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Your nextaviation clientshouldn’t dependon who calls you.

Qualified first meetings with airlines, MROs and lessors, every month, without the partners prospecting.

Mike Sananes Mike Sananes, Founder15+ years selling to the buyers you want. You work with me directly.
15+ yrsAftermarket sales, trading & leasing
$150M+Americas revenue budget supported
50+OEM & airline accounts strategized
$30MAsset acquisition won via competitive RFP

01 · The gap

Referrals built the firm. They can’t schedule it.

Referral work is the best work you get. It is also the least predictable. Here is what changes.

Where work comes from

TodayOne contact changes jobs and the introductions stop.

With ApexNew conversations every month, from accounts you chose.

Between engagements

TodayA strong quarter, then an empty one, then a scramble.

With ApexThe next calls are booked before this engagement ends.

Who does the selling

TodayYour most senior people write emails instead of running programs.

With ApexPartners stay on delivery. The pipeline still moves.

Macro view of polished turbofan fan blades.
Fig. 01Fan
Airliner wing leading edge against a twilight sky.
Fig. 02Wing
Main landing gear on a wet apron at night.
Fig. 03Gear

02 · Track record

Results from the seller’s side of the table.

The same work Apex now does for consulting firms, done for fifteen years on my own number: finding buyers, opening accounts and closing deals.

$5M+ YoY

Coached the newest reps to $5M+ a year

Led a sales team for four years that hit revenue and margin targets through proactive deal prospecting, not waiting on RFQs. My youngest, least experienced reps reached $5M+ year-over-year.

GA Telesis · Sales leadership
+18%

Month-over-month deal hit rate

Built a performance cadence and deal-level visibility that strengthened accountability and lifted hit rates.

GA Telesis · USM Trading, Americas
$30M

Acquisition won through a competitive RFP

Shaped the offer and investment thesis through negotiation and SPA execution, underwritten at a 22% ROI.

Regional One · Asset Trading
10

Major airline accounts opened

Led prospecting, customer visits and event engagement behind $12M in annual product-line sales.

Werner Aero · Embraer / Airbus
180%

Of individual quota

$3.6M in net sales while building the regional airline customer base for a $13M team target.

AAF Spares · North America
20%+

Win rate on $50M–$100M RFPs

Built the commercial bid process and wrote differentiated proposals, then carried them from bid through contract and close.

GA Telesis · Proposals & Leasing
  1. 2026
    Regional One
    Director, Asset Trading

    $30M RFP acquisition at a 22% underwritten ROI; freighter lease program launched with its first customer.

  2. 2023 – 2026
    GA Telesis
    Director, USM Trading – Americas

    $150M+ revenue budget; 50+ OEM and airline accounts; LEAP and GTF aftermarket initiatives.

  3. 2021 – 2023
    GA Telesis
    Director, Commercial Proposal & Lease Programs

    $100M, 10-year lease backlog; $1.6M new revenue from four E190 landing-gear leases.

  4. 2018 – 2020
    AAF Spares
    Director of Sales – North America

    180% of quota; $2M year-over-year growth in regional airline sales.

  5. 2016 – 2019
    Werner Aero Services
    Director of Sales, Embraer / Airbus

    $12M annual sales; 10 airline accounts opened; Republic Airways Exceptional Service Award, 2018.

BBA, International Business · RutgersAAS, Professional Sales · Russ Berrie Sales InstituteSandler Sales TrainingSalesforce · Power BI · Quantum

03 · Services

Three ways buyers find you. One team running them.

Outreach starts the conversation. Your LinkedIn presence and founder content make the name familiar before the email lands. Targeted ads keep your firm in front of the accounts you want, in the places they already read.

Core

Outbound Growth Engine

Qualified first meetings with airlines, MROs, lessors and parts makers, booked on your calendar.

  • Ideal-customer list down to the named decision-maker
  • Researched outreach from your domain, in your voice
  • Calendar bookings with an account brief
  • Written call review and coaching after each meeting
Outcome

A steady flow of first meetings you didn’t have to chase.

LinkedIn rebuild & founder content

A company page and founder profiles that read like the firm buyers should call, and a steady voice that keeps them engaged.

  • Rebrand of the company page and partner profiles: banners, headlines, about sections, featured work
  • Posts written in each founder’s voice from real engagements and market views
  • Content calendar tied to the accounts in your outreach list
  • Comment and connection plan to warm target decision-makers
Outcome

Buyers recognize the name before the first email, and conversations start from your posts.

Targeted ads & publication placements

Paid visibility aimed at the companies and roles you sell to, with design that matches your brand.

  • Meta ad campaigns targeted by role, company and site visitors
  • Ad creative and graphic design: static, carousel and short video
  • Print and digital ads designed for aviation trade publications and newsletters
  • Monthly reporting on reach, clicks and enquiries
Outcome

Brand awareness in the right accounts, and more inbound enquiries alongside outbound.

How they work together
  1. 1Seen. Ads and founder posts put your name in front of the target accounts.
  2. 2Contacted. Outreach arrives from a firm they already recognize.
  3. 3Booked. Warmer replies, and meetings land on your calendar.

Start with the Growth Engine, or combine modules. Each one is scoped and priced separately in the engagement pack.

04 · Process

How the AI Growth Engine works

Clear steps with dates attached. You approve the accounts and the messaging, and you take the calls.

  1. Day 0 · 15 minutes

    Intro call

    We cover the work you want more of, the buyers you serve best, and whether this is a fit.

  2. Within 5 business days

    Your free target list

    50 named accounts and decision-makers matched to your practice. Yours to keep, whatever you decide.

  3. Within 3 business days

    NDA and proposal

    A mutual NDA before any detailed discussion, then a written scope with fixed monthly terms.

  4. Week 2

    Outreach live, in your name

    Short, researched emails from your domain to each account. Replies and bookings come straight to you.

  5. Day 45

    Check-in

    We review what booked, keep what works and cut what doesn’t. You decide whether to continue.

Every deal starts with one conversation with the right person.
Fig. 04 · Departure

05 · The engagement

Everything you get, on one sheet.

No black box. The whole engagement, written the way you would write a statement of work.

Apex Growth EngineFounding terms
Ideal-customer list
Named accounts and decision-makers, built with you and kept current as fleets and contracts move.
Sample: 50 accounts, free
Daily outreach
Every working day, from your domain, in your firm’s voice, at a volume your team signs off on.
You approve every template
Calendar bookings
Qualified calls go straight onto your calendar, with a short brief on each account.
Replies route to you
Call review & coaching
A written debrief after each first meeting, from someone who has coached aviation sales teams.
After every call
LinkedIn rebuild
Company page and founder profiles rebranded: banners, headlines, about sections and featured work.
Module · one-time
Founder content
Posts in each founder’s voice, a content calendar tied to your target accounts, and an engagement plan.
Module · monthly
Ads & publications
Meta campaigns, ad creative and trade-publication ad design, with monthly reporting.
Module · monthly + media
Confidentiality
Mutual NDA before the first detailed conversation. Your template or mine.
Before scoping
Check-in
Review of what booked, with a clear decision point.
Day 45
Mike Sananes, founder of Apex Aero Advisory
Mike SananesFounder, Apex Aero Advisory

06 · About me

I’ve carried the number. Now I build pipeline for you.

Fifteen years selling, trading and leasing into the aviation aftermarket, to the same airlines, MROs, OEMs and lessors your firm wants to reach.

I’ve led sales at Werner Aero and AAF Spares, ran commercial proposals, lease programs and USM trading for the Americas at GA Telesis, and directed asset trading at Regional One. Along the way I opened new airline accounts, won competitive RFPs and built a sales team that hit its numbers by finding deals rather than waiting for RFQs.

That last part is the job Apex does for you. Independent consulting firms have the technical depth; what they rarely have is someone whose day is spent starting the right conversations. I bring the prospecting discipline, the buyer’s-eye view of what earns a reply, and the coaching that turns a first meeting into an engagement.

07 · Also from Apex

Advisory for owners and investors.

Aftermarket advisory

Project-based support for lessors, asset owners and investors, drawing on the same trading and leasing experience.

  • Lease versus outright-sale analysis for aircraft and engines
  • Acquisition underwriting and asset monetization cases
  • Investment research for private equity and expert networks
Ask about an advisory project
Podcast

Next Heading

Conversations on where the aviation aftermarket is heading, and the people moving it.

Listen to Next Heading

08 · Founding clients

Three firms. Closer attention. A lower rate.

3

Spots, named firms only

One per segment where possible, so two clients never chase the same accounts.

A reduced founding rate

Fixed monthly terms agreed upfront, in exchange for honest feedback.

45

Day check-in

We look at what booked and decide together whether to keep going.

09 · Questions

The questions worth asking.

We get everything from referrals.

Most small aviation firms do, and referral work should stay. The problem is that you can’t schedule it. This adds a second channel you can plan around, so a quiet quarter becomes a decision rather than a surprise.

Our buyers ignore cold email.

Generic cold email, yes. Buyers at airlines and MROs still read a short note that names their fleet, their network or their contract cycle. I write to a named person about a real requirement, keep volume low, and stop after a clear no.

Will this hurt our reputation?

It goes out in your name, so you approve the account list and the templates before the first send. Your domain only, conservative volume, and nothing that claims work your firm hasn’t done.

You’re new. Why trust you?

Apex is new. The fifteen years of aftermarket selling behind it aren’t. You see the list, the messages and the replies, and the day-45 check-in exists so the risk sits with me, not you.

Do we have to buy everything?

No. Most firms start with the Growth Engine and add LinkedIn, founder content or ads once meetings are flowing. Each module is scoped on its own, and ad media spend is always separate and approved by you.

Who writes the founder posts?

I draft them from short interviews with each founder, about real engagements, lessons and market views. Nothing is published without the founder’s approval, and nothing claims work the firm hasn’t done.

Is our information kept confidential?

Yes. A mutual NDA is signed before any detailed discussion of your clients, pipeline or pricing, and two founding clients never target the same accounts.

10 · Next step

Fifteen minutes. Bring one question.

Pick a time. If it isn’t a fit, you’ll hear that on the call.

Mike Sananes
You’ll speak with me, not a sales rep.Mike Sananes · Founder, Apex Aero Advisory

Not ready for a call?

Request your free 50-account list, the engagement pack, or ask about an advisory project.

Reply within one business day.