International Freight & Logistics Operator — Transport & Logistics

A freight operator lost its entire regional sales team of nine to a competitor’s aggressive recruitment campaign within a single quarter. Revenue pipeline visibility collapsed, key accounts were unattended, and the remaining commercial director was managing 60 accounts alone.

Erdobar treated this as a rebuild rather than nine replacements. We mapped the competitor’s structure to understand what had made the approach attractive, then designed a proposition around territory ownership and a transparent commission model rather than simply matching salaries. Candidates were assessed on account development capability, not just closing history, because the immediate need was retention of at-risk clients rather than new logo acquisition.

Hiring was sequenced deliberately so the first three appointments could stabilise the largest accounts while the remainder were recruited, which meant revenue protection began in week three rather than at completion. We also advised on a retention review of the wider commercial function, since a departure of that scale rarely has a single cause.

Outcome: Nine commercial appointments in 10 weeks, 94% of at-risk accounts retained, and pipeline value restored to pre-departure levels within two quarters.