Marketing & Sales Executive

Rick Blythe

Principal, Blythe Associates

A business leader with a proven ability to organize and lead marketing and sales initiatives in alignment with business objectives — building revenue, improving performance through measurement, and developing productive internal and external partnerships.

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30+

Years of executive leadership

143%

Pipeline growth in 3 months (Time Equipment)

10×

Revenue growth in 18 months (Touch Prospecting)

90%

Clients on multi-year retainer contracts

Core Competencies

Where I deliver results

📈

Revenue Growth

Untapped market opportunity identification
Sales strategy design & implementation
Forecasting metrics & real-time feedback
Sales cycle prospect nurturing

📋

CRM & Sales Operations

CRM implementations & migrations
Salesforce, SugarCRM & HubSpot
KPI dashboards & executive reporting
Sales process mapping & quantification

👥

Partnership Building

Marketing & sales alignment
Key customer relationship leverage
Channel & national partner development
Internal collaboration frameworks

⚙

Performance Measurement

KPI design tied to business goals
Metric-based staff leadership
Daily performance dashboards
ROI model design & accountability

📩

Demand Generation

Inside sales program design
Lead generation & prequalification
Email marketing campaigns
Direct mail & trade show strategy

🎓

Team Leadership

Hiring, training & coaching
Managing teams of up to 25
Personalized performance coaching
Industry conference & seminar speaking

Career History

Professional experience

2014 – Present

Blythe Associates

Seattle, WA

Principal

Tactical consulting to marketing and sales organizations

Design & implement sales tools and processes for clients across high-tech, healthcare, and retail
Map and quantify sales processes; build accountability through KPIs and executive dashboards
Increase sales department productivity through CRM, sales automation, and personalized coaching

90% of monthly retainer clients on multi-year annual contracts

2012 – 2014

Time Equipment Company

Bellevue, WA

Marketing Manager

Sales & service channel partner for Infotronics, Inc.

Designed & launched the firm's first-ever strategic B2B marketing and inside sales campaigns
Identified key markets to leverage 450 existing client relationships
Implemented company's first CRM; initiated website analytics and email marketing

Sales-ready appointments within 2 weeks of launch Pipeline volume increased 143% in three months

2006 – 2012

Touch Prospecting

Seattle, WA

Owner

Marketing strategy and implementation firm

Created & implemented demand generation strategies and inside sales programs across B2B sectors
Designed guaranteed ROI models and sales forecasts for each client
Developed a testimonial-based sales model and established daily performance metrics

Grew 10× in first 18 months — 0 to 12 employees

2003 – 2006

Alaska SeaLife Center

Seward, AK

Director, Marketing & Sales

Largest Alaskan tourism venue south of Anchorage

Refocused marketing strategy on partnership and channel building; restructured pricing and discounting
Launched new niche products; represented company at national industry trade shows
Managed a team of 25 with 5 direct reports

26.4% overall revenue increase over four years 75% increase in revenue from national partners 40% average annual growth in new products

1997 – 2003

Blythe Associates

Bridgeport, CT

Principal

Demand generation strategy and implementation firm

Hired, trained, and managed a team of 8 senior inside sales staff (each with 10+ years experience)
Designed internal dashboards to monitor ROI daily; built individual ROI models for each client

56% average annual revenue growth 50% of new revenue from referral partnerships

1989 – 1997

The Critical Guest

Bridgeport, CT

General Manager / Co-Founder

Sales consulting firm to the hospitality industry

Created an industry inside sales benchmark to evaluate client sales staff
Managed national trade show strategy; spoke at industry conferences and published in journals
Launched international partnership development program across Europe and the Middle East

50% average annual sales growth Long-term accounts including Hilton Hotels and Swissotels

Giving Back

Professional & volunteer activities

MicroMentor — Individual Business Coach (2010–2016)

iLEAP Center for Critical Service — Seminar Leader & Operations Consultant (2010–2016)

Washington CASH — Business Support Group Mentor & Seminar Presenter (2010–2012)

Excell — CEO Peer Advisory Group, Member (2009–2011)

American Marketing Association, Member (2006–2008)

Seattle Direct Marketing Association, Member (2006–2008)

Travel Industry of America (TIA) — Seminar Presenter (2006)

Seward Chamber of Commerce — Board Member (2004–2008), Board President (2004–2005)

Bridgeport Chamber of Commerce — Executive Board Member (2001–2002)

Bridgeport Regional Business Council — Board Member (2002)