OWINGS MILLS, MD \u2013 June 8, 2022 — Sandler, the leading global sales professional development and performance improvement organization in the learning space, today announced a new strategic partner set to propel Sandler to the next level of growth.<\/p>\n\n\n\n
David Williams, Partner with Blue Marlin, CEO of MRE Capital, and Chairman of Quality Brands International, has joined as Sandler\u2019s strategic partner. Mr. Williams was formerly the Chairman and Chief Executive Officer of Merkle, Inc.<\/p>\n\n\n\n
The infusion of capital and expertise will support Sandler\u2019s vision for accelerated growth and meet the future demands of the next evolution of sales. The company recently announced a corporate rebrand to reflect the evolving expectations of the modern buyer and seller, serve clients with cutting-edge learning technologies and methodologies, and provide adaptive content and curriculum served across multiple delivery modalities, including in-person instructor-led, virtual instructor-led, and online on-demand through Sandler\u2019s unparalleled Learning Management System (LMS). <\/p>\n\n\n\n
Earlier this year Sandler also announced its strategic partnership with HubSpot, the leading global CRM platform for scaling companies. The two companies joined forces to help sales teams embrace the new world of sales, melding in-person sales skills with marketing and sales automation technology.<\/p>\n\n\n\n
\u201cSandler has built a phenomenal brand over the last 50 years,\u201d said David Williams, Partner at Blue Marlin. \u201cI\u2019m energized by the opportunity to partner with Sandler and help grow the business, maintain a dominant brand in the learning space, elevate the performance of sales professionals and leaders, and build platforms for employees and franchisees to be successful. The way Sandler thinks about sales training and development is top of market.\u201d<\/p>\n\n\n\n
Sandler has been seeking the next level of investment to support its mission to dominate the sales learning space, while Blue Marlin seeks to partner with local businesses who aim to scale and have a proven track record.<\/p>\n\n\n\n
\u201cThe acceleration of new technologies and platforms, evolving buyer journeys, and modern trends in preferred learner experiences and modalities is staggering,\u201d said David Mattson, CEO and President of Sandler. \u201cDavid Williams of Blue Marlin, who built the largest marketing platform in the world as the CEO of Merkle, is the best suited partner to help Sandler reach its next-level vision to be embedded in all technologies and platforms, and available in the flow of work so that sales professionals and leaders have on-demand access to our world-class tactics and strategies.\u201d<\/p>\n\n\n\n
The partnership is set to ensure that Sandler continues to lead the charge in enabling revenue generating professionals to reach new levels success.<\/p>\n\n\n\n
Leading global investment bank, Houlihan Lokey, served as Sandler\u2019s exclusive financial advisor on the transaction.<\/p>\n\n\n\n