Fractional CRO
Growth Strategy
M&A

XCELERATING Business Growth

Fractional Chief Revenue Officer and growth strategy partner for mid-market industrial companies.

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40+Years in B2B industrial markets
$1B+Cumulative revenue growth delivered
4Companies led as North American or Global CEO
5Continents of operating experience

The revenue engine challenge

Most manufacturers don’t have a sales problem. They have a systems problem.

Process
No repeatable sales process
Every rep sells differently, so results can’t be forecast, coached, or scaled.
Data
A CRM that hides reality
Pipeline data is incomplete or inaccurate, so decisions are made on guesswork.
Coverage
Territories that don’t fit
Coverage is misaligned with where the market’s demand and margin really are.
Incentives
Compensation that misfires
Incentive plans reward volume or activity instead of profitable growth.

The Xcelerate answer

Diagnose the root cause
Rebuild the commercial infrastructure
Stay to make it work

My approach

Strategy and execution, together.

Leveraging decades of operating experience, I help CEOs of middle-market companies dramatically enhance their Business Development, Go-To-Market, and M&A strategies.

Three pillars

Business Development
Go-To-Market
M&A Strategy

I build the org chart, implement the CRM, design compensation, and document the sales process alongside your team.

Three outcomes

Significant revenue growth
Increased operating margins
Accelerated recurring revenue

What leaders say

In the words of the people who worked alongside him.

Bill has a proven history of growing sales through a variety of innovative strategic initiatives and expansion into new markets, along with growth and development of new products and services.

Ralf DieterCEO, Dürr AG

When we needed help to get our business to the next level, we turned to Bill.

Ken GottsteinOwner / CEO, Gottstein Corporation

Services

Fractional Chief Revenue Officer
Business Development & Sales Growth
Organic Growth Strategy
M&A Growth Planning
Business Transformation & Change
Executive Coaching
Leadership & Org Development

Fractional CRO leadership plus six ways to unlock growth.

See services

Case Studies

Carl Zeiss IMT21x
Schenck RoTec+163%
Dürr Ecoclean+70%
Leadec+81%

Four companies, four turnarounds in revenue and margin.

Read the results

About William

An operator who has sat in the CEO seat on five continents.

Meet William

Services

Senior revenue leadership, applied where growth is stuck.

Each engagement starts with a diagnosis of the revenue engine and ends with infrastructure your team runs on its own.

Flagship service

Fractional Chief Revenue Officer

Senior revenue leadership without the full-time cost. I embed in your business and build the commercial infrastructure that sustains growth.

Sales org design and leadership
CRM implementation and governance
Compensation plan design
Documented, coachable sales process

Six more services

Ways to unlock growth.

Business Development & Sales Growth
Territory design, pipeline discipline, sales process, and CRM governance.
Organic Growth Strategy
A collaborative discovery-to-development process that yields a clear, compelling strategy.
M&A Growth Planning
A multi-year plan for how acquisitions and partnerships accelerate growth.
Business Transformation & Change
Reshape systems, processes, people, and technology for measurable gains.
Executive Coaching
One-on-one work with founders and CEOs through growth and leadership transitions.
Leadership & Org Development
Build the leadership bench and structure for a sustainable long-term future.

Strategic growth focus areas

Where the work goes deep.

Market Analysis

Market growth rate analysis
Market demand assessment
Adjacent markets analysis
Target market segmentation
Technology assessment
Customer & competitor analysis
Product / service price analysis
SWOT analysis
Future market outlook

Growth Strategy Optimization

GTM planning & messaging
Ideal customer profiling
Sales structure development
Market penetration strategy
Sales process development
Channel strategies
Pipeline management
Sales enablement
Technology integration

M&A Advisory

Develop clear objectives
Target identification
Due diligence
Valuation methodology
Financial strategy
Risk mitigation
Integration planning
Synergy realization
Performance monitoring

Case studies

A repeatable history of growth.

Four industrial companies, each led by William through a step change in revenue. Figures are revenue before and after each tenure, in US dollars.

Revenue, before and after

US dollars. All bars share one scale, $0 to $500M.

Before
After

Carl Zeiss IMT
1999–2003
VP of Sales

Before$4M

After$85M

21xrevenue growth
Schenck RoTec Corp.
2003–2005
President & CEO

Before$19M

After$50M

+163%in 24 months
Dürr Ecoclean GmbH
2010–2014
Global CEO

Before$280M

After$475M

+70%in four years
Leadec Corporation
2014–2019
North American CEO

Before$180M

After$325M

+81%profit margin 3% → 7.5%

Carl Zeiss IMT Corporation

21x$4M → $85M+

Years: 1999–2003
Role: VP of Sales
Sector: Metrology

Situation

A North American metrology startup with roughly $4M in revenue, a small share of its market, and no channel that could reach customers nationwide.

What changed

Led market analysis and built sales strategies around it.
Used niche marketing and market segmentation to position Zeiss as the market-share leader.
Built an indirect sales force through the Machine Tool Dealer Network to represent products nationwide.

Result

Revenue grew from $4M to more than $85M. Market share rose from 10% to 35% within five years, and the dealer strategy cut annual sales costs by 15% while lifting sales 14% and holding profitability.

Revenue: $4M → $85M+
Market share: 10% → 35%
Sales costs: −15%

Schenck RoTec Corporation

+163%$19M → $50M in 24 months

Years: 2003–2005
Role: President & CEO
Sector: Balancing equipment

Situation

A $19M business earning a 9% gross margin and losing $2M at the EBIT line.

What changed

Refocused the company on the higher-margin aftermarket segment.
Reduced organizational costs while raising gross margins.
Launched a new service category for lower-price-point customers, adding $20M in sales at a 30% average gross margin within one year.

Result

Sales rose from $19M to $50M in 24 months. Gross margin climbed from 9% to 24%, and EBIT swung from a $2M loss to a $3.1M profit.

Gross margin: 9% → 24%
EBIT: −$2M → +$3.1M
New service sales: $20M

Dürr Ecoclean

+70%$280M → $475M

Years: 2005–2014
Role: North American CEO, then Global CEO
Sector: Industrial cleaning systems

Situation

In North America, four subsidiaries carried duplicate overhead and relied on custom design-and-build work. Globally, the $280M business was running an $8.3M EBIT loss.

What changed

As North American CEO

Consolidated overhead positions across the four subsidiaries, cutting costs 30% and adding $4M to EBIT in year one.
Sharpened product positioning to win market share, raising sales 43% and doubling average gross margins.
Replaced the custom design-and-build model, lifting gross margins from 15% to 22% within three years.

As Global CEO

Redesigned the global sales organization around customer-type segments, then trained and launched it.
Captured synergies already inside the group to grow the top line at lower cost.
Restructured 9 subsidiaries within one year.

Result

New orders rose 50% and margins improved 20% within 90 days of the sales redesign. EBIT moved from an $8.3M loss to a $6.1M profit within two years, and revenue grew from $280M to $475M.

EBIT: −$8.3M → +$6.1M
New orders: +50% in 90 days
NA cost reduction: 30%

… he has huge global market knowledge. His abilities are large, from strategy development to dedicated sales planning.

Michael Förster, Chairman & CEO, Ecoclean GmbH

Leadec Corporation

+81%$180M → $325M

Years: 2014–2019
Role: North American CEO
Sector: Industrial services

Situation

A $180M North American industrial services business in need of a turnaround, operating at a 3% profit margin.

What changed

Rebuilt the executive leadership team and executed targeted business development initiatives.
Led M&A integration to expand the footprint, adding $45M in revenue.
Renegotiated and closed improved agreements, raising cash flow 50% within 12 months.
Strengthened corporate infrastructure and prepared the company for its sale to its current private equity owner.

Result

Revenue rose 81%, from $180M to $325M, and profitability more than doubled from 3% to 7.5%, setting up a successful sale.

Profitability: 3% → 7.5%
Revenue from M&A: +$45M
Cash flow: +50% in 12 months

I learned so much from him about sales organization building, strategic thinking, and always being the calm in the storm.

Heath Barnett, VP of Sales, Leadec Corporation

About William Bell

Operator first, advisor second.

My clients get someone who has sat in their seat.

William has spent decades in company leadership, building and restoring market share in industrial capital equipment and discrete manufacturing.

His 40+ years in automotive and industrial markets span metrology systems, CNC machine tools, industrial automation and robotics, and industrial IoT services, with operating experience across North and South America, Eastern and Western Europe, India, Southeast Asia, and China.

Today he helps middle-market CEOs drive revenue growth, higher operating margins, and recurring revenue, and then stays to execute the strategies they build together.

Expertise

Corporate Leadership: P&L leadership, private equity, turnarounds, cross-cultural leadership
Business Development: Revenue growth, M&A, contract negotiations, strategic alliances
Strategic Vision: Strategic planning and execution, global and automotive insight
Sales & Marketing: Sales and marketing management, new business development

Affiliations: Partner & Fractional CRO, Chief Outsiders; Senior Advisor, Dunes Point Capital
Education: B.A., University of Pittsburgh; Exec. Ed., Michigan Ross School of Business; Six Sigma Green Belt, Villanova University

1999 to today

Career highlights

1999–2003
VP of Sales
Carl Zeiss IMT
Grew a metrology startup from $4M to $85M+ by building a sales and service dealer network.
2003–2005
President & CEO
Schenck RoTec Corp.
Sales grew from $19M to $50M in 24 months; gross margin from 9% to 24%.
2005–2010
North American CEO
Dürr Ecoclean North America
Led North American operations; member of the Dürr AG Senior Executive Group.
2010–2014
Global CEO
Dürr Ecoclean GmbH
Grew the business from $280M to $475M in four years.
2014–2019
North American CEO
Leadec Corporation
Revenue up 81% with significantly improved profitability.
Today
Founder & CEO
Xcelerate Consulting
Also Partner, Chief Outsiders and Senior Advisor, Dunes Point Capital.

What makes me different

No junior team. No pitch deck.

You work directly with me, with proven concepts and a focus on measurable results.

Decades of company leadership
A battle-tested CEO who has built and restored market share in middle-market and discrete manufacturing.
Global B2B market experience
Metrology, machine tools, automation, and industrial services across the Americas, Europe, India, and China.
A partner beyond strategy
I support execution of the strategies we develop together and help capture the opportunities they create.
Hands-on implementation
Unlike consultants who hand off a deck and move on, I stay until the strategy delivers impact.

What leaders say

Testimonials

Bill has a proven history of growing sales through a variety of innovative strategic initiatives and expansion into new markets, along with growth and development of new products and services.

Ralf DieterCEO, Dürr AG

… he has huge global market knowledge. His abilities are large, from strategy development to dedicated sales planning.

Michael FörsterChairman & CEO, Ecoclean GmbH

When we needed help to get our business to the next level, we turned to Bill.

Ken GottsteinOwner / CEO, Gottstein Corporation

I learned so much from him about sales organization building, strategic thinking, and always being the calm in the storm.

Heath BarnettVP of Sales, Leadec Corporation

Industries & clients

Fluent in the plant floor and the buying committee.

Built for the mid-market: manufacturers and industrial companies with $50M–$500M in revenue, across family-owned, corporate, and private-equity ownership.

Industry expertise