LinkedIn and the company profile, including a regular LinkedIn newsletter.

• Brought in 5 live commercial opportunities within 4 months, of which 2 remain active in the pipeline.

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Impact

 

• Established the entire sales and marketing function from scratch in under 4 months.

• Created a repeatable outreach and pipeline management process that the company can now scale.

• Demonstrated market interest, with early traction from leading FMCG and consumer brands.

• Significantly raised the company’s visibility through LinkedIn presence and thought leadership.