How we work · 01 · Ends with a brief
Strategy
Design the motion before the tools. A tool can't fix a motion nobody designed: we work out who you sell to, how, and with what system.
Strategy ends with a brief your own team can execute. It stands on its own and commits you to nothing further.
The motion, before the tools
Three failures between a plan and a team that sells, and how designing the approach fixes each.
You have leads, but no motion.
Referrals, inbound and outbound land in the same pipe and get worked the same way. We design each as its own motion, with a shared process underneath.
You sell to everyone.
Without a defined target, effort spreads thin and nothing converts. We decide who you sell to, and who you rule out.
The tools came before the system.
A stack bought one tool at a time doesn't add up to a way of selling. The system comes first; the tools serve it.
The gap is named before a tool is picked
We work out the sales and commercial approach: who you sell to, how, and with what system. The tool comes last, and it can be one built within the group, one from the platforms you already use, or none at all. Never ours by default.
The result is a brief precise enough for your team to execute. If you want it installed, Forward Deployment picks it up; if not, the engagement ends there.
Worked in order: who first, tools last
Each answer is the brief for the next.
Who
Who you sell to
The target, defined, with the exclusions.
How
The motion
How each kind of deal is found and worked.
System
The process
One set of stages and gates, written into the system.
Tools
What supports it
The tool chosen for the gap, never by default.
What we design
Who you sell to
The customer worth pursuing, in tiers, with who to rule out.
The motions
Referral, inbound and outbound, each with its own economics.
One shared process
The same stages and gates, however a deal enters.
The methodology
How deals are qualified and value is communicated, at every stage.
The system
Where the process lives: your CRM, your reviews, your tools.
How you'll know
The few signals that show the motion is working.
The discipline behind the strategy
The gap before the tool
The tool is chosen for the gap, never ours by default.
Choose, don't chase
A defined target means saying no to the rest.
One process, every channel
However a deal enters, it runs the same gates.
Written to be executed
The brief is precise enough for your team to run it without us.
Stands on its own
Strategy commits you to nothing further.
Who this is for
This is for you if
- Teams whose leads arrive from many places and get worked the same way.
- Leaders about to buy sales tools without a clear approach.
- Companies entering a new market or segment.
- Teams that want a brief they can execute themselves.
This is not for you if
- Anyone who wants a slide deck rather than a brief a team can execute.
- Teams set on a tool before the gap is named.
- Questions outside sales and commerce.
- Work that needs a company-level decision first.
Questions
What do we walk away with?
A brief your team can execute: the gaps named, the target system, the tool decision and the sequence.
Can we stop after Strategy?
Yes. Strategy stands on its own and commits you to nothing further.
Do you recommend your own tools?
Only when they fit, and we say so when we do. Our Forward Deployment and Managed Services experience comes from running tools built within the group, one per domain: MLPLY for sales teams, Oderra for advertising, Orvik for affiliate programs. The tool is still chosen after the diagnosis: one of these, one from the platforms you already use, or none at all. Never ours by default.
How long does it take?
A diagnosis usually takes two to three weeks.