The Path to Predictable Profits

What makes our process unique is the depth and comprehensive nature of what we do in each phase, together with the sense of commitment and partnership we bring to our work. Additionally, we understand that change can’t happen all at once, and although we are fully equipped to deliver comprehensive transformation to your sales organization, we also know that it’s important to start with what needs immediate attention.

These qualities enable us to facilitate the profound improvements in sales results that we routinely achieve with our clients.

If this sounds valuable to you, we invite you to look over the information below, which will give you a short walkthrough of our 3-phase process and what’s included in each phase.

The Path to Predictable Profits

What makes our process unique is the depth and comprehensive nature of what we do in each phase, together with the sense of commitment and partnership we bring to our work. Additionally, we understand that change can’t happen all at once, and although we are fully equipped to deliver comprehensive transformation to your sales organization, we also know that it’s important to start with what needs immediate attention.

These qualities enable us to facilitate the profound improvements in sales results that we routinely achieve with our clients.

If this sounds valuable to you, we invite you to look over the information below, which will give you a short walkthrough of our 3-phase process and what’s included in each phase.

Phase 1:  Analysis and Prescription

A great sales organization is rooted in great strategies strongly executed and managed by capable and motivated people. But in order to build such an organization, we have to start by figuring out what is going on now under the surface in terms of strategy, organizational structure, and industry forces. To get this understanding, we follow a comprehensive process which is supported by a combination of:

  • A battery of best-in-class, evidence-based assessments
  • Extensive market positioning strategy analysis
  • A battery of best-in-class, evidence-based assessments- Extensive market positioning strategy analysis
  • Comparative analysis of the company’s current sales and sales management systems with best practices from our systems, Intentional Sales Management™ and Client Builder Sales™ (described below),
  • The knowledge and insights we’ve gained from working with and restructuring hundreds of companies’ sales organizations.

Phase 1 Initiatives

The Organizational Sales Strategic Evaluation produces a full understanding of what makes a company tick – such as the go-to-market strategy, the ideal target audience, the value proposition, and the competitive landscape a company is working in.

The Organizational Structure and Sales Role Prescription process identifies what each role in the sales team should do, the skill sets people in each role should possess, and how they should be deployed in the marketplace.

A great sales organization is rooted in great strategies strongly executed and managed by capable and motivated people. But in order to build such an organization, we have to start by figuring out what is going on now under the surface in terms of strategy, organizational structure, and what’s happening in the industry. To get this understanding, we follow a comprehensive process which is supported by a combination of:

  • A battery of best-in-class, evidence-based assessments
  • Extensive market positioning strategy analysis
  • • Comparative analysis of the company’s current sales and sales management systems with best practices from our systems, Intentional Sales Management™ and Client Builder Sales™ (described below),
  • The knowledge and insights we’ve gained from working with and restructuring hundreds of companies’ sales organizations.

Phase 1 Initiatives

The Organizational Sales Strategic Evaluation produces a full understanding of what makes a company tick – such as the go-to-market strategy, the ideal target audience, the value proposition, and the competitive landscape a company is working in.

The Organizational Structure and Sales Role Prescription process identifies what each role in the sales team should do, the skill sets people in each role should possess, and how they should be deployed in the marketplace.

The Sales Analysis Overview is a set of high-level questions that uses the findings from the above two initiatives to determine the strengths and weaknesses of the organization, including measurements such as:

  • Assessing capacity for selling to new businesses
  • Evaluating sales team culture
  • Hiring strengths and deficiencies

Finally, the Sales Action Plan presents our comprehensive prescription for change, including such items as:

  • Core changes needed in the go-to-market strategy and sales tools
  • Ensuring people are deployed where they can best use their strengths and any support that may be needed to hire optimally for vacant roles
  • Any changes to compensation or management best practices that are needed to optimize sales effectiveness

The Sales Analysis Overview is a set of high-level questions that uses the findings from the above two initiatives to determine the strengths and weaknesses of the organization, including measurements such as:

  • Assessing capacity for selling to new businesses
  • Evaluating sales team culture
  • Hiring strengths and deficiencies

Finally, the Sales Action Plan presents our comprehensive prescription for change, including such items as:

  • Core changes needed in the go-to-market strategy and sales tools
  • Ensuring people are deployed where they can best use their strengths and any support that may be needed to hire optimally for vacant roles
  • Any changes to compensation or management best practices that are needed to optimize sales effectiveness

Phase 2: Outfitting the Team

Phase 2 is all about implementation. We take everything we learned in Phase 1, and the prescriptions included in the Sales Action Plan, and we get to work. Each company’s plan will be unique, and the order of implementation will vary. Initial priority is typically given to early pay-off projects, while longer term objectives are always kept in mind.

The following is generally included in this phase in some form:

  • Sales Toolkit Development – salespeople are typically good at winging it, but they can dramatically improve their results when equipped with tools that help them diagnose issues and explain solutions with their prospects.

Examples of tools include: Prospecting Scripts, Follow-up Letter templates, Relationship Building communication processes, Discovery Interview, Needs Identification Checklists, Qualification Criteria, Product Configurators, Presentation Aides, Sales rocess, Proposal Templates, Activity Tracking, Territory Planners, Referral Programs, Relationship Nurture Programs.

  • Training for salespeople and managers using the needed components from Client Builder Sales and Intentional Sales Management.
  • Sales Management Upgrades: focusing on any needed improvements to team deployment, compensation structure, or management best practices in order to optimize accountability or incentivization.
  • Recruitment Screening – setting up and training management on a solid selection process to ensure new hires will be good fits for their roles.

By the end of Phase 2, all needed training and organizational change has been delivered, and it’s now time to focus on mastery and execution.

  • Training for salespeople and managers using the needed components from Client Builder Sales and Intentional Sales Management.
  • Sales Management Upgrades: focusing on any needed improvements to team deployment, compensation structure, or management best practices in order to optimize accountability or incentivization.
  • Recruitment Screening – setting up and training management on a solid selection process to ensure new hires will be good fits for their roles.

By the end of Phase 2, all needed training and organizational change has been delivered, and it’s now time to focus on mastery and execution.

Phase 3: Coaching to Results

In this phase, we reinforce and mentor salespeople and managers toward mastery of all they learned in the training and workshops. This is about getting out of the classroom and into real sales situations where we can apply the theory to the actual business.

This phase evolves over time through two main stages.

Initially, we use a cooperative approach in which we work alongside your team, providing necessary coaching support at critical junctures. As needed, we may go into the field with your team, be present on calls or meetings with key prospects, and even quarterback large sales deals. We take on the goals and the same level of results ownership you’d expect from your highest level team members. We provide the knowledge and skills to secure important deals while coaching your team through this kind of real world experience.

In this phase, we reinforce and mentor salespeople and managers toward mastery of all they learned in the training and workshops. This is about getting out of the classroom and into real sales situations where we can apply the theory to the actual business.

This phase evolves over time through two main stages.

Initially, we use a cooperative approach in which we work alongside your team, providing necessary coaching support at critical junctures. As needed, we may go into the field with your team, be present on calls or meetings with key prospects, and even quarterback large sales deals. We take on the goals and the same level of results ownership you’d expect from your highest level team members. We provide the knowledge and skills to secure important deals while coaching your team through this kind of real world experience.

Then, over time, as competency is developed, we hand over the reins, while keeping a watchful eye to make sure standards remain high. We identify what it will take to continue to nurture what’s been started and keep it growing, creating a phase-out plan for our services.

That said, some smaller companies have found that they appreciate our providing longer-term participation in their executive sales team, in which case we might explore a fractional CSO role.

Focus on Profits

At some level, all companies are bootstrapping their way forward. And when there’s a problem with sales, a lot of times the instinctive reaction is to cut costs. However, you can’t cut your way to prosperity, but you can grow beyond limitations.

Still, we recognize the financial pressures that can be at play when a sales organization isn’t optimized. So while we provide a comprehensive system for change, we always start with triage, handling any urgent deficiencies or misalignments, and getting our clients on a more solid footing as quickly as possible to pave the way for further growth and development.

When the time comes, we leave our clients on a solid trajectory toward profitable, predictable growth.

Ready to intensify your sales results?

Look Into Our Approach

Learn more about our process and the top-tier systems that underpin our work.

Explore Our Solutions

Our services comprise four distinct categories, and we encourage you to explore what each of them entails.

Get to Know Michael

Learn more about the creator of ISM™ and what drives him to help companies transform their sales.

Look Into Our Approach

Learn more about our process and the top-tier systems that underpin our work.

Explore Our Solutions

Our services comprise four distinct categories, and we encourage you to explore what each of them entails.

Get to Know Michael

Learn more about the creator of ISM™ and what drives him to help companies transform their sales.