Hilary Swan: Sales, Strategy, and Success

About Hilary Swan: Hilary Swan is the Founder and Principal Consultant at Rebel Scout Consulting, which supports founders and CEOs without a sales leader during growth or transition as a fractional VP of sales/sales leader. Hilary has spent 14 years working for global sales organizations and has carried the bag, launched new products, led sales teams, and knows what good looks like and how to get you there. The wildly competitive culture of sales is where Hilary thrived, and this proved to be accurate as she hustled her way through the ranks and reached sales leadership, where she most recently led a $18M business over three divisions in one of the country's most competitive industries and markets. Hilary has had a burning desire to feed her entrepreneurial spirit and coveted passion for developing people to win every step of the way. Still, she didn't quite know how to share her wealth of knowledge and expertise until now. Check out the latest episode of our Conversational Selling podcast to learn more about Hilary.

In this episode, Nancy and Hilary discuss the following:

• Hilary's background and motivation for starting Rebel Scout Consulting
• The concept of fractional sales leadership and how it supports startups and small businesses
• Supporting startups and small businesses in the absence of sales teams
• The importance of embracing sales as a positive force
• The positive nature of sales

Key Takeaways:

• I do not engage with any company for under three months, ideally six months.
• In the majority of startups and small businesses, all the sales are typically made by the founder or, in small business cases, the president or CEO of the company.
• I had always wanted to do something on my own.
• It's interesting how you can be fueled by the sales piece and the environment in which you sell.

"I was in inside and outside sales, selling many different things. I was in sales leadership. I'd always wanted to do something on my own. I'm not surrounded by a ton of entrepreneurs or people who own their own businesses per se, but I was always so intrigued by it. So, I had been approached about a head of sales role with a startup, which was not right for me then. But it really got me researching what this all looks like in the startup world and where these people get the money. Do they make money? How many of these ideas are good? The failure rates are high. So, I had a, you know, cautionary risk. I researched, but I felt like I hit a crossroads. So, the company that I was working for at the time had been acquired, and I should have been very appreciative because I was going to be moving into a new leadership role, which was a bit of a promotion on paper. I was so not inspired by it. I just, the thought of having to continue to do this or do something in this role was just not, you know, lighting the fire. And so, I felt like this was the time. This is a clean cut to jump two feet in. For those who dabble in starting something while they have a full-time role, it doesn't work for me personally. And so, I felt it was very clear that you have this job opportunity in front of you, and you should be so excited. It's more money, more responsibility, a bigger role, and I couldn't be less excited. I felt like that was my sign just to rip the bandaid off and do it. And so, I did it. And thankfully, it is working out very well. But yeah, it takes a lot to do that step." – HILARY

"The fractional model is, I don't want to say it's not new, but it's on the newer side and exactly what it sounds like. It's a fraction, so you're getting a fraction of the time of an executive or a leadership. So, what it really should feel like is for startups and small businesses, they're getting what they need. So, this is across many different specialties. You'll see operations HR. You'll see the Chief of Staff. And so, what it is that you're getting that team member for, to be honest, is also a fraction of the cost likely. And you need their expertise and their membership on your executive team. But having most of these roles filled costs a lot of money. So, what is not better than to tap somebody at a fractional? Engagement where you don't have to bring them on as a W-2 or with the health benefits or 401k. It really is, and I know consulting is in the name of my business, but it's not the consultant in the traditional sense of projects; they do all the stuff and then leave. You really, really should feel like you have a team member on your team with this fractional leader." – HILARY

"We're all in sales, and that is okay. That's a great thing. So, the faster you can embrace that and feel comfortable with how to interact with people so that you can get across to them how you can help and serve them with whatever you're selling or doing, the better it will be. So lean into it. It's a positive thing." – HILARY

Connect with Hilary Swan:

• LinkedIn: https://www.linkedin.com/in/hilarynswan/
• Rebel Scout Consulting: https://www.rebelscout.co/

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