Accela, an education technology startup, developed an app that enhances the value of the vast databases used by private and public schools. As potential buyers became interested in acquiring the company, leadership aimed to rapidly increase its value. A significant concern was the underperformance of the sales team compared to the CEO's numbers, which were four times that of the top salesperson. Other issues included a limited intellectual property portfolio and a stagnant approach to churn.

During my analysis, I mapped the complex decision-making process within school districts and compared it to Accela's sales workflow.

Accela followed a high-touch, one-on-one sales approach that isolated sales activities within individual sales representatives. This made it nearly impossible to coordinate efforts, identify patterns, adjust strategies, or replicate successes. Additionally, the company's messaging emphasized "innovation" as its main value proposition. However, my findings revealed that a district's primary concern is minimizing disruption to its stakeholders—parents, administration, and teachers—rather than improving efficiency.

New positioning and messaging

Sales process and tools to install greater internal transparency and proactivity

Customizable sales materials for on-the-fly adjustments

Customer experience program

Comprehensive customer onboarding program

Staff training and coaching

The largest player in the industry acquired Accela for three times its valuation from the previous year.

"Tasha put us in a much, much better negotiating position. On a practical level, we could point to growth and renewal rates and show an IP portfolio that was more than just the code. And on another level, we felt much more like a fully-realized company, not just a product."