shortcomings have slipped into the delivery process. The pressure on sales teams also grows, when margins drop and high cost pressure due to activities in globalized markets or general cost increases because of external causes put pressure on the operating result. When powers shift almost overnight in volatile markets, new, strong players push their way into the market, or market shares which seemed to be safe, are jeopardized by takeovers and mergers.

which will sooner or later be at exactly this point. The young businessmen are enthusiastic entrepreneurs with outstanding expertise. Many young start-up teams, however, only have rather one-sided competences. Their product expertise is excellent, there is a lack of knowledge and — in particular — of experience, which is required to successfully launch the product in the market and consolidate a position in the market. But even many well-established companies which have developed product innovations and are faced with the task of marketing them, are unable to cope with this challenge.

Sales and marketing are decisive disciplines which determine the successful industrialization of your project. If this is not taken into account from the very beginning, it poses a high risk to your business plan or your company’s targets. 

lead with a new concept of themselves. Nowadays actual sales in established companies consists largely of processing orders, placing internal production assignments and handling communication with customers. 

To generate company growth, response by sales staff must become an autonomous activity again. Successful sales teams do not see their main task in handling transactions, but in soliciting new customers and orders.

which have gained their independence from just a few key customers in their order acquisition. Success in new customer acquisition has long been one of the essential benchmarks for world market capability. With this motivation, smart sales managers conquer a new, highly exposed position in the company.

existing processes must be addressed and consistently be adapted to the requirements and needs of the customer instead of exactly fitting in with the processes of the individual internal departments.

It is particularly important for sales and production managers to not only work on attaining their own KPIs, but to act out of a common understanding of the customer and to work hand in hand to accomplish the overall task of the company.

often due to a lack of internal communication: reliable delivery as a KPI decisive for success becomes jeopardized, because internal conflicts and insufficient coordination between production and sales departments interrupt the processes. But information chains between these two departments must work smoothly particularly at this point in time, to allow proactive communication with the customer and prevent customer relations from deteriorating.

And mergers and acquisitions are enormous challenges for companies. In M&A projects, processes and structures of the companies involved have to be harmonized, and their indirect divisions, such as sales, marketing, HR and controlling, have to be restructured or combined. This phase of post merger integration is of central significance and a decisive factor for the success or failure of the whole transaction.

is top priority. Creating a common corporate culture, motivating employees and transparent communication are often seen as downstream tasks in the MBI process.

There are not only winners in merger situations, and on top of that the transaction partners in post merger integration are rarely on an equal footing. People and departments — mainly of the organization to be integrated — often feel betrayed.