Commercial Operating Model

Make the commercial function work as one.

Design the processes, roles and ways of working that make the commercial function work as one.

Rise Strategy looks at how the whole commercial function operates — proposition, sales, account, solution and pre-sales — and identifies the gaps, duplication, unclear ownership, poor hand-offs and inconsistent processes that slow business down.

This is the broadest view we take. The other services focus on specific areas where the commercial engine can be improved; this one looks at how all of it fits together, and then helps put better ways of working in place.

01

Commercial Process Design

Map how work actually flows today, from first conversation through to close, and design processes teams will genuinely use.

02

Roles, Ownership & Hand-offs

Clarify who owns what, where responsibility passes between teams and how hand-offs happen without opportunities losing momentum.

03

Governance & Performance

Sales stages, qualification, pipeline and performance management, KPIs and measures that give an honest view of what is happening.

The commercial operating cycle

A commercial operating model is a cycle, not a funnel. What is learned at the end shapes what happens at the start.
  1. 01Strategy
  2. 02Proposition
  3. 03Market
  4. 04Sales
  5. 05Pre-Sales
  6. 06Opportunity
  7. 07Close
  8. 08Learn & Improve
Learn & improve feeds back into strategy

Challenges

Where the commercial function
stops working as one.

  • 01Different teams work to different processes and definitions
  • 02Ownership is unclear, so work is duplicated or dropped
  • 03Hand-offs between sales, account, solution and pre-sales lose momentum
  • 04Sales stages and qualification mean different things to different people
  • 05Pipeline data does not reflect commercial reality
  • 06Reporting and measures do not drive the right behaviours
  • 07CRM and supporting tools work against the process rather than with it

How we help

Practical improvements to how
commercial teams actually work.

01

Commercial Process Design

A clear, practical end-to-end process across proposition, sales, solution and pre-sales that reflects how the business really sells.

02

Roles & Responsibilities

Defined roles across commercial teams so each person knows what they own and where they contribute.

03

Sales, Account & Pre-Sales Alignment

Bring commercial and technical teams into the same rhythm, with the right expertise involved at the right point.

04

Sales Stages & Qualification

Consistent stages, entry and exit criteria and qualification standards that everyone applies the same way.

05

Governance, Pipeline & Measures

Reviews, cadence, pipeline management, KPIs and measures that surface issues early and focus effort where it counts.

06

CRM & Supporting Technology

Make CRM and supporting tools reflect the agreed process, so data is accurate and admin effort goes down.

Who we support

  • Technology companies
  • Software and SaaS businesses
  • Scale-ups growing their commercial teams
  • Sales and commercial leaders
  • Heads of pre-sales and solution teams

Outcomes

  • One commercial process everyone recognises
  • Clear ownership and cleaner hand-offs
  • More consistent qualification and opportunity management
  • Faster opportunity progression
  • A pipeline view that can be trusted
  • Measures that reflect real commercial performance
  • Ways of working that scale as the team grows

Understand how your commercial engine works — and where it does not.

Start with a clear view of how your commercial function operates today, where it loses effectiveness and what practical changes would make the biggest difference.

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