Founded in 1997, Redcentric is a Harrogate-based managed IT services provider with more than 1,000 customers across the public sector, healthcare and commercial markets — delivered by 500+ staff across 11 locations and a network of UK datacentres.
Redcentric’s communications, cloud and networks solutions — underpinned by cybersecurity and professional services — support leading names including Heathrow, Pret a Manger, Channel 4 and King’s College Hospital. The company first engaged the SCOTSMAN® team to embed the methodology from scratch in 2022, then partnered closely to coach and proactively review deals with the sales teams. We spoke with Alex Kingham, Head of Enterprise Account Management, about the journey — and his advice for similar IT companies after a stronger, more reliable pipeline.
Choosing SCOTSMAN® over other methodologies
Under incoming Group Sales & Marketing Director Kieran Brady, the Redcentric sales function set out to embed a sales methodology. Alex — by then six years in, having progressed from new-business sales into enterprise account management — now leads a team of six account directors focused on retaining and growing the company’s biggest commercial logos.
I was aware of SCOTSMAN® as one of the oldest and most established selling methodologies on the market. We arrived at it against competitors for a number of reasons — and it helped that the team were local to our Harrogate HQ and really engaging face to face from the get-go.
Alex Kingham, Head of Enterprise Account Management, Redcentric
Bringing “order to the chaos”
The Enterprise team’s experience is broad — one of the most experienced in the company, with diverse skill sets and product knowledge from merging existing staff with people brought on board through acquisitions. There was a real need for a common language. “There were a lot of individuals, particularly younger colleagues who hadn’t had formal sales training. As well as putting the foundations in place — a fundamental sales process we can all follow — SCOTSMAN® instantly got us talking the same language, regardless of how complex the deal.”
That clarity followed through into results. “One of the biggest impacts has been learning what losing a deal looks like, and then losing it quickly. We no longer waste time and resources on a deal we can’t win — SCOTSMAN® shows us the shortcomings, knowledge gaps and challenges: our showstoppers.”
All salespeople are optimists. They want to go after every opportunity, hunt down every possibility — they think they can win every deal under the sun. But that’s not reality. Embedding that behavioural shift has been crucial for us.
Alex Kingham, Redcentric
An ongoing partnership
Once SCOTSMAN® and Commitment Selling were delivered through initial training, the sales management team built in regular coaching to keep the methodology correctly applied for the long term. Every six months, a two-day refresher fine-tunes topics with the benefit of experience on the ground. “You can learn a lot, but also forget a lot, in six months. That reengagement support has been pivotal.”
The team also runs Tuesday morning ‘hot seat’ calls, where one or two salespeople pitch a deal to colleagues, applying SCOTSMAN® to assess next actions and surface showstoppers. The rest of the team chips in with tactics and drills into the scoring criteria — an open, supportive panel that helps everyone win more business. “From a managerial perspective, these sessions create accountability. There’s a lot going on; sometimes people take their eye off the ball. This stops that drag.”
Tangible impact on the wider business
Better sales productivity transforms forecasting and strategic decision-making. “The gift of a much more refined forecast has enabled the rest of the business to flow much more smoothly. Sales is the gateway into the business for our customers. Now that we forecast based on what we know is winnable — robustly qualifying deals with SCOTSMAN® — the business can far more effectively plan and accommodate the workload from successful sales. That plays into a more efficient, resilient organisation.”
Make SCOTSMAN® a constant feature of every meeting, every question, every sales conversation. Nothing should be immune from it. I now know it works for whatever you’re trying to sell — so embrace it fully.
Alex Kingham, Redcentric
Bringing the seller closer to the customer
By scoring against the actions the customer is taking — not just what the sales team has or hasn’t done — SCOTSMAN® and Commitment Selling get you closer to your customer. “We sell best-of-breed technologies. But technology is one thing; a business outcome is another. SCOTSMAN® got us thinking — we can sell the platform, but what does that do for your business? Whereas before we were selling technologies, now we’re selling outcomes.”
With rising sales figures and a strong pipeline, the difference is clear. “The ongoing advice and support in reviewing deals and coaching our team to success has been exceptional. I’d recommend any sales leader engage with SCOTSMAN® — it will propel every element of your sales forward several-fold.”
