Entries by Tim Furey

Are Geographic Sales Territories Dying?

As the COVID impact increases remote working, virtual conference calls, and online purchasing, sales leaders need to be asking a simple question: Should we actually eliminate geographic territories? The simple answer is “No, but…..”.  We all must recognize that for >100 years the entire DNA of the sales profession has been based on geography.  Whether business-to-business selling, wholesale distribution…

Post-Disruption Go-to-Market Strategy

This pandemic will be over soon. While the costs will be high, scientific innovation and “social distancing” will eventually eliminate this catastrophic disease transmission. To help revenue leaders operationalize strategic change, we have put together a basic three-step process and a sample “checklist” of strategies and capabilities that leadership teams should address before the economy rebounds under a new set of buying behavior rules.

Go-to-Market 2025 Forecast: Two Disciplines to Separate Winners from Also-Rans in Next 5 Years

Driven by digital transformation, the 2020s will be known for massive behavioral change in both buyers and sellers. This is already apparent across every industry where venture-backed digital disruptors are growing rapidly – they are driving go-to-market and customer behavior change. Yet, many disruptors have not quite reached the “tipping point” of noticeable market share and profitability. Trust me, they will in the next 24-36 months…

What Exactly is Digital Sales Transformation?

As of 2020, “digital transformation” is a hot topic in corporate America.  But “digital transformation” of a salesforce – actual people – is almost an oxymoron. Yes, we can provide sales reps with more software tools but essentially, they are still managing human-to-human interactions to communicate, educate and sell products. Here are the 5 Pillars of Digital Sales Transformation (DST).

What Uber Teaches Us About Great Sales and Buyer Enablement

The “last mile” of revenue generation (getting a qualified lead to close) is always the biggest hurdle. Whether B2B or B2C, this ultimately requires some level of personal relationship development and product customization. Yet many times, businesses don’t realize the costs associated in qualifying a lead in the first place – despite whether or not they […]

Growth Planning: A Three-Part Model for 2019 and Beyond

“Where will our growth come from over the next three years?” Every strategic planning cycle should start with some variant on that question. What sounds simple is in fact one of the most complex and fraught decision executives have to make, year after year. In this case, we’re leaving the product side out of the […]

Why (and How) PE Firms Focus on the “Last Mile” of Sales & Marketing

Private equity firms have changed the competitive landscape of every industry.  From funding private companies with disruptive technologies (e.g. Uber) to taking legacy public companies private (e.g. Dun & Bradstreet), PE-backed competitors focus on creating breakthrough go-to-market strategies….quickly. But do PE-backed leadership teams view Sales & Marketing any different than traditional firms?  The short answer: […]

Ask Three Questions to Ensure Your 2019 Go-to-Market Strategy is a Success

It’s almost Fall – back from the beach, leaves are changing, and starting in October, it’s 2019 strategic planning season. As we have written in previous blogs, the discipline of go-to-market strategy development and execution is changing rapidly. The traditional exercises of branding, messaging, new product launch, channel strategies, and setting financial targets remain. But […]

Should You Fire Your Sales Force?

Ok, maybe firing the entire sales force is a little radical. But wait…put yourself in the shoes of a product exec trying to grow her business unit within a mid- to large-size enterprise. Here is what many, many executives are experiencing in the digital transformation of the four Ps — product, price, promotion, place: Digital […]