Total Enterprise Solutions (TES) is a Staffordshire-based Microsoft Gold partner for Enterprise Resource Planning — and the only Microsoft Dynamics partner solely dedicated to the nonprofit and charity sector, working with leading names including Citizens Advice, the Eden Project and Diabetes UK.
For more than 20 years, TES has supported organisations’ digital transformation — from finance to fundraising, volunteer management to community engagement — including a suite of charity-specific apps for Microsoft Dynamics that unlock grant management, subscriptions, ordering and payment integration.
TES first engaged the SCOTSMAN® team early in 2023 to solidify how the methodology was embedded across a nine-strong sales and marketing team spanning business development, pre-sales and customer success. We sat down with Claire Irving, Sales & Marketing Manager, to trace the journey so far — and her advice for similar organisations chasing reliable results and a stronger pipeline.
The need for consistency and a common sales language
With a growing, multi-disciplinary team, TES quickly identified a need for consistency — a strong common language and a shared approach to qualification. CEO Paul Faulkner was already a SCOTSMAN® convert, having driven its initial adoption as the company’s main qualification methodology. But no formal training had taken place, so there was an opportunity to get correct, consistent use of the method across the whole team — not just new starters.
There was also a clear desire to develop a high-performing team from a range of experience and skill sets, so all could become ‘order makers’, not just ‘order takers’ — building the skills, behaviours and confidence to win competitive bids. Ultimately, the team wanted to improve their win rate. At the time, they were winning 30% of new business and 60–70% on existing accounts.
We’d been using the SCOTSMAN mnemonic for a while and, at the same time, trying to coach the team on how they managed opportunities. So it made total sense to find the right structure — and to get trained on using SCOTSMAN in its true form. It seemed like a perfect fit.
Claire Irving, Sales & Marketing Manager, TES
A programme designed for instant — and lasting — impact
Over a couple of scoping calls with Paul and Claire, we gained insight into where SCOTSMAN® and Commitment Selling could create the biggest impact. The result was the SCOTSMAN® Masterclass in Commitment Selling: a two-day classroom programme, enhanced by hands-on time with the SCOTSMAN® Pipeline Simulator and the online SCOTSMAN® Academy.
The programme equipped the team to plan and win complex, political sales with robust qualification — so time is spent on the right opportunities. That included how to build and qualify a pipeline using SCOTSMAN® and Commitment Selling, win the politics of major opportunities, gain access to key individuals, build needs for TES’ services, plan win strategies, gain commitments at each stage of a sale, and foster a common sales language across the organisation.
We learned how to continuously qualify a sale and know which commitments we needed to show a prospect is serious — and, crucially, when to lose a deal quickly. We left with plans we could action for live opportunities, and a robust process we’re still using to win sales now.
Claire Irving, TES
Driving ongoing success
More than a year on, most of what the team took from the intensive two days is still in daily use. “One of the biggest learnings was Commitment Selling — realising we’ve earned the right to seek commitment from our prospects and customers,” says Claire. “There’s that inevitable desire to chase every opportunity. But now we can see it’s mostly wasted time. If a prospect isn’t willing to show commitment, it’s time to walk away.”
On consistency, the common language proved transformative. “We had a range of experience and had been trying to distil skills picked up over 20 years of selling. It was reassuring to see the techniques we’d already been using had a name and a defined method. It sounds simple, but it puts all of us on the same page — we’re slicker as a team, and that extends to how we manage the pipeline, forecast and resource plan. The domino effect runs far and wide.”
TES now has a win rate of 50 to 60% on new business — up from 30% before the training. We’re still losing some deals, but we’re losing them faster, because we’re insisting on commitments.
Claire Irving, TES
A stronger win rate and more predictable results — combined with more time to invest in winnable deals — means a healthier organisation overall. “More accurate qualification has fed through to our delivery team to better manage capacity. The knock-on effects are huge.”
Since the initial training, TES has implemented the SCOTSMAN® Commitment Manager in Microsoft Dynamics, putting structure around each sale as it moves through the pipeline. “We’ve completely changed the way we use our CRM — capturing more information and getting much more structured every step of the way. It also lets us better predict operational lead times, and forecast and plan better at a strategic level.”
Claire sums it up: “I have no regrets. The team delivered something very strong, fascinating and engaging — we could see their experience shining through. I’d recommend it to any organisation involved in complex bids or political sales. It’s been invaluable.”
