Client Profile
Abbott-Action Packaging is a full-service manufacturer specializing in corrugated packaging, point-of-purchase displays, and eCommerce boxes, with capabilities spanning design, manufacturing, assembly, fulfillment, and distribution.
Business Situation
Like many packaging manufacturers, Abbott-Action Packaging was looking for ways to strengthen its sales and marketing efforts and drive new business growth. With a team of 12 sales representatives, the company saw an opportunity to build a more consistent approach to prospecting, improve performance tracking, and better understand what strategies were driving results. To support these goals, Abbott-Action brought in outside help.
“We hired a consultant to build a marketing department focused on supporting the sales team through lead qualification and prospecting,” said Glen Gardiner Jr., assistant sales manager. “We spent a good amount of money trying to do that; we bought ZoomInfo and other software to help facilitate it. And again, we weren’t seeing the results that we were looking for.”
Abbott-Action saw an opportunity to help its sales team focus on the most promising leads and make the most of its marketing investment. They needed a repeatable way to identify qualified prospects, maintain outreach, track activity, follow up on opportunities, and connect sales and marketing spending to revenue.
Learning a New Way
Abbott-Action first learned about Athena SWC through Athena’s content discussing the decline of the traditional sales model. Company President Glen Gardiner Sr. shared the material with Glen Gardiner Jr. because it addressed many of the sales problems the company had already identified. After reviewing additional content on Athena’s website, the Gardiners began speaking with Athena’s sales team.
Athena offered a different model from other marketing providers they had worked with in the past. Rather than stopping at marketing campaigns or supplying contact data, Athena would actively prospect, qualify opportunities, follow up with contacts, and support Abbott-Action’s sales representatives throughout the process. Its experience in the corrugated industry was also important because the team could discuss Abbott-Action’s products, customers, and market conditions without having to learn the industry from the ground up.
Abbott-Action initially questioned whether an outside provider could deliver enough return to justify the cost. The company also wanted to know how Athena would manage its prospects and protect its opportunities. Direct conversations with Athena’s team addressed those concerns, while access to Pipedrive gave Abbott-Action visibility into outreach, activity, and opportunity status.
Because Athena understood both the corrugated industry and the sales problems Abbott-Action was trying to solve, the company did not conduct a broader vendor search. Replacing separate software and consulting expenses also made the engagement financially workable.
Integrated Sales and Marketing
Athena provided a coordinated program that combined prospecting, lead qualification, sales follow-up, and digital marketing. Its team identified and contacted potential customers, qualified opportunities before sending them to Abbott-Action, and followed up when prospects stopped responding. Athena also contacted sales representatives for updates and gathered feedback on estimates, pricing, and why Abbott-Action won or lost opportunities. This information was invaluable to the team, providing helpful insights that supported continuous improvement and future growth.
“The value for me has been the opportunities identified through prospecting, the sales coordination and follow-up, and jumping in when an opportunity goes dark. That’s been key to me,” said Glen.
Athena later became Abbott-Action’s primary marketing partner, taking responsibility for its website, search engine optimization, content, and related inbound marketing work. The team improved website security, added a chatbot, and published regular blog content while working to improve search rankings and site activity. Abbott-Action could monitor prospecting and opportunity activity in Pipedrive, review call recordings, and see how leads were being handled. Athena’s familiarity with the corrugated industry allowed its team to represent Abbott-Action directly and discuss market developments without relying on the sales staff to explain the fundamentals.
Revenue, Pipeline, and Search Growth
The program is producing closed business. Abbott-Action has won four new accounts, with another two to three expected by the end of the year. Those inbound opportunities span potential annual values of $10,000, $30,000, $50,000, and $250,000. Through June 2026, they generated $105,000 in collected revenue.
“Athena helped us secure $80,000-$100,000 in revenue with four new accounts, and those accounts are already generating reorders and new opportunities,” said Glen.
More opportunities are moving through the sales cycle. Athena has secured 43 meetings, and 17 deals remain active with $2 million in potential spend. Two opportunities valued at $500,000 each remain open, giving Abbott-Action substantial room for additional growth.
The company is also gaining more search visibility. Organic traffic rose 7.3% year over year, from 477 to 512 visits. Top-five search rankings climbed 81.1%, while top-10 rankings increased 45.4%, expanding Abbott-Action’s ability to attract new inbound opportunities.
Glen feels the key to success with Athena is understanding your perfect customers, ensuring your sales team operates from a sense of urgency, and “be patient. Let the process work itself out.”
