Sales development & management: how it works
Diagnose first. Fix what is actually broken. Build the process that outlasts the engagement.
Most sales problems have the same short list of root causes. The pipeline is thin because qualification is weak and nobody wants to say a deal is dead. Forecasts are wrong because managers ask reps to be optimistic instead of accurate. Results swing because the process lives in one person's head, not in a system. New hires take too long to ramp because onboarding is informal and nobody owns it.
These are fixable. Here is how I work through them.
Diagnose first
Before anything else, I need to understand what is actually happening. That means looking at the pipeline, talking to the people involved, and forming a view on where the real break is. It is rarely where leadership thinks.
This typically takes one to two weeks and results in a short written diagnosis: what is broken, what is a symptom of something else, and what to fix first. You get an honest read, not a list of everything that could theoretically be better.
What I work on
Depending on what the diagnosis shows, the engagement covers some or all of the following.
Pipeline and qualification
Defining what a real opportunity looks like at each stage. Building exit criteria that reps and managers actually use. Reducing the amount of dead weight that sits in the pipeline for months because nobody wants to call it.
Sales process
Mapping the stages that matter for your specific sale. Discovery scripts and frameworks that work in practice, not just in training. Handoff points between SDR, AE, and post-sale if those roles exist.
Forecast discipline
Moving from "what do you think will close" to a structured weekly rhythm that produces numbers you can defend. Coaching managers on how to run forecast calls without just collecting hope.
CRM hygiene
Making the CRM reflect reality so it is useful rather than a place where deals go to be optimistic. This is mostly a behaviour change, not a technical problem.
Hiring and onboarding
Profile definition for the roles you actually need. Interview structure that tests for the things that predict performance. A 30/60/90 onboarding plan with real milestones, not just product training.
Compensation and incentives
Checking that your commission structure rewards the behaviour you want. Fixing the obvious misalignments before they cause attrition or the wrong kind of hunting.
Manager coaching
Working with your sales managers on how to run pipeline reviews, give feedback, and develop reps. Most sales managers were promoted because they sold well, not because they were trained to manage.
How long and what it costs
Engagements are typically four to twelve weeks, fixed scope, with weekly updates. Shorter for a focused diagnostic or a single problem area. Longer if we are rebuilding the process end to end.
Pricing depends on scope. We agree it before we start, in writing, with no surprises.
Where to go from here
A fifteen-minute call is enough to understand whether this is relevant to your situation. You describe what you are seeing, I ask a few questions, and we both get a clear picture of whether it makes sense to go further.