Corporate Visions Acquires Sales Training Company Executive Conversation

Sales training company Corporate Visions has acquired Executive Conversation for an undisclosed sum.

Executive Conversation offers sales training focused on helping B2B salespeople successfully pitch their ideas to senior-level executives. The training, led by C-level executives, includes arming them with financial and business knowledge that can help drive home such points as potential ROI. Executive Conversation's expertise will be particularly important as "the final decision is moving up the food chain for lower dollar amounts," requiring messaging that will specifically appeal to C-level executives, says Corporate Visions Chief Strategy and Marketing Officer Tim Riesterer.

In April, Corporate Visions acquired BayGroup International, a company that focuses on the negotiation aspect of the sales cycle. The two acquisitions will help round out Corporate Visions' offerings. "As a single company, we can be more consultative, and offer the right [option], as opposed to battling for budget," Riesterer explains. Corporate Visions' expertise is in helping people create stories to differentiate their products and helping salespeople frame conversations with their prospects. With these two acquisitions, Corporate Visions will be available to provide sales trainings on creating messaging, negotiating, and gaining support from C-level executives.

Although Riesterer could not reveal financial details about the privately held companies, he estimated that Corporate Visions has annual revenues in the $40 million range, while Executive Conversation's yearly revenues are a quarter that size. BayGroup International was slightly larger in size than Executive Conversation. Corporate Visions, which is now held by a private equity firm, made its first notable acquisition a little more than a year ago, when it acquired the selling tool WhiteBoardSelling.

"The category we're trying to own is the customer conversation," Reisterer says, and "we think we're pretty complete now on the skills side," he predicts. Corporate Visions engages at least 200 customers each year, according to Riesterer, with clients including Cisco, ADP, Philips, UPS, and Motorola.

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