Achieve3000

ACHIEVE3000 IN THE NEWS

Achieve3000, Inc. Granted US Patent for Online Differentiated Instruction Methodology

Achieve3000 Helps Florida Teacher Achieve Extraordinary Reading Growth

Achieve3000 Goes Global with Launch of Worldwide Reseller Program

New Tools for the Common Core, featuring Achieve3000

... and other recent press releases.

POSITION OVERVIEW

With Achieve 3000’s recent acquisition by Insight Venture Partners, a leading private equity firm in the Education industry, company CEO Saki Dodelson and the investors are turning their attention to upgrading the company’s sales organization to reflect (1) its growing market position in online differentiated instruction in literacy and other K-12 course areas and (2) the fact that such a complex, technology-based product line requires both a higher level sales organization and more professionalism in how this sales organization is structured and managed. Key to this redefinition is hiring a new Chief Sales Officer to run Achieve 3000’s 85-person sales force, comprising field, inside, and international sales teams.

The CEO and IVP share the conviction that the room for future growth is substantial, and that the company's growth objectives will come largely through the acquisition of new schools in the United States and globally, and in cross selling the current portfolio of products to the established customer base.

THE COMPANY

Company Background
For more than a decade, Achieve3000® has supported the individuality and potential of every student by reaching them where they are to help them reach higher levels of reading and writing proficiency.

The company’s fundamental belief is that literacy unlocks achievement, and that the key to improving literacy is differentiated instruction. Today, Achieve3000 is the leader in differentiated online instruction, serving more than one million students across the United States. In 2011, Inc. magazine included Achieve3000 on its annual 500/5000 list for the fifth consecutive year, the exclusive ranking of the nation's fastest growing private companies.

Achieve provides the only web-based, differentiated instruction solutions designed to reach a school's entire student population — mainstream, English Language Learners, special needs, and gifted. In addition to KidBiz3000®, TeenBiz3000®, Empower3000™ and other literacy solutions, Achieve launched its first differentiated core curriculum solution, eScience3000® in 2011. Founded in 2000, Achieve has grown quickly, and today serves more than one million students across America. Today, Achieve3000 is leading the way towards helping every student become independent, reaching higher standards and becoming prepared for college and the workforce.

Product Overview

Literacy Solutions
Achieve3000® believes in the power of truly differentiated online instruction to enable significant and sustained Lexile®/reading growth — a belief supported by a decade-plus of scientifically proven performance.

The need for differentiated instruction has never been greater. With the increased demands of the Common Core State Standards, the imperative for students to become independent readers of complex text grows by the day.
By setting reading levels, differentiating non-fiction text based on each student's unique academic profile, and continually assessing and increasing the complexity of text, Achieve solutions steadily increase students' ability to read, comprehend, apply and communicate information derived from complex text — prerequisites for success in school and beyond graduation.

KidBiz3000, TeenBiz3000 and Empower3000
KidBiz3000® for grades 2 to 5, TeenBiz3000® for grades 6 to 8 and Empower3000® for high school are the powerful, proven, differentiated online literacy instruction literacy solutions that reach every student at his or her Lexile®/reading level. They deliver truly differentiated reading and writing assignments — using high-quality, non-fiction content based on each student's reading level - and that automatically adapts content via ongoing, real-time Lexile assessment.

Importantly they align closely with objectives of the Common Core State Standards to give students the content area literacy skills they need to succeed on the standards and prepare for college and career.

Powered by Achieve3000's LevelSet™ Lexile assessment tool and proprietary software engine that distributes assignments to the entire class, but tailors them according to each student's reading level, KidBiz3000, Teen Biz3000, and Empower3000, enable all students to make continual progress and improvement.

Achieve Language, Achieve Intervention, and Achieve Enrichment

These solutions do more and go further to meet the needs of the entire population – English language learners, struggling students and students with special needs and advanced learners alike.

Newly Developed Science Solutions
As it has with its differentiated literacy instruction, Achieve is leading the way in science with a fresh approach and powerful partnerships. The new solutions promise to make science a passionate pursuit for students.

• eScience3000® is a differentiated core science program for middle school students. The solution is an engaging, experiential, differentiated program that changes the game when it comes to science instruction. By making science accessible to all learners, eScience3000 is designed to help meet STEM objectives to move U.S. students from the middle to the top in science achievement over the next decade. eScience3000 is also designed to fulfill all district requirements for core science programs that meet 21st-century educational needs.
• Achieve3000®'s World of Biology is a breakthrough in differentiated science curriculum for middle and high school — one that helps students achieve the literacy skills they need to succeed in biology and perform better on exams and high-stakes tests. Designed as a supplement to complement existing biology text, World of Biology provides a standards-based biology curriculum with embedded recommendations to support STEM literacy initiatives.

About Insight Venture Partners
In 2014 Achieve 3000 entered into a new business alliance with Insight Venture Partners (IVP).

Insight Venture Partners is an American private equity and venture capital firm based in New York City. The firm focuses exclusively on investing in technology, software and Internet-enabled businesses and currently has a capital base of approximately $7.6 billion for this purpose. The company has invested in well-known companies such as Twitter, Chegg, Tumblr, Flipboard, Zynga, Quest Software, and Hotel Urbano, a company established in Brazil. Insight’s investments include growth equity, capital for M&A, buyouts, take-privates, pre-IPO rounds, and recapitalizations.

The partnership with Insight will help advance Achieve 3000’s market leadership position and accelerate revenue growth through acquisitions and building of new products for the education market.

THE POSITION

Achieve3000 is seeking a Chief Sales Officer to lead and direct the entire sales effort for this rapidly expanding company, reporting to the CEO.

Key Responsibilities:

• Developing overall sales strategy in close partnership with the CEO and leadership team that will improve sales force productivity in both customer renewals and new business sales to existing and new customers
• Integrating directing the inside, outside, and international sales teams’ activities to achieve sales goals including transformation leadership with the sales organization
• Manage transformation from a geographic based team selling model to a Tiered Customer Segment model where accountability rests with an individual sales representative
• Developing and leading the sales support and administration function
• Working closely with marketing, product management, business development, and software development organizations to drive business results

Does this sound like the opportunity for you? Read on...

Key Accountabilities:

• Partner with the CEO and leadership team to develop, design, and communicate the sales strategy and vision to ensure delivery of revenue growth goals. Establish annual sales goals and develop and communicate objectives and tactics for the sales team.
• Develop, implement, and execute the sales organization transformation plan to achieve short and long-term business and sales strategy. Ensure the structure and plan aligns with customer market and needs. Determine timeline for implementation and communication.
• Integrate the existing sales teams—field, inside, and international— to achieve maximum efficiencies and market penetration. Drive strategic direction across all groups.
• Identify and prioritize sales opportunities from school districts around the country. Marshal resources to cover these high-value opportunities.
• Maintain the CRM database and communicate market-generated, customer-segmented information (via customer database) to sales organization to ensure that territory assignments and product offerings meet sales strategy goals. Drive product sales by partnering with product management to develop business cases, pricing strategies, and sales projections.
• Develop the overall sales process for both inside and outside sales activities and customer and service delivery. Develop and oversee the monthly, quarterly, and annual forecast to present to the CEO.
• Expand the company’s rapidly growing presence in the international market through strategic country-by-country channel partnering.
• Actively solicit and provide any market competitive information relevant to the organization as input to product software development project planning process. Work with marketing, product and business development areas to improve the efficiency of follow-up releases and features as well as ensure that gaps in customer directed product offerings are addressed by the company.
• Ensure product knowledge and sales delivery philosophy/strategy are established and understood by sales organization through focused sales team development and training. Ensure appropriate sales/marketing materials and technology is available for product info sessions with customers and will have significant impact on Achieve 3000’s value proposition in the K-12 competitive market.
• Lead, coach and evaluate the sales management leaders of the sales team and sales support staff to drive optimum performance. Coordinate with any external partners the communication of product knowledge and sales strategy to strengthen their support for achieving sales goals.
• Direct the due diligence and sales support integration efforts for any acquisitions or divestitures.

This executive is skilled at setting up and implementing sales processes and also hiring, training, compensating, and working with the sales force to achieve success. S/he knows the decision making process within the K-12 market, especially in selling at the district level. S/he is high energy, visionary yet detail oriented, a skilled judge of personnel, and absolutely driven by accountability metrics.

THE IDEAL CANDIDATE

The ideal candidate has significant national experience in selling digital products and services to K-12 school districts. Importantly, this individual also has proven experience in running national (or large regional) field sales, inside sales, and international sales teams, and managing channel partners, both domestic and (ideally) international. This candidate has managed a highly productive sales organization of at least 75 sales and sales support personnel.

He or she must be an innovative thinker who has grown company sales and profits through the design and successful execution of comprehensive sales strategies and detailed plans.

Specifically, the person hired will have—

• Proven success in the high-end, consultative selling of a product or service, ideally to the K-12 marketplace, at the district level
• Seven to ten years’ experience managing a sales staff achieving/exceeding revenue goals (at least $100M in revenues)
• Experience managing multiple national sales forces in excess of 75 sales associates
• Experience in integrating outside and inside sales, and in growing an international sales team
• Personally sold $250K to $1M+ dollar contracts involving multiple decision makers; experience growing revenue and market share
• Outstanding sales leadership and experience in sales training, commission plans, budgeting, customer relationships, management systems, and other aspects of managing a sales force
• Experience selling digital content (literacy or other) and digital content into the K-12 school market, especially at the district level
• Experience with a subscription-based service, i.e., customer renewal sales (account management, customer support)
• Solid background in the mechanics of school district purchasing, funding sources, and edtech sales process
• Experience selling into top 100 districts
• Some experience in international channel sales
• Played a major role in the selection and implementation of a CRM system
• The ability to uncover actual budgets early in the sales process and to know how to discover why prospects buy (find the “pain”)
• Bachelor degree required, MBA or education degree is preferred.

The CSO will be working long hours to drive the success of the company. This involves a range of personal attributes -- flexibility and adaptability; a great work ethic; strong leadership skills; an ability to analyze and evaluate one’s own (and other’s) performance and to develop plans to improve performance; excellent presentation skills; willingness to take responsibility for both success and failure; a thick skin; self-confidence; a positive attitude about self, company, marketplace; and a strong desire for success.

THE CAREER OPPORTUNITY

To an experienced S/VP Sales with relevant K-12 experience, this opportunity offers several attractive features:

• The opportunity to join a mature and profitable, private equity-owned industry leader, but as part of a small executive team — to have “a seat at the table” as the company charts its future
• The opportunity to integrate, expand, and refine an existing sales organization of more than 85 direct and indirect sales personnel; a step up in responsibility for most sales managers
• The opportunity to select and partner with channel partners, both domestic and global. For a K-12 sales executive looking to expand his or her market knowledge and experience, the opportunity to work in the international market
• The opportunity to work and live in the same place—relocation is not required (although Eastern US is preferred), or at the company headquarters in Lakewood, NJ.

COMPENSATION

Compensation will include salary, commissions, bonuses, and equity in line with the individual’s experience.

TRAVEL

Travel is likely to be at least 70%.

Resume should be posted on the BSG website, www.bsgtv.com. No phone calls please.