How NorthEast Electrical Broke Through Sales Stagnation and Doubled Revenue in the Industrial Region
For many distributors, when customers expand, revenue goes up. When customers slow down, sales stall. It’s a passive approach to growth, but Gregg Richards, VP of Sales at NorthEast Electrical, wanted to do better.
“We were good at maintaining business, but we weren’t driving it,” Gregg recalls. “Our growth was entirely tied to how well our customers were doing, not because of anything we were proactively doing.”
It’s a familiar challenge for distribution sales leaders: long-tenured reps, strong customer relationships, and steady revenue—but no real strategy for scaling. Gregg knew that if they wanted to break through the plateau, something had to change, and it wasn’t going to come from adding more salespeople, slashing prices, or hoping for a better market.
Instead, Gregg made a series of strategic decisions that reshaped the way NorthEast Electrical when to market. Over the next decade, the Industrial Region doubled revenue from $60M to $120M, not by working harder, but by selling smarter.
Here’s what he and his team did differently and how other distributors can follow the same playbook.
Comfortable Sales Reps = Stagnant Growth
Gregg inherited a deeply experienced team. Many of his reps had been calling on the same accounts for 15 or 20 years. Customers loved them, and they had strong relationships. On the surface, that looked like a huge advantage.
But underneath, Gregg saw what was really happening:
- Sales reps weren’t looking for new business. They weren’t even expanding within existing accounts.
- They avoided difficult conversations. “We had a lot of head trash around asking tough questions,” Gregg explains. Reps worried about jeopardizing long-standing relationships by discussing price increases, new product lines, or expanded service offerings.
- There was no structured sales process. Calls and meetings were friendly but lacked direction. Salespeople left without clear next steps, and there was no accountability for moving deals forward.
- The company was giving away free consulting. Technical specialists and engineers were constantly fielding questions, solving problems, and providing expertise—without any commitment from the customer.
“The truth is, we weren’t selling. We were just servicing accounts,” Gregg admits. “And that’s fine until you realize you’re not in control of your own growth.”
That was when he decided to change how they approached sales.
Building a Proactive Sales Culture
Gregg didn’t just need a sales training program; he needed a cultural shift.
He had partnered with Next Level at a previous company, so he called them to transform his team’s approach from reactive to proactive. Gregg knew going in that this wasn’t about throwing them into a two-day seminar and hoping for the best. It was about reinforcing the right behaviors over time.
“Training is only as good as its reinforcement,” Gregg says. “What stood out about Next Level was that it wasn’t a one-and-done event. It was an ongoing process that changed how we thought about selling.”
Here’s what NorthEast Electrical did differently:
1. Implementing a Repeatable Sales Process
The first step was giving salespeople a framework to follow. Next Level introduced the Sandler Selling System, a methodology designed to help reps take control of conversations, qualify opportunities faster, and set clear next steps in every meeting.
This structured approach included:
- Pre-call Planning – Sales reps prepared for meetings with a clear agenda and objectives.
- Up-Front Contracts – Setting expectations with customers from the start, eliminating vague or unproductive conversations.
- Post-Call Debriefs – Evaluating what worked, what didn’t, and what should happen next.
Revenue increases when salespeople run better meetings, close more deals, and stop wasting time on unqualified opportunities.
2. Breaking the Fear of Prospecting
The team’s willingness to go after new business was one of the most significant shifts.
“Our guys would drive past a dozen potential customers on their way to an existing account and never stop in,” Gregg says. “We had to break that habit.”
Next Level helped the team overcome their discomfort with prospecting by reframing it not as a cold outreach but as a way to help more customers solve more problems.
Reps started walking into new businesses, getting referrals and introductions, and uncovering opportunities they’d been missing for years. For existing customers, they learned to ask better questions, expanding their footprint within accounts instead of just taking orders.
3. Stopping Free Consulting
Like many distributors, NorthEast Electrical had technical specialists who were constantly pulled into customer conversations, often without any expectation that the customer would buy.
“We were giving away some of our most valuable expertise for free,” Gregg says.
The team reframed these interactions, as well. Instead of immediately sending in a technical expert, reps were trained to qualify the opportunity first. They started setting clear expectations:
“We’re happy to bring in our specialists, but here’s how we typically engage on these projects.”
The shift forced customers to reset expectations, leading to more meaningful commitments and fewer wasted resources.
4. Holding Sales Leaders Accountable
For this culture change to work, it couldn’t just be a sales team initiative. It had to be reinforced at every level, especially by leadership.
Gregg ensured managers weren’t just talking about deals and the pipeline—they were actively coaching their reps.
“We stopped flying desks and started getting out in the field,” he says. “I started doing more joint sales calls, reinforcing the training, and making sure our guys weren’t slipping back into old habits.”
This ongoing reinforcement kept the momentum going and made the changes stick.
Doubling Revenue Without Adding More Sales Reps
Over the course of 10 years, NorthEast Electrical doubled its business in the Industrial Region from $60M to $120M without dramatically expanding its sales force. Most importantly, they took control of their own growth.
“We’re no longer just riding the wave of our customers’ success,” Gregg says. “We’re creating our own success.”
If your sales team is stuck in maintenance mode, waiting for customers to send you an order, it’s time to rethink your approach.
Top-performing distributors build repeatable systems that put them in control.
- Implementing a structured, repeatable sales process
- Reframing fear around prospecting and business development
- Eliminating free consulting and capturing more value
- Reinforcing sales behaviors at the leadership level
- Committing to a long-term cultural transformation.
For distributors looking to break out of stagnation, the question isn’t whether growth is possible. It’s whether you’re willing to change the way you sell.
It isn’t easy, and the process is not for everyone, but Gregg and the team at NorthEast Electrical saw results because they stuck with it.
If you’re ready to take control of your growth, Next Level can help. Let’s have a conversation.
