About Sales Growth Imagination
Our Approach
We’re builders, not consultants. There’s a big difference.
Most companies know something is broken in their sales operation. Pipeline visibility is poor. New hires take too long to ramp. The CRM sits underutilized. The founder is stuck closing every deal. But knowing something is broken is different from knowing exactly what to fix and having someone actually build the solution.
Sales Growth Imagination serves as your outsourced sales leadership team, bringing both strategic planning and hands-on execution. We use the proven Sales Xceleration Framework™ to build complete sales operating systems across four critical areas:
Sales Strategy – Define your ideal customer, sharpen your value proposition, and create focused go-to-market plans that guide every sales decision.
Sales Infrastructure – Document processes, optimize CRM, build playbooks, and create the systems your team uses daily to move deals forward consistently.
Sales Management – Install pipeline reviews, coaching cadence, and accountability rhythms that drive performance week over week.
Sales Team Development – Recruit, train, and develop high-performing sales teams with structured hiring, onboarding, and skill development.
What Makes Us Different
We Build, Not Just Recommend
We configure your CRM. We write your playbooks. We hire your team members. We run your pipeline reviews. You get implementation, not a binder that sits on the shelf.
Proven Methodology
The Sales Xceleration Framework™ is a Certified Sales Operating Management System™ used by thousands of companies to achieve 20-30% revenue growth. This isn’t untested theory. It’s a rigorous, proven approach.
Technology-Enabled
We integrate modern sales tools including CRM platforms, sales engagement software, AI-driven relationship intelligence through partners like Avnir, and analytics dashboards that support rather than complicate your sales process.
Real Operating Experience
Sales Growth Imagination is led by someone who has built sales teams, scaled startups, exited companies, and managed organizations from $5.4M to $750M. You get operating expertise earned in the trenches, not career consultants.
Industries We Serve
Our practice works with B2B companies across Atlanta and the Southeast in:
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Technology & SaaS
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Professional Services
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Manufacturing & Distribution
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Healthcare Technology
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Financial Services
Our Partnerships
Sales Growth Imagination is powered by Sales Xceleration and works in close partnership with:
Blackstone and Cullen – AI software development and technology solutions
Avnir – Relationship intelligence and AI-powered networking platforms that help identify warm paths to decision-makers
KnowledgeNet AI – Sales intelligence and institutional knowledge capture
These partnerships allow us to deliver comprehensive solutions that combine proven sales methodology with modern technology enablement.
About Dean Nolley
Dean Nolley is President and Founder of Sales Growth Imagination, an award-winning, people-focused sales leader with over 30 years of experience building and scaling sales organizations across startups, mid-sized businesses, and Fortune 500 companies.
Operating Background
Dean’s career is defined by one consistent pattern: building sales infrastructure that drives measurable results. He has structured sales teams and sales strategies across organizations ranging from $5.4M to $750M, managing P&Ls from $12M to $400M along the way.
His expertise comes from real operating experience. Dean has built direct sales teams, indirect sales channels through dealers and VARs, and hybrid models across multiple industries and company stages. He builds strong credibility and followings by earning trust, pushing teams beyond their comfort zones, and maximizing both results and profitability.
Entrepreneurial Success
As a founder himself, Dean co-founded Digital Imagination with partner Pete Orsini and successfully exited the company for $5.4 million through a sale to Applied Graphics Technology. This first-hand experience of building, scaling, and exiting a business informs his approach to helping other founders navigate the difficult transition from founder-led sales to scalable sales organizations.
Startup & High-Growth Experience
Dean has participated in multiple venture capital and private equity-backed startups that achieved successful IPOs and equity events:
TR Systems – Led sales through successful IPO. The company was later acquired by Electronics for Imaging, validating the scalable sales model Dean built.
Star Imaging/ColorStar/Colorbus – Propelled sales for this PE/VC-backed company affiliated with Sheldon Adelson, driving growth through strategic positioning and channel expansion.
Eastman Kodak Digital Applied Imaging – Led sales for an intentionally disruptive division designed to transition the industry from film to digital, requiring complete market repositioning and new go-to-market strategies.
IKON Office Solutions – Built multiple startup organizations from the ground up, most notably the Professional Services division and National Account Group, scaling programs and expanding channels for consistent overachievement.
These experiences across companies ranging from $4M to $40M in funding gave Dean expertise in the unique challenges of scaling fast-growing organizations where infrastructure must be built quickly and correctly.
Fortune 500 & Enterprise Experience
Dean’s enterprise experience provides perspective on sales operations at scale. He advanced through entrepreneurial and enterprise sales leadership roles, managing large territories, complex channel partnerships, and national account strategies. This combination of startup agility and enterprise structure allows him to right-size solutions for mid-market B2B companies.
Expertise & Certifications
Dean holds multiple certifications and credentials that inform his comprehensive approach to sales:
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Certified Sales Leader – Sales Xceleration
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Six Sigma Green Belt – Bringing process discipline and systems thinking to sales operations
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Objective Management Group Certification – Sales team assessments and benchmarking
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Harvard Business School Executive Education – Business development and leadership
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Dale Carnegie Certified Advisor – Sales training and professional development
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Various AI sales tool certifications including relationship intelligence platforms
This diverse background allows Dean to address sales challenges from multiple angles: strategy, process, technology, people development, and data analytics.
Philosophy
Dean describes himself as a “builder and architect” rather than a consultant. His approach emphasizes operationalizing systems and ensuring every strategy, process, and action is executed consistently, not just documented in a deck and handed off.
His Six Sigma background influences his methodology: slow down to get things working correctly, build sustainable processes, then scale what’s proven. As he frequently reminds clients, “too many people are trying to run before they have the right structure and the right tools in place.”
Dean is particularly focused on addressing the “silver tsunami” facing US businesses as Baby Boomer sales professionals retire, taking decades of tribal knowledge with them. This makes documentation, playbooks, and knowledge transfer more critical than ever.
Speaking & Thought Leadership
Dean is a frequent speaker and panelist on sales growth topics, appearing on:
Business RadioX – Multiple appearances on North Fulton Business Radio, Cherokee Business Radio, and other regional shows discussing sales process optimization and exit strategies
GrowthSutra – Regular contributor to the “202X Vision” LinkedIn Live series covering topics including AI in sales, go-to-market strategy, B2B buyer behavior across global markets, and scaling to $10M+ revenue
Relationship Economics Summit – Keynote speaker at Avnir’s annual summit discussing relationship intelligence and systematic networking
Business Growth Playbook Podcast – Co-hosted with Jeff Evans, tackling real challenges B2B business owners face including broken sales processes, teams that can’t scale, and building infrastructure that survives turnover
Track Record
Dean has consistently over-achieved in every career position, earning recognition as an award-winning sales leader. His strategic approach has enabled success in starting, building, and even rebuilding sales organizations across direct and indirect channels.
Key achievements include:
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Successfully exited Digital Imagination for $5.4M
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Participated in multiple successful IPOs and equity events
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Built startup divisions from ground up that became core revenue drivers
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Scaled organizations through strategic product positioning and channel expansion
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Managed sales teams across organizations from $5.4M to $750M
Personal
Dean is based in the Atlanta area and serves B2B companies throughout the Southeast. When not building sales systems, he enjoys time with family, including memorable experiences like landing on Mount Denali’s glacier with K2 Aviation.
His coffee mug proudly displays “Go Dawgs,” reflecting his University of Georgia loyalty.
Let’s Talk
If your growth is limited by sales structure rather than market opportunity, let’s have a conversation about what needs to be built.
Schedule a Sales Discovery Review to assess your current sales operation and identify where infrastructure, strategy, or management systems need strengthening.
Recommendations
See how Atlanta B2B companies built predictable revenue systems.
“As a Vistage Chair, I don’t take lightly the responsibility of recommending an advisor to one of my CEO members. When I introduced Dean Nolley to Raj Swami, CEO of 3iPeople, it was because I trusted Dean to bring both expertise and integrity to a critical growth challenge.
That trust was well placed. Dean stepped in as Sales Growth Architect and Outsourced VP of Sales at a pivotal moment for 3iPeople. He brought discipline, structure, and clarity to their sales organization—developing a strategic sales approach, building a scorecard for accountability, and creating the momentum Raj needed to scale in a highly competitive industry.
But what impressed me most was Dean’s servant-leader approach. He didn’t just install process—he built people. From recruiting and coaching new talent to developing the company’s current VP of Sales, Dean left a lasting mark on the culture and confidence of Raj’s team.
Just recently, Raj called to thank me for introducing Dean, sharing how grateful he was for both the results and the leadership Dean provided. As a Chair, I can say with confidence that I’d be proud to put my name behind Dean again in the future. “
“I’ve been a Business Development Manager at 3iPeople for several years, so when Dean joined as Outsourced VP of Sales—with no high-tech staffing background and replacing a seasoned VP—I was initially cautious. He quickly earned my trust by recognizing my unique challenge as the only rep outside Atlanta HQ and making sure I felt part of the team through regular meetings, best-practice calls, and ongoing coaching.
From day one, he brought structure, energy, and clarity—driving a strategic and collaborative approach. Dean built our new sales process and integrated it into our Salesforce CRM. Dean also partnered with Salesforce and a integration partner, Target Integration, to upgrade us to the right version of Salesforce, while having dynamic dashboards built to have live-time data that helps us proactively manage our pipeline. For a strategic approach to build key relationships, KnowledgeNet.ai was also integrated with web-hooks into Salesforce.
His leadership transformed our sales culture into a motivated, aligned team ready to drive revenue growth. He further found ways to help me out of the box, by making multiple introductions to Network leaders and other Trusted Advisors that he knew in Jacksonville. We were fortunate to have Dean at 3iPeople, and I know I can always count on him for guidance—because he truly cares about people and results.“
Ready to Discover What Needs Fixing?
Our experienced fractional sales leadership is here to help Atlanta businesses uncover what’s holding sales back. The Sales Discovery Review provides clarity on where to focus, what to build, and how to create predictable revenue growth.
Contact our Atlanta team today to schedule your Sales Discovery Review and get the assessment your business needs.
678-688-4888 (Office) | 404-307-1841 (Cell)