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RICHARD T. HAHN

Bio

The consistent theme of Rick’s 25 year career is delivering results through execution and operational excellence.  

He is a successful CEO that has managed in companies ranging from start-ups to $1 billion in revenue; software to manufacturing; and in disciplines from Sales and Marketing to Finance and International.  This deep and diverse experience has provided him with some areas of distinctive competence:

  • Attracting and motivating superb management teams
  • Defining the key issues facing the business and addressing them with a sense of urgency
  • Developing situation-specific selling processes that work in a repeatable way
  • Effective and honest communication with all stakeholders; customers, employees, the board and investors
  • Understanding the numbers inside and out – thus avoiding “surprises”
  • Worldwide knowledge and experience
  • A sound and balanced business perspective without blind spots 

Experience and Accomplishments:

For the past few years Hahn has worked in a consulting capacity with companies to improve the effectiveness of their sales organizations.   He specializes in working with organizations that exhibit symptoms like:

·       Not meeting revenue targets

·       Inability to accurately forecast

·       Difficulty developing and articulating the value proposition

·       Difficulty reaching and connecting with senior-level decision makers

·       Long sales cycles

Hahn utilizes an approach that combines training, mentoring, and creating and implementing a defined and repeatable selling process that is optimized for each specific client.   His methodology is differentiated from “sales training” or “consulting” by the time he spends actually implementing the new process elements process with the sales teams.  Hahn’s clients include companies in a number of industries including:

·       Software

·       Consumer Packaged Goods

·       Technology products and services

·       Medical equipment

·       Telecom

·       CRM

Prior to beginning his consulting practice, Hahn’s most recent software company was Salion, Inc. in Austin, TX; where he was President and CEO.  He was recruited by AV Labs and McKinsey & Co to architect and build a CRM software company for complex manufacturers in the Automotive and Aerospace & Defense industries.   Significant accomplishments included:

  • Raised $17 million in three funding rounds in 2000 and 2001
  • Recruited the initial team, directed the McKinsey market research, and developed and delivered the first release of the product within 10 months
  • Assembled a superb team that reached 55 people
  • Sold $10 million in revenue
  • Delivered an industry-leading application that delivered as promised to several Fortune 500 clients
  • The company was acquired in 2004.

Prior to Salion, Hahn was recruited in 1997 to be CEO of SourceSys, Inc. to achieve two objectives: 1) find commercial application for some interesting cataloging technology and 2) create value for the stakeholders and investors.  In a period of 18 months, he:

  • Created the acknowledged world leader in catalog content standardization; a key enabler for e-procurement adoption
  • Generated 3 merger offers  (Aspect Development, Harbinger, and ProcureNet)
  • Successfully negotiated the acquisition of the company by ProcureNet
  • Provided shareholders with a 500% return.

ProcureNet is a $400 million sourcing services and E-procurement company formed in 1998 by merging four independent businesses. Upon the acquisition of SourceSys by ProcureNet, Hahn was asked to take charge of the combined company’s go-to-market strategy as Senior Vice President:  Key results included:

  • Executed the go-to-market plan for our e-procurement offering
  • Created world’s largest catalog of MRO products (500,000+ items)
  • Built and trained a 30-person direct sales organization in 90 days
  • Implemented a common selling process across all business units
  • Consistent recognition from industry analysts as having the superior business model in the industry

 

Prior to SourceSys/ProcureNet, Rick was president of CIMLINC, INCORPORATED.   He was brought in as the Business Unit Manager of a troubled division that marketed software development tools to Fortune 500 CIO’s.  His charter was to grow the business, provide a more predictable revenue stream, and increase profits.  The results:

  • Successfully converted a software development tools vendor into a leading total-solution supplier in under one year  (manufacturing execution and engineering applications)
  • First sale of new product was a $7 million transaction to the Boeing Company  (the deal was profiled in The Wall Street Journal)
  • Increased average selling price from < $100,000 to $2 million in 12 months
  • Sold $20 million in new products within 18 months of arrival and 12 months after introduction
  • Profit was 400% of plan in 1995; revenue 250% of plan
  • Promoted to President as a result of our performance

Before CIMLINC, Hahn was, as Vice President, Operations – Americas, a key member of the new executive team brought together to bring BAAN to the US (from the Netherlands), grow it rapidly, and take the company public.   He was responsible for Channel Sales, Marketing, Finance, Facilities, and the North American Competency Center for this enterprise software company.

Prior to BAAN, Rick had 4 years of international experience.  First, he was in charge of Asia-Pacific operations for Convergent Technologies; a computer company based in San Jose, CA.  Then he was VP, International for the ERP company Symix Systems; where he built the non-US business from $200K to $8 million in 3 years.

In late 1984, Hahn founded The Technology Group, Inc. which was the first U.S. manufacturer of 3.5 in computer diskettes.  Prior to TTG, Hahn held increasing responsible positions in manufacturing and finance for Spectra-Physics, Memorex, and Grant Thornton.

Mr. Hahn has a BS/BA degree (Accounting) from The Ohio State University.


 2009 Richard T. Hahn