These insights from Joe Bradley, CEO of Step Change Innovations, are excerpted from the company’s 2024 Ingredient Sales Industry Survey Report, which is available for download.  The report addresses how to overcome common sales challenges, how to improve lead conversion, offers practical solutions to help accelerate revenue growth, and more.

In this business, you can’t rely on home runs and grand slams. Sure, we’d all love to fill our pipeline with big-name brands and massive deals, but let’s be honest—those take time. A lot of time. They’re expensive to pursue, and the sales cycle can drag on for what feels like forever. It’s great when those big wins come through, but you can’t build a career just waiting for them. 

Singles and doubles are just as important. The reality is, you need a pipeline filled with all kinds of opportunities—emerging brands, mid-size companies, you name it. Emerging brands often move quicker and are more open to innovative solutions. But they come with risk. Sometimes, those deals die on the vine before they ever make it to market. You have to ask yourself, Is the effort worth the reward? For the right company, it is, because these quicker wins help keep your momentum going while you’re working on those bigger fish. 

The most important thing is to keep your pipeline full. The more opportunities you have, the less you’re at the mercy of one deal. And once something closes? There’s no time to celebrate—you’re already onto the next one. That’s the reality of sales. You always have to be moving, building, and growing. It’s a tough gig, but if you can stay on top of it, that’s how you succeed. 

—Joe Bradley, CEO, Step Change Innovations