In the dynamic UK Financial Services sector, the ability to effectively market and sell software and services is more crucial than ever. As demand for innovation grows, companies seek strategies to break into new markets, accelerate growth, and achieve sustainable success.

With nearly 30 years of sales experience in this industry, working with both large corporates and agile fintech’s, I’ve learned that innovation is essential—whether it’s launching a business, staying competitive, or enhancing client services. Solving real-world problems and improving efficiencies have always been at the core of successful ventures. In my experience, this often presents an issue for a CRO or Sales Director when products are launched sporadically and without a systematic campaign plan which often creates an environment where you are asking people to sell ahead of the curve with smoke and some mirrors usually involved. Keeping a full-time sales team on the park is costly when you factor in all on costs vs revenue being generated across a time horizon.

Last July, I made a bold move, leaving a secure sales role to join G2M Solutions Ltd as Associate Partner. With deep industry knowledge in UK Banking, Insurance, and Wealth Management, along with a proven ability to sell and a vast network to leverage, I knew I had the right ingredients to help organisations build momentum, establish a strong presence, and generate a robust pipeline of opportunities—all the way through to closing deals.

This approach isn’t unique to sales; it mirrors how businesses in other sectors procure specialised skills. For instance, large corporations might have in-house legal teams, while small to mid-sized businesses retain legal experts only when needed—for closing deals, M&A activity, or critical advice. It’s about buying the right expertise at the right time, which is both commercially smart and efficient as you can turn it on and off.

It’s been an eventful first year highlighting the increasing demand for business support. I’ve spent my time positioning a new Regulatory Reporting capability with leading Insurers, showcasing financial guidance tools to Pension Providers and Wealth Managers, introducing a new test automation tool for Salesforce users, and immersing myself into the world of financial accounting with the launch of Photon Financial Hub for SAP’s Banking and Insurance sectors transitioning to the cloud.

The shift towards outsourced sales has seen a significant rise particularly in complex sectors like Financial Services. Companies are realising that outsourcing not only offers cost efficiencies but also brings specialised expertise and a broader network into play, which can be game-changing when trying to penetrate a highly regulated and competitive market.

This photo was taken 12 years ago in a world where there was a decent view at the top, ties were worn and I had more hair….a different world today.