case study
Business development case study for a public cloud computing services company
Challenge, Context, Problems to be solved
My latest Outvise project involved stepping into a position as "Interim Head of Business Development" at a leading UK plc-company that offered cloud and computing services while replacing the outgoing sales director.
The sales organization had drifted and became increasingly misaligned with the rest of the organization.
The project's objective was to re energize a stagnated sales division that failed to meet sales targets and business objectives and ensure the smoothing of the transition of a new Chief Commercial Officer expected to join the organization.
Mission, tools and methodology
I implemented several tactical sales measures to optimize the sales approach and culture to improve sales performance and realign with the company's main business objectives.
Followed up with introducing added structure and clear objectives when defining and executing sales plans and marketing activities. Applied people management initiatives and enforced better collaboration and alignment with key stakeholders and functions (e.g., product, operation, service delivery, marketing, finance) which all impacted the outcome.
Achieved results
We improved the team's ability to forecast sales bookings significantly and, therefore, "delivery on promise", which eased tension among the executive committee, and over a period of seven months, the company witnessed a growth of new customers; increased sales bookings from existing customers; and overall increased "quarterly sales bookings" by +68% adding millions of annually recurring revenues to support the company's expansion plans.
Furthermore, to stabilize the sales performance and meet the company's 5-year trajectory growth aspirations, I was instrumental in designing and implementing a new sales transformation program that overhauled sales leadership, sales approach, and sales structure. Among other things, it included redefining the target market and customer segments. It included measures to increase the company's "share-of-wallet" by addressing untapped potential in an existing vast and unmanaged customer base.
Finally, I ensured a smooth transition and onboarding of a new Chief Commercial Officer so that the momentum and sales performance was not interrupted.
A few must-have skills for a successful business development specialist
Hard skills:
- Business Transformation
- Change management
- Strategy
- Telecom & ICT industry insight
- Complex solution selling & consultative selling
- Program management
Soft skills:
- Positive attitude
- Problem-solving
- Drive
- Innovation
- Cultural adaptably
- Communication
- People management & leadership
Aligning Business, Operations and IT Strategies to propel Enterprise technology powerhouses, Professional services entities, and Industry-leading B2B customers to the next level of success.
Responsibilities of an interim head of business development
Design, develop and support strategic development strategies by providing assistance with implementing those plans and strategies.