Peggy Klingel

Business areas to understand before joining or partnering

with a company

www.linkedin.com/in/peggyklingel

The Five C’s of a Company

Review

www.twitter.com/peggyklingelPeggyKlingel@gmail.com

PeggyKlingel@gmail.com

608-512-8830

Heed the hints: Effective questioning & listening are essential.

Whether considering employment at, selling to or partnering with a company, insightful understanding of the organization increases

the probability of good decision making and positive outcomes.

• Insights are gained by understanding a company’s history.

• Success stories are windows into culture and strengths.

• Revenue, margin, product mix and customers are key data points.

• Product road maps shine lights on potential future opportunity.

• Current organization initiatives leave clues about gaps.

• Staff tenure, knowledge and willingness to share information will influence results.

Learn as much as possible about these business

areas to understand strategy and

potential.Culture

Company

Capabilities

Customers

Competitors

Never assume you already know the

answers –you may be surprised!

Company

Where are they in their company lifecycle?

• Strategy: Is leadership aligned & is the strategy shared?

• People: Are staff knowledgeable, engaged & happy?

• Customers: How is customer support handled?

• Sales: Is the sales process effective and measured?

• Product: Is the product plan aligned with strategy?

• Operations: Is the company capable of delivering?

• Revenue: What are the revenue sources?

• Financials: Are targets being met?

• Success: What are they most proud of accomplishing?

Competitors & Market

Do they understand the market and their place in it?

• Trends: What’s happening in the industry?

• Disruption: What outside industry forces are influencing the market?

• Resources: Are there any trade associations with insights?

• Losses: Who have they lost to and why?

• Wins: Why are customers choosing to buy?

• Competitors: Who are they watching?

• Ownership: Who owns them and who owns competitors?

• Market: What is their current market share & future opportunity?

Customer Knowledge

Are the customers happy and referenceable?

• Sales: Who purchased from them recently and why did they choose them?

• Retention: Who is staying with them and why?

• Referrals: Are there any success stories in the sales process?

• Metrics: What loyalty programs and measurements exist?

• Experience: Have they mapped the customer journey?

• Ownership: What areas of the business touch customers?

• Communication: How do they maintain relationships?

• Mix: What proportion of revenue is new vs. existing customers?

Capabilities

Are resources available and can they execute?

• Staffing: Are any key positions open?

• Knowledge: What employee training & development programs exist?

• Product: Is minimum viable product/service available & adequate?

• Development: Is the product roadmap documented & reviewed regularly?

• Marketing: Is the sales and marketing message aligned with strategy?

• Priorities: What key initiatives are currently underway?

• Strategy: Do employees understand the strategy and believe in it?

Culture

Do they have the ability to succeed?

• Guidelines: Are the mission, vision & values communicated & understood ?

• Leadership: Are leaders in agreement on company direction?

• Knowledge: How do employees describe the culture? Is it consistent?

• Collaboration: Are there examples of diverse groups working together?

• Challenges: How do they explain failures? Were they learning experiences?

• Structure: Are they unsettled from restructures, downsizings or other changes?

• Communication: Is there an open, honest communication & feedback system?

• Passion: Is there purpose, energy and enthusiasm about their future?

All companies have gaps between

strategy and ability as they develop

strategic plans. The question is whether

they can bridge the gap.

Do they have the ability to succeed?

Where are they in their

lifecycle?

Are resources

available & can they execute?

Are customers

happy & reference-

able?

Do they know the market &

their place in it?

Understanding the gaps provides information for

decision making.

• Prospective employee? All companies have challenges. Go in with your eyes open to their challenges and their opportunity. Can they realize the opportunity despite the challenges?

• Joining to lead? Develop your initial plan to turn around the organization or address the challenges in your area of responsibility based on what you’ve learned. Adjust as you get on board and continue to listen and learn. Can you fix it?

• Partnering? Compare them to other potential partners. Are you aligned with their culture and can they deliver on the relationship?

Pulling it Together: What to do with the information learned.

Decisions to join or partner are best made with as much information as possible providing a firm foundation

for collaboration and success.

PeggyKlingel@gmail.com

608-512-8830

The Five C’s of a Company Review

www.linkedin.com/in/peggyklingel PeggyKlingel@gmail.com www.twitter.com/peggyklingel

Peggy Klingel

Sales and Market Strategy Development and Execution

Change Management, Startup and Turnaround Expertise

Other Presentations by Peggy Klingel

www.linkedin.com/in/peggyklingel PeggyKlingel@gmail.com www.twitter.com/peggyklingel

Leadership Principles for High Impact Results

Priorities to drive organizational change.

Sales as a Team Sport

The benefits of a broad organizational understanding.

Growth Strategy Execution

How to start fast and deliver results.

Building Bridges for Growth

A review of my history and philosophy behind driving revenue growth.