Haddon Township Business Marks 15 Years in Business

Valerie Schlitt Associates, Inc. (VSA) celebrated 15 years in business in July 2016. Founder and CEO, Valerie Schlitt, launched VSA in 2001 from her Haddonfield, NJ family room with 2 part-time employees. Today, the firm is the largest tenant in a two-story office building and employs 30 part-time and 3 full-time employees.

This is a particularly significant accomplishment because statistics say that between 80% - 90% of start-up businesses fail in the first 10 years.

VSA provides Inside Sales services to clients across the country, and uses the telephone and email to identify qualified business leads and set sales appointments with executive-level decision makers. VSA’s clients are nationwide. VSA employees act as an extension of their client’s sales and marketing teams.

When starting the business, Schlitt knew she wanted to apply her prior consulting and direct marketing skills to whatever venture she embarked on. She had formerly worked for 15 years at companies that included American Express, CIGNA, and KPMG, after earning her MBA from The Wharton School. The firm’s first client was a local Elder Law attorney who needed meetings with potential referral partners such as assisted living facilities or geriatric care managers. Hearing that VSA was setting appointments, Schlitt’s networking colleagues began asking her to set sales appointments for their companies.

The demand for appointments grew and VSA soon used the Internet and conferences to attract new clients.

At that time, Schlitt was unaware of a trend that was gaining momentum around 2001. Increasingly, firms were hiring internal teams or outsourced agencies to generate business to business leads and set sales appointments for their sales teams. Sales people’s salaries were too high. Getting through gatekeepers to decision makers was becoming too costly. As a result, companies needed an alternative to the traditional model of sales folks setting their own appointments.

Plus, the trend towards outsourcing also increased significantly after 2007, when companies did not want to commit to hiring.

“We were at the right place at the right time,” Schlitt said, noting that the journey wasn’t always easy. “In the beginning we made calls from multiple land lines in my home on paper spreadsheets. Finding clients was slow. But, today, we have tremendous technology tools that allow us to help our clients in so many sophisticated ways. We have built long-term client relationships with companies who depend on us for their sales growth.”

VSA will celebrate their 15-year anniversary in the company’s traditionally understated manner, with a company luncheon. The theme, selected by employees, is a summer picnic, with each individual contributing something small. Even though VSA will foot most of the bill for the picnic, “We are a team-centered environment,” Schlitt says, “and seeing what each of us brings is what makes our workplace fun.”

Looking ahead, Schlitt imagines that VSA will look much different in another 15 years. “My goal is to continue building our employee base in south Jersey and serve increasingly sophisticated clients. We have recently signed a large contract with a large company which will greatly impact our growth in years to come.”

“One of our core values is to strive for improvement, embrace growth and welcome change. That has served us well thus far and I believe will take us to greater heights in the future,” Schlitt concluded.

Those interested can learn more about VSA's services on their website.