Khristian Serrano Portfolio

Job Title: Chief Commercial Officer

SchoolOnline is a seed funded EdTech SAAS startup offering digital curriculum solutions for parents and schools in English and Maths.

Key Achievements:

Laid the core foundations for a successful Sales and Marketing operation with the following tactics:
• Introduced KPIs for a focused Sales and Marketing team which were achieved in my first 18 months.
• Established essential communication systems between remote working sales operatives to provide essential leadership and support. This included review and reporting structures such as daily stand-ups to identify core targets and weekly strategic reviews to review progress and plan future activities.
• Implemented CRM system to properly record data, and manage lists, marketing activities and sales pipelines.
• Won the confidence and support of Board Directors for Sales and Marketing Strategies as well as reporting progress against KPIs and other performance metrics.
• Used key industry insights to support tech development of the platform, including new features and functionality to broaden the appeal to a wider audience following consultation with key focus groups.
• Established partnerships with blue chip companies such as Tesco and O2 to promote the platform to B2C customers for no charge.

Highlights:

• Increased monthly B2C revenues by 140% over a 12-month period.
• Grew B2B revenues by 893% between March 2022 and March 2023.
• Increased core B2B customer base by 722% over the same timeframe.
• Frequently exceeded 38% average open rates from cold-email campaigns providing a consistent pipeline of inbound enquiries.

Skills: Conversion Optimization · Customer Acquisition · Communication · Change Management · Business Development Strategy · Sales Operations · Revenue & Profit Growth · Sales Strategy · Customer Relationship Management (CRM) · Board Relations · Business-to-Business (B2B) · Strategic Partnerships · Strategic Planning · Digital Strategy · Marketing Strategy · Digital Transformation · Product Development · Business Development · Sales & Marketing · Online Marketing · Digital Marketing · Marketing Communications · Startup Environments · Social Media · Online Advertising · Project Management · Digital Project Management · Software as a Service (SaaS) · Analytical Skills · Data Analysis · Team Management · Management · Interpersonal Skills · Team Leadership · Storyboarding · Problem Solving

Responsibilities

> Board meetings: Responsible for presenting key progress, findings and research to the board.

> Strategy: Developed Marketing Strategy taking a belt and braces approach to cover a broad spectrum of Marketing approaches, some organic, some paid.

> Reporting: Weekly reporting to ExCo on sales figures, ROI, CPC and other KPIs.

Example Content:

Video Content - within the platform, this was produced with a professional video production agency. Edited and produced promotional material for the website, YouTube channels and live events.

Case Studies - worked with customers and partners to develop social proof through data, testing students before and after the use of the platform to observe results. Produced high-quality flyers highlighting success.

Partnership Campaigns - focusing initially on Tesco, then moving to deals with O2 and NatWest, this was a key contributor to overall revenues providing a consistent monthly income. Worked closely with key contacts to maintain positive relationships, whilst also pushing for better support at each turn.

Paid Advertising Campaigns - primarily delivered through Google Ads, Facebook Ads and LinkedIn Ads, delivered and managed through experienced online ad agencies to deliver strong ROI for B2C products.

Email Campaigns and Incentivisation Programmes - leveraged the large database of contacts nurtured through a variety of touchpoints to send out email newsletters, updates and advertising offers. Managed all through HubSpot integrated with Google Workspace.

Social Media Campaigns - These organic campaigns were part of a brand-building campaign which boosted visibility, especially among young people via TikTok and parents on Facebook.

Branding & Collateral - including brochure design for multiple audiences, flyers and other collateral for posting and live events. Some elements are designed in Adobe Illustrator, others in Canva.

Web Design & Landing Pages - using Elementor in WordPress to produce additional pages, including landing pages.

Trade Shows - a fundamental route to market for the product and an ideal way to get in front of potential customers. Responsible for leading the sales team to develop a 12-month plan for events, producing collateral, merchandise and signage.

Fundraising - worked on a 4-month programme to crowdfund via Seedrs. Responsible for delivering a strategy and key marketing assets during the campaign which raised over £300,000 for the business.

Webinars - delivered Webinars leading and coordinating industry experts and school leaders on topical discussions.

HVCOs - lead the Marketing team to produce High-Value Content Offerings for download through the platform via landing pages as part of email and paid ad campaigns.