Most SMEs increase activity when performance dips. More outreach, more marketing, more conversations and more pressure. The underlying commercial structure often remains unchanged.
We publish a newsletter on LinkedIn twice a week called The Wire.
One version focusses on marketing and the practicalities of what your business should be doing from a marketing perspective to generate more leads (written by Libby Crossland) and the other is the commercial edition, which exists to examine your structuresures and processes (written by me, Suzie Thompson).
Each edition focuses on one commercial driver that directly affects income, margin and forecasting stability inside SMEs, independent firms and growing organisations across the UK and Europe.
Examples of what’s to come:
- Sales structure and qualification discipline Because pipeline without criteria is not pipeline. It is probability.
- Conversion performance and close rate Small improvements here compound faster than most marketing increases.
- Deal size and margin control Revenue growth without margin discipline creates pressure, not resilience.
- Sales cycle control and deal velocity Slow-moving opportunities distort forecasting and strain cash flow.
- Forecast accuracy Evidence-based pipeline creates control. Optimism does not.
- Sales and marketing alignment Marketing generates opportunity. Sales converts it into contracted revenue. When misaligned, effort rises while income plateaus.
At The Leadership Visibility Co, we work with SMEs and independent organisations to strengthen the commercial framework and messaging beneath their growth strategy.
Next week: Where to Start When Things Aren’t Going to Plan: A practical approach to diagnosing commercial friction before increasing activity.
Have a specific issue or feeling stuck? Arrange a call with me or book our Commercial & Messaging Audit.
