The Fine Bedding Company

The Fine Bedding Company is a premium UK manufacturer supplying bedding solutions into the hospitality sector, including independent hotels, groups, serviced apartments and leisure operators.

What was the initial assignment?

Rags & Berts, a fast-growing pet services business based in Reading, approached Electi Talent to hire a senior Operations Manager to support its next phase of growth. With two additional site openings planned, the business required more than operational oversight. They engaged Electi Talent to deliver a commercially critical Business Development Manager – Hospitality hire covering London and the South East, while maintaining strong alignment with their Manchester HQ. This was not a transactional sales appointment. It was a commercially disciplined, multi-stakeholder growth assignment.

 The successful hire needed to:

  • Deliver 70% new business growth across the hospitality sector
  • Nurture and expand existing accounts (30%)
  • Open doors into hotel groups and management companies
  • Build relationships from housekeeping level through to procurement and ownership
  • Navigate long, structured buying cycles
  • Manage pipeline and forecasting via HubSpot
  • Travel extensively across London and South East
  • Attend regular meetings at Manchester HQ
  • Represent the business at industry events

The challenge: secure a true hunter-farmer hybrid in a highly competitive London market.

The Market Challenge

10 Leader
1.

London Hospitality Talent Is Saturated — But Not Structured

There is no shortage of hospitality sales talent in London.
What is scarce are individuals who combine:
· Cold acquisition confidence
· Long-cycle commercial negotiation
· Procurement-level engagement
· CRM discipline and forecast ownership
· Willingness to cover London, the wider South East, and travel north regularly
The available talent pool narrowed quickly.

10 Leader
2.

The Hunter–Farmer Gap

Most hospitality sales talent lean heavily one way:
· Strong at opening doors but weaker at long-term account growth
· Strong at relationship management but hesitant with proactive acquisition

This assignment required both.

New business penetration into hotel groups demands structured prospecting, organisational mapping and resilience.
Account growth demands stakeholder sensitivity, seasonal awareness and long-term relationship depth.

True dual-capability operators are rare — particularly within the London hospitality market.

10 Leader
3.

Multi-Stakeholder, Long Sales Cycles

Hospitality procurement often involves:
· Owners or asset managers
· Group procurement teams
· Operations leaders
· Housekeeping managers
· Sustainability influencers
This is not short-cycle selling. It requires commercial patience, structured progression and disciplined CRM management.

The Electi 126™ Approach

Electi 126™ is our structured search framework designed for commercially critical leadership hires. For this assignment, we applied:

 Phase 1 – Precision Market Mapping:

Identifying hospitality sales talent with:

  • Multi-site or group-level exposure
  • Proven long-cycle commercial wins
  • Experience managing structured pipelines
  •  Geographic alignment

The challenge: secure a true hunter-farmer hybrid in a highly competitive London market.· Proven long-cycle commercial wins

 

Phase 2 – Direct Headhunting

We approached only talent aligned to the brief — not generic hospitality profiles.

 Phase 3 – Structured Competency Depth-Probing 

Stress Testing: 

  • Hunter vs farmer balance
  • Multi-stakeholder sales examples 
  • Procurement negotiation experience
  • Forecast accuracy ownership
  • Travel commitment and regional flexibility

 Phase 4 – Cultural & Commercial Alignment

Ensuring alignment with:

  • Premium brand positioning
  • Northern HQ collaboration
  •  Independent, target-driven working style

Watch video

Have an assignment?

Schedule a call with our MD, Louisa
Schedule call

Search metrics:

Talent profiles identified
0
Approached directly
0
Meaningful engagements
0
Submitted
0
Interviewed
0
Successful hire
0
Days from brief to offer acceptance
0

The Outcome

Within five weeks, the client secured: · A commercially disciplined hospitality sales leader · Proven new business capability · Strong multi-stakeholder relationship skills · Structured CRM and forecast ownership · Regional mobility aligned to the assignment A genuine hunter–farmer hybrid capable of opening doors in London while building sustainable, group-level partnerships. A key evaluation lens throughout the process was whether the individual demonstrated the credibility and capability to take on broader leadership responsibility over time.

 The Outcome

Within five weeks, the client secured:

  • A commercially disciplined hospitality sales leader
  • Proven new business capability 
  • Strong multi-stakeholder relationship skills 
  • Structured CRM and forecast ownership 
  • Regional mobility aligned to the assignment 
 A genuine hunter–farmer hybrid capable of opening doors in London while building sustainable, group-level partnerships.
A key evaluation lens throughout the process was whether the individual demonstrated the credibility and capability to take on broader leadership responsibility over time.

Why This Matters

In competitive markets like London hospitality, access to talent is not the differentiator. Clarity of brief. Depth of assessment. Commercial stress-testing. Disciplined search methodology. That is where results are delivered. Electi 126™ ensures hiring decisions are deliberate, data-backed and commercially aligned.

Watch candidate video

The smartest leaders will succeed with careful decision making and strategic recruitment, we can help you navigate this. Schedule a call with Louisa directly here to find out how we are challenging the industry norms.

Louisa Fleet, Managing Director

Schedule a call