About

About us

About Vital Spark

Vital Spark Consultancy Ltd was established in 2004 by Karen Froud-Murray VN FISMM AdCert CIM in Cambridgeshire and we run courses both locally and nationally.


We’ve worked with many organisations, delivering a range of bespoke training workshops and consultancy for sales and non-sales teams and businesses. We specialise in working with Veterinary and Agricultural businesses.


Our clients are from very diverse backgrounds, ranging from beauticians to patent lawyers, and personal trainers to veterinary pharmaceuticals companies (our specialist interest), to name but a few. 


We are passionate about training and developing individuals to their full potential. Working in partnership with you, we deliver bespoke and tailored courses, with exercises linked to your specific products, service and business needs. No two workshops are ever the same.


The name Vital Spark is well known as that of a fictional ship, created by Scottish writer Neil Munro, and captained by the redoubtable Para Handy. We adopted the name for the company because the words “Vital” and “Spark: are about what we aim to achieve: all our workshops are “Vital” to ongoing business success, whether large or small, and “Spark” is what we bring to the workshops and your team, both during and after training, to inspire, motivate and bring fresh ideas that can be implemented.


The training is pragmatic, energizing, inspiring and fun, and can all be put into practice on immediate return to work. All of our courses have unlimited space, are either in-person or remotely/online.


What our clients say about us...

  • Office Manager, Eazipay Ltd


    “Delighted with the course; highly recommended. Karen is very professional, enthusiastic, and dedicated. The management training programme was informative, interactive and packed with great tips and techniques. It was also a lot of fun and has given me a lot to bring to the workplace.”

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  • Marketing Manager, Veterinary Pharmaceutical Company


    “I can fully recommend Karen and Vital Sparks. Following both the coaching and leadership courses I attended, I left fully energised, confident and empowered to put my new skills into practice. Karen’s boundless energy and enthusiasm make her courses a joy to attend and a positive and fun learning environment.  Top marks and fully recommended.”

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  • Senior Veterinary Business Manager, Schering Plough


    “Karen was my Sales Manager for almost 3 years. During this time I found Karen to be extremely motivational and understanding. She is not an autocratic manager, neither micro manages. She has the ability to bring out the best in people by being supportive and helpful, with very constructive criticism and a wealth of experience in the field. Karen also is very well respected in the veterinary market with clients, employees and employers alike. Her knowledge of employee requirements is second to none and I would have no hesitation in working under Karen again, and find as a role model Karen is unsurpassable”.

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  • Commercial Director, SureFlap


    “Thanks to working closely with Vital Spark for two years, I have had the pleasure of seeing our rookie sales team blossom into highly proficient sales professionals. Karen got involved in every step of our sales process, from strategy creation and staff training, to sales appointments and trade show attendance. Much of SureFlap’s success in the UK veterinary market to date has been due to Karen’s sound guidance and professionalism. I would highly recommend Karen to any company who needs to focus their sales process and motivate the sales team”.

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  • Companion Animal Business Unit Manager, Animal Health Company


    “We have worked closely with Vital Spark over the last twelve months. In that time, Vital Spark has comprehensively reviewed the sales function in the Companion Animal Business Unit and implemented a training program that has produced significant advances in our coaching, territory planning and sales skills. The working relationship has been excellent and I would like to thank Vital Spark for the great work”.

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Meet the team...

Introducing Karen Froud-Murray

Karen founded Vital Spark in 2004 and remains as the company director. She is a natural leader with strong interpersonal and communication skills. Her background is in blue-chip organisations, where she gained many years experience in brand, sales and key account management.


She is a member of the Institute of Sales and Marketing Management (ISMM) and has led many teams of sales professionals, restructured sales teams, recruiting, developing and motivating up to 15-strong sales teams.


Karen is a certified NLP practitioner and coach in Motivational Maps.


Karen has many years of experience in the animal health industry and so can respond rapidly with practical, market-focused inputs in this market.


She is also a qualified NLP Practitioner, a trained Thomas International Psychometric Testing Associate, and a guest speaker at many networking events and business events.


Karen has a team of trusted and knowledgeable training associates who also work with her, and she will discuss with you the best trainer for your needs.


Introducing Mike Murray

Mike is a director of Vital Spark Consultancy Ltd. He is a charismatic leader and motivator with a pragmatic ‘can do’ approach.


Mike’s background is with manufacturing and distribution organisations. He has gained many years’ experience in sales and marketing management, operating at board level.


Specialising in “Agriculture and Animal Health markets”, Mike has recruited, trained and developed national sales teams to deliver high-performance results. He has in-depth knowledge of the agribusiness sector and has developed and managed international distributor networks to create many successful business-to-business partnerships.


Mike is also a coach in Motivational Maps.


Having delivered the “Investors in People” programme Mike is a firm believer that investment in skills training adds value to every organisation and enhances the customer experience.

Why work with Vital Spark?

10

reasons

to choose

Vital Spark

Training

&

Consultancy

  1. Bespoke courses designed and delivered with you and your team in mind - in person or online.
  2. Interactive, informative, challenging, yet fun workshops; accommodating different learning styles, but all based on practical and real experiences.
  3. “Hands on” successful sales experience in a business-to-business environment: we know the pitfalls and how to overcome them and ensure success
  4. 20 years of Blue chip experience in sales, sales management and marketing management, developing teams through training and coaching and delivering sales and profitable results for the company, and creating a culture of always sharing best practice.
  5. Courses can be delivered in-house, saving you time and money, or externally to generate creative “outside the office” thinking.
  6. Experience in training and coaching, from “rookie rep” to seasoned sales professionals and Key Account Managers.
  7. Role plays and exercises which include your products/services.
  8. Specialist interest in Veterinary, Animal Health, Pharmaceutical Sales, Agricultural Manufacturing and Distribution
  9. Develop Key Performance Indicators to measure and improve results.
  10. Develop and deliver an internal training induction programme.


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