Who We Are
Bill Raymond, the founder and President of the Sales & Marketing Leadership Group, LLC (SMLG), has been in sales and marketing for over 25 years. Bill started his career selling to a broad base of technology users in the midwest. After five years of successful selling, Bill became a marketing manager for the same company.
After five years of marketing, Bill realized that sales was where he wanted to devote his energies. Bill joined a major electronics manufacturer as a district sales manager of 8 people; within a period of four years became the Eastern US Sales Manager of a sales group consisting of 125 sales and applications people. In 1991, Bill moved to Oregon as a Director for the company, and devoted four years to new business development with leading worldwide corporations.
In 1995, Bill became the Vice President of Sales & Marketing for a Portland area firm, working with a team of regional sales managers, manufacturers representatives, and thousands of distributors.
In late 1998, Bill started the Sales and Marketing Leadership Group, LLC. The company is dedicated to helping companies (and a select group of individuals) increase their profitability by increasing their selling efficiency and effectiveness.
In 1999, Bill became affiliated with Sandler Systems, Inc. "It is simply the best that is out there," Bill says. "I wish I had discovered it years earlier; it would have made a major difference in already great results. This is vastly different from teaching new sales techniques; it is a sales transformation process," and he is making that happen with many Northwest companies that are committed to growing their businesses.
The Sandler Selling System® methodology gives us a common language, as well as sales process, that allows for more precise communication. The Sandler® process helps both the sales personnel and management to debrief both the good and the bad sales calls and the ultimate new loan origination. To put it simply, the Sandler Selling System makes our sales personnel look much different to the prospect than our competition, who is using a potpourri of the classical sales pitches.
First Capital is dedicated to the application of the Sandler Selling System in its new business origination process and we appreciate your support and professionalism.
David H. Pendley
President