Consulting Profile

We begin all of our projects with a Pre-Assessment Phase, consisting of a “sales vision & mission” workshop, interviews with nominated key actors, and a first high-level analysis of your sales &marketing data. This ensures that we and our customers share a common ground concerning your sales &marketing needs. We customize our consulting approach to match your particular requirements and work with your representatives to design a detailed project plan for the evaluation phase. 

The following Evaluation Phase assesses the ability of your sales & marketing team in terms of the four main elements of growth, sales force effectiveness, performance management, and sales organization. Its purpose is to understand the capability for change that is available in each of these areas and to build a macro-concept that identifies the key levers to bridge the current shortcomings, a business case for your growth plan, and a target vision for the eventual product of our efforts. 

The Design & Concept Phase refines this macro-concept target vision to furnish us with detailed plans, including a roadmap with information on a detailed sales organization set-up, sales process maps with a defined responsibility matrix, and target indicators. We set up a performance management system to track our progress (KPI tree, forecasts, planning, execution, and reporting loops) and to realign individual goals and incentives with the higher-level goals of your company.

This micro-design includes defined targets for specific customer and market segments (target revenue and profitability expectations) as well as the suggested sales approach (e.g. global key account management or system partners for A-customers; B-customers using sales teams that bring together technical experts, sales specialists, and market intelligence coordinators; C-customers are handed over to distribution partners, while D- customers are eventually removed). With this new set-up, you will be able to identify rising stars and provide them with service in line with the revenue and profits they promise.

With these new 1. processes, 2. job descriptions and 3. management as well as sales audits (sales & emotional skills) and 4. training concepts, we can propose a set of suitable initiatives for a first selection of staff (human capital development plan, skills retention plans, skills buy-in, outplacements). Naturally, we will design a dedicated communication and change plan to prepare your organization for the coming changes. 

We hand over the Implementation Phase to designated change agents, coached by our Kienbaum change experts and working to detailed plans and milestones. We monitor progress continuously on our way to turning your vision into real change – an invaluable task to overcome the typical challenges of such change projects (typically, 80 percent of unguided change projects are abandoned during the crucial first months of the process).

Strong project management with strong champions among your managers ensures the right prioritisation and training and development to take your people through the emotional cycle of such projects. We use operational and financial KPIs and defined milestones to track the success of the project on a weekly basis. Before handing over the project, we will ensure the sustainability and lasting success of the changes with a series of sustainability audits, HR development measures, and the right placement of the former change agents throughout your company.