Forty years in industrial B2B means forty years of problems that had to get solved, not theorized about. When I speak, I draw on that: the turnarounds, the missed quarters, the sales organizations rebuilt from scratch, the PE boards that wanted answers, not decks.
I speak to CEO and founder audiences, PE operating teams, and sales leadership groups. My topics sit at the intersection of revenue growth, commercial infrastructure, and the hard decisions that come with scale. If your audience runs companies or advises the people who do, we’re probably a good fit.
I’m also available for podcast appearances. My preferred format is long-form conversation, 30 to 60 minutes, where there’s room to get past the surface and into the specifics of what actually works in mid-market manufacturing and industrial B2B.
Six topics built from real operator experience. Each is available as a keynote, a Vistage-style group session, or a podcast episode.
Revenue plateaus almost always trace back to missing commercial infrastructure, not missing talent. This session breaks down what that infrastructure looks like, what it costs to build it, and what it costs not to.
Owner-operators are often the single biggest obstacle to scalable growth, and the last ones to see it. This session covers how to recognize founder dependency and what the path out of it actually looks like in a mid-market industrial company.
The gap between PE’s 100-day plan expectations and the reality of rewiring a commercial organization is wider than most sponsors realize. This session is a ground-level view of what actually happens when you try to professionalize a sales function under acquisition pressure.
Industrial companies routinely leave millions on the table by under-investing in aftermarket services. This session covers the strategic and operational shift required to build a recurring, high-margin revenue stream alongside a product-based business.
Territory design, compensation architecture, CRM governance, pipeline discipline: the infrastructure that separates companies that scale from those that stall. A practical session drawn from engagements at companies ranging from $25M to $500M.
Revenue continuity during ownership transitions is one of the most underestimated risks in M&A. This session draws on Bill’s direct experience on both sides of industrial transactions, as the operator responsible for retention and as the advisor brought in after deals close.
My best audiences are CEOs, founders, and operating executives at mid-market manufacturers and industrial companies. PE operating partners and deal teams. Sales leadership and revenue operations professionals in B2B industrial sectors. Podcast audiences focused on growth, manufacturing, or private equity portfolio operations.
I’m not a fit for general business audiences or consumer-focused events. The specificity of my experience is the value. It works best in rooms where people are dealing with the same problems.
I appear regularly on podcasts focused on manufacturing, revenue growth, and private equity operations. Recent and upcoming episodes below.
The Private Equity Podcast, by Raw Selection
Confessions of a Rainmaker
Episode Coming SoonUse the form below or book a call directly. I respond to every inquiry personally.
No pitch deck required. A 30-minute call is usually enough to figure out whether I’m the right fit, and I’ll tell you honestly if I’m not.
Book a Call
Email: wbell@chiefoutsiders.com
LinkedIn: linkedin.com/in/williambellsr
Phone: 248.982.6459
Speaking engagements and podcast appearances will be listed here as they’re confirmed. Follow Bill on LinkedIn for real-time updates.