Tony Prentice former chief commercial officer of News Australia Sales launches specialist sales consultancy business ‘Prentice and Partners’
The former chief commercial officer of News Australia Sales, Tony Prentice, is launching a new business focused on sales force effectiveness and training. The business is called Prentice and Partners.
Prentice, who was with News Ltd for four years, first as commercial director of News Digital Media then on to his News Australia role, said he was launching the new business soon after leaving News, as he had identified the opportunity for sales force analysis and training in his recent corporate career.
Says Prentice: “Investment in people is the single largest cost to any sales organisation and the greatest challenge for management is to optimise the performance of their sales teams to achieve maximum revenues.
“I will be using my experience to offer an independent third-party view point on the critical success factors for individual sales teams and also provide guidance and training to effect necessary change.”
Prentice has opened the new business in partnership with his wife Jeanine, who is formerly group national sales manager of News Magazines and has more than eight years direct and agency sales management experience within out of home, radio, digital and print-media businesses. In addition to the founders’ expertise, Prentice and Partners will annex any additional industry-leading skill sets required to achieve results for individual client programs.
Prentice said the main areas where Prentice and Partners would focus on sales force performance would be in strategy alignment, customer management, talent management and team capabilities.
He said the new business had already started contacting businesses that may be potential clients and would consider additional resources as the business gets traction.