Strategic & Operational

Commercialising Innovation and Technology requires fast iterations between the strategic level and the operational level. To maintain coherence and speed we work with an integrated approach. This allows us to ensure concept and action are coordinated to make the sale! Strategy, Marketing and Organisation ensure there is a direction. Selling, Motivating and Managing ensure we make steps in that direction.

Organisational Services

 

What is the best way to pull value out of your project? That is the key question we need to ask when we want to sell. Only then can we make a strong pitch, to the right people with the right words. But strategy is choosing, it’s making choices. So we need to evaluate the options and identify the path we are going to test. We provide tools and methods to determine value and make choices.

  • Tools and workshops to think outside of the box
  • Transformation of field data into useable information for strategy elaboration
  • Business model proposals and testing ;
  • Value proposal architecture ;
  • Commercialisation process engineering ;
At this level organisation is no rocket science. But you have got to spend some time on it if you don’t want the whole project to blow up. You need to identify what the minimum requirements are, make sure you are giving yourself the right tools to sell your product. Some of the organisational challenges we can work together on :

  • Interaction between sales and marketing
  • Interaction between sales and product development
  • Do you need a product manager, a product director
  • Managing your sales people
  • CRM, product management software, communication tools
Market studies are innovation’s worst friend. If it’s new, that means you don’t have a history and a potential customer saying she likes your innovation doesn’t mean she’s going to buy it. This is why we use the Market Engagement approach in addition to standard approaches, to optimise market understanding. These are some fields we can help you with :

  • Dynamic segmentation to identify most accessible market
  • Strategic positionning to leverage sales fast
  • Market and opportunity studies
  • Prospective brainstorming to draw your roadmap
  • Market intelligence to make the right decisions

 

What is the best way to pull value out of your project? That is the key question we need to ask when we want to sell. Only then can we make a strong pitch, to the right people with the right words. But strategy is choosing, it’s making choices. So we need to evaluate the options and identify the path we are going to test. We provide tools and methods to determine value and make choices.

  • Tools and workshops to think outside of the box
  • Transformation of field data into useable information for strategy elaboration
  • Business model proposals and testing ;
  • Value proposal architecture ;
  • Commercialisation process engineering ;
At this level organisation is no rocket science. But you have got to spend some time on it if you don’t want the whole project to blow up. You need to identify what the minimum requirements are, make sure you are giving yourself the right tools to sell your product. Some of the organisational challenges we can work together on :

  • Interaction between sales and marketing
  • Interaction between sales and product development
  • Do you need a product manager, a product director
  • Managing your sales people
  • CRM, product management software, communication tools
Market studies are innovation’s worst friend. If it’s new, that means you don’t have a history and a potential customer saying she likes your innovation doesn’t mean she’s going to buy it. This is why we use the Market Engagement approach in addition to standard approaches, to optimise market understanding. These are some fields we can help you with :

  • Dynamic segmentation to identify most accessible market
  • Strategic positionning to leverage sales fast
  • Market and opportunity studies
  • Prospective brainstorming to draw your roadmap
  • Market intelligence to make the right decisions

Operational Services

 

 

 

Selling is a skill, negotiation is a language. Applying both to innovation and technology is an art. Because you don’t sell innovation the same way you sell mature and accepted solutions we help you adapt your selling practices to the specific context of your product or service. We will roll up our sleeves and go out on the field with you, face to face with the customer.

  • Prepare and practise the sales pitch
  • Joint sales meetings to analyse and improve practises
  • Deploy negotiation tools to obtain engagement
  • Practise closing the sale
  • Debriefing what happened during the sales meeting
You already have a sales person in place? Never leave them on their own! Selling is teamwork : one is selling, the other is motivating and supporting. This is especially true when selling innovation and technology. Understanding market feedback, adapting the practise or the product, realigning strategy. You need to be two to do this. This is where we can become your sales team manager, so that you can spend more time managing your company.

  • Regular meetings to review activity and action plan
  • Define objectives and keep a tab on progress
  • Brainstorm on new angles to approach customers
  • Motivate and keep spirits and energy high
  • Prepare negotiation strategies, track bottom lines
Most people succumb to technology push to drive their innovation. That makes great products for inexistant markets. We do it the other way around, by using Sales Driven Innovation Management. In other words, it is engagement that defines innovation maturity and what needs to be done in consequence.

  • Have an understanding of where you are and how long before break even
  • A clear picture of when you need to hire, communicate and raise money
  • Understand what posture you need to put forward : listen or sell, explore or exploit, steps or vision
  • Determine whether you are in the architecture, acceptance or acceleration phase
  • Manage your ressources accordingly, whether it be money or time

 

 

 

  • Testing your idea – “I like your idea” is not enough. We want them to buy it! That’s the real test. classic, or clean. Sets the design of the shortcode.
  • Together on the field – We will go out on the field with you to meet the customer and make the sale!
  • Straight Talk – We are with you to make it work, not to be nice. We’ll challenge you to meet the customers’ needs, not yours!
  • Market Potential, Market Speed – Where are we going, how long will it take to break even, what is the size of my market, what margins can I expect? Those are the questions we’ll help you answer!
  • Our Expertise – Knowing what can be sold and what can’t. An innovation always forgets it’s young.
  • Persuasion – If it’s really innovative, you’re going to have to shove it down their throats!
  • Engagement – We make sure the market commit. We want proof the market is interested. We want them to engage!
  • Innovation – Invention + Commercialisation = Innovation. The equation is simple. You invent, we commercialise for you and with you!

Coherence

To sell effectively you need coherence. You need coherence between sales, marketing, strategy, organisation and every other part of your venture. As we are dealing with the complexity of innovation and technology, an integrated approach is all the more important. Concept and practice are intertwined, they can not be separated into boxes. Silos are inefficient in environments that are dynamic and full of uncertainty. By the time you get out of one silo to work on the other, your market is gone, or your cash. If you have to go see many specialists to address marketing, sales, organisation and strategy you will lose in coherence, efficiency and impact. Many consultants determine strategy to fit their expertise. That’s putting the cart before the ox. At Cirrus IM our primary focus is success, not selling bricks that don’t fit with one another. Together we determine the best approach to sell your innovation or technology; only then do we integrate the necessary skills. Either we have them internally, either we’ve already identified them externally. This is why at Cirrus IM we provide a comprehensive approach to make sure all the necessary competencies are in line to pull maximum value out of your project.

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