Fractional sales manager · Sheffield, South Yorkshire & East Midlands
KNJ Sales helps manufacturers and other SMEs across South Yorkshire, Yorkshire and the East Midlands get more from their sales teams. I review how your sales function really works, set the strategy, and train your field team to deliver it. You get an experienced channel head and sales manager in the business for the days you need, at a fraction of the cost of a full-time sales director.
Been there, done it
For more than 25 years I've carried the targets, worked the territories, managed the reps and sat across the table from the buyers. Everything I teach your team, I've done myself, for real, with my own numbers on the line.
Does this sound familiar?
Who I work with
I work with SMEs of all kinds, from manufacturers and engineering firms to distributors, wholesalers and B2B service businesses. Many have a great product and a loyal customer base, but their sales function grew up informally around the founder. That's where I help most.
Turning engineers and estimators into confident sellers, and giving reps the product knowledge to hold technical conversations.
A follow-up process for quotes and tenders, so fewer jobs are lost to silence or price.
Account plans, targets and regular reviews for the partners who sell your products for you.
Finding the next set of customers when you rely too heavily on a few large accounts.
Services
Every engagement follows the KNJ Sales Route: check, fix, train, grow. Most clients start with a review, then keep KNJ Sales on a fractional basis to put the plan into practice. Each service also works on its own.
A structured, hands-on look at your whole sales operation, finishing with a clear written report and a prioritised action plan.
An experienced sales manager working in your business on agreed days each month, running the team and owning the numbers.
Practical training from someone who has done the job, not a career trainer. Built around your products, customers and territories, and followed up with coaching in the field so it sticks. Plus one-to-one mentoring for owners and sales managers.
Help hiring the right field reps or a permanent sales manager, so you don't take a costly gamble on a CV and a good interview.
The KNJ Sales Route
Four plain steps, the same for every client. No jargon and no off-the-shelf system: just finding out what's really happening, fixing it, and making sure it sticks.
Starts with a free chat. Then I spend time in the office and on the road with your team, and give you a straight report on what's working and what isn't.
A simple action plan: clear targets, a proper pipeline, call cycles and KPIs. The essentials, in order of what will make the most difference.
Your team learns the new way of working, in the room and out with customers, so it becomes habit rather than a one-off course.
I stay on as your part-time sales manager for as long as you need, then help you hire a permanent one when you're ready.
Step 1: Check
Every review covers the same six areas, so nothing is missed. You get a plain-English report that shows what is working, what isn't, and what to fix first.
Which customers, sectors and channels to chase, and whether targets add up.
How enquiries and quotes are logged, followed up and turned into a forecast you can trust.
Route planning, call frequency and how much time is spent selling.
Growth plans, contacts and range opportunities in your biggest customers.
Discount discipline, terms and how deals are negotiated.
Roles, KPIs, incentives and where training will make the biggest difference.
Free sales health check
Answer ten quick questions about how your sales team works today. You'll get a score and the three areas I'd look at first. It takes about two minutes, and nothing you enter leaves this page.
Why fractional
| Full-time sales director | KNJ Sales, fractional | |
|---|---|---|
| Commitment | Permanent salary, car, bonus and benefits | Agreed days per month, flexible as you grow |
| Time to start | Months of recruitment and notice periods | Usually within a few weeks |
| Experience | Depends on who you can attract and afford | 25+ years in B2B sales, including channel leadership and field rep management at a major manufacturer |
| Background | Varies, and many consultants have only ever trained or advised | A practitioner who has run channels, managed reps and closed deals |
| Perspective | Settles into the way things are done | Independent view, focused on results |
| Exit | Costly if it doesn't work out | Hands over to your permanent hire when you're ready |
About
I've spent more than 25 years in B2B sales, most of it on the manufacturer's side: running sales channels, managing field sales reps and looking after national and independent accounts.
At a major international manufacturer, as a channel head I was accountable for the performance of a whole sales channel and managed the field sales reps who delivered it: setting targets, planning territories and call cycles, running one-to-ones and coaching out on the road.
That's the same discipline I bring to SMEs. A large manufacturer runs its sales teams on clear plans, honest numbers and regular coaching. Most smaller businesses never get that structure, and it's often what's holding their sales back.
That has meant everything from building call cycles for field reps to negotiating annual deals with major accounts. The disciplines are the same whatever the product: know which customers matter, plan the time, protect the margin and coach people every week. I know what good field sales looks like, and how quickly a team drifts without clear direction and honest numbers.
I'm based in Sheffield and set up KNJ Sales Consultancy to give SMEs across Yorkshire and the East Midlands access to that experience without the cost of a full-time sales director. I work alongside owners and managing directors, I'm out on the road with your team, and I leave behind processes and skills that keep working after I've stepped back.
FAQs
A fractional sales manager is an experienced sales leader who works in your business part-time, usually a set number of days each month. You get senior sales management (strategy, targets, pipeline reviews and coaching for your team) without the cost of a full-time sales director.
I'm based in Sheffield and work with businesses across South Yorkshire, including Rotherham, Barnsley and Doncaster, as well as Leeds, West Yorkshire, Hull and East Yorkshire, and the East Midlands, including Nottingham, Derby, Chesterfield and Lincoln. I work on site with your team, not just over video calls.
Mostly SMEs, from owner-led businesses where the founder still does most of the selling, to established companies with a field sales team that needs direction, training or a fresh pair of eyes.
No. Many of my clients make things, but I also work with engineering firms, distributors, wholesalers, trade suppliers and B2B service businesses. If you sell to other businesses through a sales team or key accounts, I can help.
Very little. I spend time with you and your team, go out with your reps and look at your figures, but I work around your diary. You get a written report and a clear action plan at the end.
Yes. The first conversation is free and there's no obligation. You'll come away with at least one practical idea, whether or not we work together.
Get in touch
I'm based in Sheffield and happy to meet in person anywhere across South Yorkshire, Yorkshire and the East Midlands. Tell me about your business and your sales team. You'll leave the call with at least one practical idea, whether or not we work together.
