Craig Group

Summer Craig recently attended the Girl Scouts of San Jacinto Council's Success to Significance luncheon with a great group of women executives: table host Kim Denney along with Keri Sprung, MBA, Jennifer Petree, Anika Muslawski, P.E., Hami Arrington, MBA, Christine Hollinden CPSM, CEPA, CMAA, Natalie (Navellier) Holden, Dianne Huiwen Eldridge and Nicole Shanklin. Fun fact: Summer, a longtime?Girl Scout with Girl?Scout?daughters, is the First Aid/CPR leader during the troop's camping trips. She takes the GS Motto, Be Prepared, seriously. ?

"PE Growth TAILWIND”: Maximize Q4 Portco Sales By Reinforcing 3 Critical Aspects According to Forbes Magazine, 42% of companies have seen a drop in sales win rates in 2024. That is not surprising considering the tepid state of the economy and the lack of marketing & sales standardization seen at most businesses – especially at lower middle market businesses. In many cases you see poor ICP definition -> poor quality leads -> no defined sales training/process/methodology -> limited sales expansion capability -> sub-optimal sales results. All of these areas are interconnected & each can be improved to boost both revenue growth & exit values. ? But as we enter the Q4 selling season, I recommend reinforcing 3 specific areas to improve sales conversions including: ? 1.??????Team selling 2.??????Objection handling 3.??????Buyer discount/payment options ? While the goal is always to motivate buyers to “see the light” and to move forward based on their needs & your perceived ability to provide the required impact, that doesn’t always happen. ? Many buyers freeze and, despite overwhelming evidence of buying benefits, many decide not to act. FOMO & FOMU (fear of messing up) enter the equation & buyers suddenly become unavailable... ? So, a priority should be to make every Q4 selling interaction as effective as possible. Weak call strategies using weak sellers won't cut it. Especially for buyers "on the fence," I would recommend the following: ? Team Selling ·??????Invite a subject matter expert to the call to discuss a higher-level topic ·??????Have SME provide examples of how we help similar businesses ·??????Salesperson should ask SME for “objective” recommendations ·??????This works because the SME is viewed differently than the salesperson ·??????SME's demonstrated expertise helps reduce perceived buyer risk Objection Handling ·??????Acknowledge objections = opportunity to better understand buyers ·??????Document how team’s best sellers handle various objections ·??????Prepare sales team with list of common objections & effective answers ·??????Practice objection diagnosis & responses through group coaching ·??????Prepare vertical-specific stories highlighting COST OF INACTION ? Q4 Buyer Discount & Payment Options ·??????Prepare options for buyers who have legit payment challenges ·??????Revenue leaders clearly articulate Q4 discount/payment options ·??????Mandate options only for buyers meeting specific qualifications (ICP) ·??????Use quid pro quo (if I can get this approved, can we close this week?) ·??????Consider offering split invoices & other tools ·??????To discourage bad fits, provide clear commission CLAW BACK policy ? So, spend the necessary time up front in Q4 with your revenue teams and make sure they have the right sales-closing mindset & tools. Focusing more attention on these three areas should create a definite growth TAILWIND. What are you doing TODAY to ensure your sellers have the best Q4 sales interactions possible?

Want to optimize your tactics to align with a long-term strategy in the middle market? Start by learning the difference!

It’s not the ‘how’ that makes a company grow fast when entering new markets—it’s the ‘who’ you have in the room. In-house teams face a steep learning curve, especially those new to a specific market or tactic. If you’re expanding into a new market, an agency familiar with that industry or region can help you understand customer behavior, competition, and effective marketing tactics more quickly.

The relationship between marketing and sales is broken. It's no longer about marketing grabbing eyeballs and then sales turning them into revenue. It's not a hand-off from two siloed departments. If you want your org to scale, then you have to look at (and treat) that relationship very differently... ...find out how in the video below. ____ For Craig Group, marketing and sales are inseparable. We help portfolio companies bridge the departmental gap: craiggroup.io

Different markets see value in different things; if you’re not speaking their language, you’re speaking to no one.

"PE Growth TAILWIND”: Maximize Q4 Portco Sales By Reinforcing 3 Critical Aspects According to Forbes Magazine, 42% of companies have seen a drop in sales win rates in 2024. That is not surprising considering the tepid state of the economy and the lack of marketing & sales standardization seen at most businesses – especially at lower middle market businesses. In many cases you see poor ICP definition -> poor quality leads -> no defined sales training/process/methodology -> limited sales expansion capability -> sub-optimal sales results. All of these areas are interconnected & each can be improved to boost both revenue growth & exit values. ? But as we enter the Q4 selling season, I recommend reinforcing 3 specific areas to improve sales conversions including: ? 1.??????Team selling 2.??????Objection handling 3.??????Buyer discount/payment options ? While the goal is always to motivate buyers to “see the light” and to move forward based on their needs & your perceived ability to provide the required impact, that doesn’t always happen. ? Many buyers freeze and, despite overwhelming evidence of buying benefits, many decide not to act. FOMO & FOMU (fear of messing up) enter the equation & buyers suddenly become unavailable... ? So, a priority should be to make every Q4 selling interaction as effective as possible. Weak call strategies using weak sellers won't cut it. Especially for buyers "on the fence," I would recommend the following: ? Team Selling ·??????Invite a subject matter expert to the call to discuss a higher-level topic ·??????Have SME provide examples of how we help similar businesses ·??????Salesperson should ask SME for “objective” recommendations ·??????This works because the SME is viewed differently than the salesperson ·??????SME's demonstrated expertise helps reduce perceived buyer risk Objection Handling ·??????Acknowledge objections = opportunity to better understand buyers ·??????Document how team’s best sellers handle various objections ·??????Prepare sales team with list of common objections & effective answers ·??????Practice objection diagnosis & responses through group coaching ·??????Prepare vertical-specific stories highlighting COST OF INACTION ? Q4 Buyer Discount & Payment Options ·??????Prepare options for buyers who have legit payment challenges ·??????Revenue leaders clearly articulate Q4 discount/payment options ·??????Mandate options only for buyers meeting specific qualifications (ICP) ·??????Use quid pro quo (if I can get this approved, can we close this week?) ·??????Consider offering split invoices & other tools ·??????To discourage bad fits, provide clear commission CLAW BACK policy ? So, spend the necessary time up front in Q4 with your revenue teams and make sure they have the right sales-closing mindset & tools. Focusing more attention on these three areas should create a definite growth TAILWIND. What are you doing TODAY to ensure your sellers have the best Q4 sales interactions possible?

Don’t forget the people. When private equity firms engage us to professionalize sales and marketing functions within portfolio companies, the objective is clear—drive immediate, measurable impact on the bottom line. These companies have grown successfully but now require more structured, scalable operations. In most cases, three areas rise to the top for lower middle market companies (although each engagement is unique): 1?? Adopting a value-driven sales approach, focusing on addressing customer pain points rather than just highlighting product features. 2?? Aligning sales and marketing functions around shared goals and metrics. 3?? ?Implementing technology (CRM and automation tools) to improve pipeline visibility and operational efficiency. But here’s the catch: while such changes seem straightforward and intuitive on paper, execution often falters when there’s limited buy-in from existing teams. Culture and ingrained processes can make it difficult to implement changes, which is why effective change management is crucial. The difference between good and great consultants lies in their ability to manage both strategy and the human side of change. We know that without alignment and buy-in from leadership and teams, even the best strategies can fail to deliver results.

Bigger isn't always better when it comes to the acquisition opportunities PE-backed portfolio companies are considering. Adding big clients to their roster can turn into big regrets if they're not careful about what they're judging their opportunities on. We help our clients find the Goldilocks Zone to help them scale. ____ Craig Group will help you find your ideal customer profile to scale smartly.

There was a great conversation between Summer Craig and Joshua Wilson on The Deal Scout podcast about how to drive growth in private equity-backed portfolio companies. ?? Key Takeaways: 1.) Aligning Marketing with EBITDA makes for measurable and impactful results. 2.) To drive revenue, marketing and sales must collaborate seamlessly. 3.) Hiring for strengths early on helps to avoid business pitfalls and ensures focused growth. Catch more insights at: https://lnkd.in/g6mN-6mq #PrivateEquity #MarketingStrategy #EBITDA #Leadership #RevenueGrowth