What We Do

We are your fractional Chief Revenue Officer (CRO) until you deem it appropriate to fill the position full time.

Insight

In our experience high trajectory organizations have a philosophy that remains consistent; they operate with self awareness and use the principles of the Continuous Improvement Process. Successful companies grow on a foundation of Measurability – Repeatability – Scalability – ROI. These companies are constantly evaluating ways to improve their process so missteps are identified immediately and rectified. This allows them to maximize revenue generation.

The challenge is not all potentially successful start-ups are created equally. Some suffer through periods of growth when the resources they need to take them to the next level are not readily available. Startups require high level leadership and experience. Often companies can’t afford to hire this type of high caliber individual so they hire cheaply, wasting valuable revenue growth opportunities and costly terminations.

The option for companies in this model is a fractional CRO.This is a person who comes in on a part time basis. This person is a seasoned CRO who will focus on revenue growth issues and tie all facets of the business to accountability, revenue targets, continual improvement process and executable plans to achieve current and future gains.

Application

Coordinating with key stakeholders (founders and/or CEO) we meet with and discuss the key areas of concern and the appropriate measure to address them. Reporting with a direct line to the CEO the CRO is a key member of the executive team responsible for all members of the Sales and Marketing teams. They are accountable for delivering the company revenue number.

During this period responsibilities like weekly meetings with all members of the exec team will occur as well as training, planning, and 1/1 with direct reports. With regards to deal management and coaching opportunity generation we will decide on the level of cadence and governance that fits best for your needs. With day to day execution we will generate a plan to ensure the most time consuming part of the processes stays with direct and full time employees.

During the discovery phase we look for areas to improve and gaps within processes in each facet of the organization. Once identified we will analyze our findings and create interim proposals and collaborate with your stakeholders to create buy in on the initial recommendations.

With approval from the stakeholders we will finalize and document potential new processes, build the tools and educate managers and staff on approved changes where required. Implementation follows with reviews and tweaks where required.

Nearer to the end of your scheduled experience with our experts at Ambertell you will receive a detailed playbook – a customized continuous improvement process revenue plan document that you can manage yourself or with continued support from our experts or our partners or your desired specialists.

Identify- The time in which we identify the methodology, plan and actions leading us to our revenue targets. Discussing collaboratively how to better plan, execute and review our goal definitions and change management tactics if needed.

Plan. Build out an executable plan based on Repeatability, Scalability, Measurability and ROI. Ensuring buy-in and a broad understanding amongst stakeholders and staff with each key step of the revenue generating process.

Execute. A detailed playbook of the key actions of the plan and how we work these actions to achieve revenue goals. Measurement tools are put in place, tracking in dashboards is implemented and a review process against goals is implemented.

Review. A repeatable weekly/monthly meeting where we review the plan against goals. The review would include looking at failures and successes – why were we successful and where did we fall short of our targets. What changes or options do we have to improve on or double down on good decisions in order to optimize revenue streams?

We Help You Meet Your Revenue Potential.

Here’s just some of the areas we can help you improve in your organization.

Product to Product Marketing

Message Heard, Understood And Believed.

It is imperative that your message be heard and understood for you to succeed in achieving your revenue targets. Often companies overlook the importance of product marketing; the birthplace of the first line of messaging to your customers.

Your product marketing team is the nexus of all inputs, outputs and takeaways to the internal stakeholders like sales and marketing.
There must be a clear and defined message from this core group.
Without this defined message sales and marketing will splinter and dilute your strategy and the trickle down effect on your revenue projections is enormous.

Product Marketing to Marketing / Sales

Empower Your Revenue Generating Team

At this stage the right processes should be in place to onboard, sell and execute on your goals for revenue projections. We will work with your product marketing people to build a model to ensure marketing, sales and all other major stakeholders can succeed. This includes but is not limited to:

drip feeding tactics
product content consumption
feedback loops
Accountability
reporting

We will collaborate with your teams on a model for repeatability, scalability, measurability, and ROI with a focus to visibility on results.

Marketing/Digital Marketing to Buyers

The Essential Tenet of a Good Marketing Strategy is ROI

A key part of the cycle of continuous improvement process is real time reporting metrics that connect with other departments. Sales, product marketing and senior executives are briefed early and often on how your metrics measure to your goals.

This area proves most challenging to organizations. Your team must decide on the essential tenets of your marketing strategy: components of which include physical, social, and digital.

Some companies either get caught up in the minutiae of measurement and coordination for generating leads and closing business or ignore this stage altogether.
The continuous improvement process applied here – a repeatable, sustainable, measurable method – holds the other departments accountable and ensures that stakeholders are invested in the ROI. The plan stays in place regardless of resource changes – human or financial.
A key part of the cycle of continuous improvement process is real time reporting metrics that connect with other departments. Sales, product marketing and senior executives are briefed early and often on how your metrics measure to your goals.
Having real time reportable metrics frees up time to focus on execution and lessons the tire spinning and finger pointing mentality that often accompanies less disciplined organizations. Removing these obstacles results in stronger execution – more leads, more opportunities, and closed customers.

Our goal is to help you bring this philosophy to your team and to assist with implementation as needed.

Sales to Buyers

Remove as Many Sales Obstacles as Possible

Sales needs to buy into the Product or Services value proposition to sell properly, communicate the message clearly, and address objections quickly and without hesitation. Indistinct messaging and/or an inability to immediately handle objections sends up red flags to buyers. Sales teams need to handle objections on the spot – seamlessly.

In addition to distinct messaging from product marketing, strong training techniques and sales tools must be provided.
While not all risk can be mitigated through sales training and messaging (you must still hire the right person for the right job), the continuous improvement model ensures that training and tools are being updated, improved and folded into the sales teams’ opportunities on an ongoing basis.
Like in all the aforementioned departments, sales organizations that do not hold themselves accountable to measurable metrics, repeatability, scalability, sustainability and spend efforts and dollars based on a ROI will not optimize their performance. .

Having sales and marketing tied together with a continual improvement process plan ensures that adjustments to the message are based on the real time metrics and ROI and are communicated distinctly and clearly throughout both departments.

Implementation to Buyers

Create A Self Serve Driven Economy

Strong self-service proficiencies allows customers to buy faster and easier. With the days of expensive sales travel behind us, it is more important than ever to focus on self-service capabilities.

A good product and brand trust coupled with strong self-service proficiencies allow customers to buy faster and easier.
Interested buyers should be uninhibited in their purchasing process.
All of your sales methods, tools, and processes should speak to this ease for your customer. Within this model sales follow a continuous improvement process so when the customer needs change, sales can change with it.

We can help you transition from an unnecessarily complicated and confusing on-boarding process to a streamlined and easy experience for your customer

All Stakeholders Back to Product

Operate in a State of Self Awareness and Improvement

Poor revenue numbers are the direct result of failing to recognize areas of improvement on a continuous basis. Being accountable means spending time evaluating pending, lost, and won deals and making the loop back to the start of the cycle.

Why don’t organizations hold themselves accountable? Departments may lack the support of higher ups and therefore don’t take initiative to make changes, process either doesn’t exist or isn’t followed, there’s a fear of accountability and an environment of finger pointing and blame, and the feedback loop – if it exists – is threatening or punitive.
The companies that break these bad habits and restructure into a continuous feedback loop look for these pitfalls and correct along the way. They can spend more time on execution and creativity.
The employees feel trusted and empowered. These organizations respond quickly and nimbly to market changes, get the most case studies and references, and most importantly see revenue and profit gains.