Partnerships and Affiliations

A CEO is concerned with the relevancy and accuracy of the information that she is given; and is constantly trying to come to terms with the validity of the go-to-market plan and the timeliness of the latest forecast and pipeline report. At every board meeting she must defend her numbers, her strategy and her understanding of the market dynamics to the officers and directors to whom she reports.

Constantly she hears the siren call of “How do you know you’re right?” “Have you verified your data?” “Do you have the right team in place?” “What’s your contingency plan?” “Who’s helping you?” “Do you have a sounding board?” “Do you have a trusted advisor?”

The truth is she hopes she’s right. She hopes her team is the right one and that they tell her the real scoop. There are plenty of firms willing to tell her what she should do. But there’s precious little hands-on help. There’s nobody to stand next to her and shoulder some of the load.

Until now. That’s what we do …

The Board has a fiduciary responsibility to determine whether the firm is on track and is being managed appropriately. The input they receive has been filtered multiple times, and they must make certain that they understand the issues, have all the facts, know what they haven’t been told, and are able to confidently approve or change the intended path forward.

They’re faced with the age old issues every board faces. They need to spend enough time gaining meaningful insight into the company and its operations and issues; they want to hear accurate and meaningful assessments, analysis and projections; and they want to know that they have their finger on the pulse – or at least on the important veins. And all this without soaking up excessive amounts of executive time; and they want it delivered during a board meeting – because most board members have a million and one additional demands on their time and attention.

Sounds like a tall order. There’s nobody representing their interests 24/7 with enough experience to provide insightful commentary at an affordable price.

Until now.  That’s what we do …

The Investors have an opportunity in front of them that requires a significant commitment of their available funding capital; but the opportunity has the potential to produce one of those rare, legendary multiples. The business plan looks rock solid and the management team is stellar, but like some of the best investments of the past, it’s leading edge technology into an emerging market space – the risks are high.

If they pass and the investment turns into a huge winner, they’ll kick themselves into next year; but if they invest and the opportunity goes into tilt – even if only temporarily – then the investors risk either being diluted into oblivion or watching a sizeable capital commitment fritter away. Either way someone’s got some explaining to do.

How do they assess the merits of the business plan? How can they possibly evaluate the 3-year revenue forecast with so many unknowns and so many variables? Where do they find the relevant expertise to help them decide? Typically they don’t have the expertise to hand and the decision becomes little more than an educated gamble.

Until now.  That’s what we do …

A VP Sales wants his sales team to prospect and engage at a far higher level in their accounts; to reduce the lead-to-close cycle times; and to increase the average deal size. His reports – direct and indirect – need to evolve their customer relationships into trusted partnerships, and to be articulate and confident discussing product value, business value and economic value.

At the same time, neither he nor his boss can afford a hiccup in revenue flow or pipeline stability. So he’s facing the double-headed monster – change without pain. Where can he turn for practical help and guidance? Can he find a partner who will take up some of his every day load, plus work with him on the redesign of the sales force and sales process? Who’s got his back? Typically ….. nobody – he’s on his own.

Until now.  That’s what we do …

The Sales team needs competitive value-justification tools and tighter integration with support resources during the sales process. But everyone’s too busy slaying daily dragons to identify the critical issues. Instead, sales says the pricing is all wrong, marketing believes that sales doesn’t use what they produce, and the executive team thinks that most of the sales force is inept and in need of a major overhaul.

And there’s a limited budget to spend on each sales prospect, so it’s important to be able to rapidly grade and rank the opportunities to better leverage resources and management’s efforts.

Where does the sales team turn for help? Sales management is swamped and they need some in-the-field help for the sales force. But how? And from where? Basically, they’re out of luck – and on their own.

Until now.  That’s what we do …

You just know in your gut that something’s not quite right. The wheels are firmly attached, the numbers are looking good, everyone’s happy, and you’re a hero. For now. But your grumbling gut tells you that “now” doesn’t last long these days; and if you’re not planning for change, then you’d better be planning to change. Yes, it’s a tired and worn adage – but it’s true.

The tough part is determining what needs changing and when it needs changing? There are enough management studies on change management to fill a library. But theory isn’t what you need. You need tactical, practical advice and coaching from experienced operations specialists – from people that have experienced their share of sleepless nights and grumbling guts.

But those kind of resources are impossible to find. Theorists are a dime a dozen, field operators aren’t.

Until now.  That’s what we do …