How Emergenetics Drove 110% Enterprise Growth: From Transactional to Consultative Selling
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Imagine transforming your sales team from order-takers to strategic sales consultants who just helped deliver the highest revenue in your company's 30-year history.
That's exactly what happened when Emergenetics International tackled a challenge familiar to many B2B CEOs: despite having an incredible product that clients raved about, their sales approach was leaving millions in untapped potential on the table.
Through transformation of their sales process, Emergenetics not only doubled their enterprise clients in just one year but also increased client retention by 53% - proving that even a well-established company with a great product can dramatically level up their sales performance with the right sales approach.
Here’s how Pitch Lab did it:
The Power of Emergenetics
Founded in 1991 by the late, great, Dr. Geil Browning, Emergenetics International has spent over three decades helping organizations leverage cognitive diversity through their proprietary personality assessment. Their methodology measures four thinking attributes (Analytical, Structural, Social, and Conceptual) and three behavioral attributes (Expressiveness, Assertiveness, and Flexibility), providing teams with actionable insights to improve workplace dynamics. With certified associates in over 45 countries and materials available in multiple languages, Emergenetics has helped thousands of organizations unlock the power of cognitive diversity.
Their Challenge: Break Free from the "Nice-to-Have" Perception
Despite delivering consistently powerful and engaging sessions, Emergenetics faced a fundamental business challenge: their sales approach wasn't matching their solution's true value. The company's workshops were widely praised as some of the most engaging and enlightening experiences clients had ever encountered. However, this strength had inadvertently positioned them primarily as a "fun team building experience" rather than a strategic solution that drives real ROI in the workplace.
🚩 Key issues plaguing their sales approach included:
Transactional Sales Approach
Sales interactions typically consisted of a single phone call followed by an emailed proposal
No formal discovery process to uncover deeper organizational needs
Reactive Order-Taking Mentality
Sales team operated in a responsive mode
Most sales came from prospects who had already experienced Emergenetics firsthand
Missing Strategic Infrastructure
No lead scoring system to prioritize opportunities
Lack of formal sales process or playbook
No discovery framework to guide meaningful client conversations
Limited guidance on elevating conversations beyond workshop logistics
Untapped Value Proposition
Solution was essentially selling itself based on reputation and word-of-mouth
True ROI potential remained largely unexplored during sales conversations
Mindshift: Evolve from Order-Takers to Strategic Sales Consultants
Our engagement focused on two core transformations: elevating the sales team's capabilities and maximizing client partnerships.
Phase 1: Build a Strategic Sales Foundation
Developed a value-based sales approach where reps quantified Emergenetics' business impact through concrete metrics and ROI calculations, while enhancing the discovery process with consultative questions that uncovered prospects’ deeper challenges around communication, productivity and employee retention.
Created a sales process that leveraged Emergenetics' own personality assessment tools, allowing reps to customize their communication style and sales presentations based on each prospect's unique thinking preferences – giving them a powerful differentiator in sales conversations.
Phase 2: Maximize Client Relationships
Implemented a systematic account development program that helped reps identify expansion opportunities within existing clients, supported by AI-powered insights about industry trends and challenges specific to each prospect's market.
Established a proven referral process that trained reps to identify and activate internal champions at client organizations, resulting in warm introductions that turned successful single-department workshops into company-wide implementations.
Phase 3: Fractional Sales Leadership
Provided weekly one-on-one coaching sessions and sales call ride-alongs, giving real-time feedback that helped reps apply new frameworks in actual selling situations while building their confidence as strategic sellers.
Led monthly team training sessions focused on specific skill development, using role-play scenarios and real deal examples to ensure the entire team could effectively execute the new sales methodology and consistently demonstrate value to prospects.
The Results: Record-Breaking Growth and Retention
Pitch Lab’s three-year engagement with Emergenetics delivered transformative results:
✅ Achieved 110% growth in enterprise clients (5,000+ employees), expanding from 9 to 19 in just one year.
This growth was accompanied by a significant increase in average deal size and deeper penetration within existing enterprise accounts as we expanded our footprint across these organizations.
✅ Year-over-year client retention jumped from 48% to 74%, representing a 53% improvement in overall retention rates.
This dramatic increase was driven by substantial growth in repeat business and strategic account expansion initiatives that helped us build longer-lasting partnerships.
✅ The engagement culminated in the highest revenue earned by the sales team in Emergenetics' 30+ year history.
This milestone was marked by a record-breaking number of new enterprise clients and a significant increase in average customer lifetime value, setting new standards for success across the organization.
Meeting of the Minds: Emergenetics Team Testimonials
“Jay was an invaluable partner to Emergenetics, serving as a concept builder, trainer, coach and thought partner. His impact on our organization was transformative. Under his guidance, our global sales team achieved record-breaking revenue twice in the past five years and a post-pandemic recovery of more than 110%.
He leaves every person and organization better than he found them. His contributions to our collective success have been invaluable, and his impact continues to resonate and will for years to come.”
— Kerry Anderson, Vice President of Client Experience
"Jay is THE best! His sense of humor + efficient and effective approach made such an impact on me. The frameworks, playbooks and customized resources that Jay introduced have become the heartbeat of our sales strategy, improving my client interactions and driving significant growth in our deal sizes."
— Adrienne N., Senior Client Strategist and Sales Team Lead
"Working with Jay has been transformative for my sales career. His training didn't just teach me sales techniques - he helped me develop skills I'll carry with me for life. His coaching helped me shift from just going through the motions to truly feeling comfortable and natural being consultative with my clients."
— Abigail H., Client Strategist
Think Big: Key Takeaways for B2B CEOs
✅ Transform Order-Takers into Strategic Sales Advisors: Elevating your sales team beyond transactional selling requires a systematic approach combining new frameworks, tools, and mindsets. This transformation enables them to engage in meaningful business conversations that drive larger deals and longer-term partnerships.
✅ Quantify Your Value in Business Terms: Moving from "nice-to-have" to "must-have" status demands clear ROI demonstration. When salespeople can translate your solution's impact into concrete business outcomes and dollar values, prospects naturally prioritize your offering in their budgets.
✅ Build for Account Growth: A structured "land and expand" strategy, supported by systematic processes and regular value reviews, can dramatically improve both client retention and revenue per account. This approach transforms one-time buyers into long-term strategic partners.
Want to learn how Pitch Lab can help evolve your sales organization? Click here to dive deeper into our sales training services.
