Frequently Asked Questions
Common questions about how I work with companies and sales teams, what a Fractional Sales Director engagement looks like, and how we know whether it is the right fit.
Services and Engagement
Why hire a Fractional Sales Director rather than a full-time Head of Sales?
Three reasons matter here: speed, cost, and fit. I am operational within weeks rather than months, the investment is typically a fraction of a full-time executive, and not every business needs a permanent head of sales sitting in their structure year-round. My experience shows that mid-market companies often need leadership-level thinking applied to their sales function for a defined period, namely to fix what is broken and build what is missing. Once the foundations are in place, you decide whether to hire permanently, retain me on a reduced cadence, or run with the system we have built.
How is this different from a traditional sales consultant?
A consultant typically delivers a strategy document and walks away. I embed in the business as your Fractional Sales Director, build the infrastructure alongside your team, and stay accountable for outcomes. The deliverables are not slide decks that gather dust; they are working systems, namely a sales playbook your people actually use, a CRM that reflects reality, and a management cadence that holds the team accountable. Strategy without execution is theatre, and execution without strategy is exhausting.
How long does a typical engagement run?
It depends on what you need:
- Sales Discovery Report: A focused diagnostic, typically completed in two to three weeks
- Sales Infrastructure projects: Three to six months of fixed-fee project work
- Sales Management engagements: Six months to two years on a monthly retainer
- Sales Framework engagements: Quarterly strategy sessions over two years for established sales teams
Most owners start with a Sales Discovery Report, since it gives clarity on the gaps before any larger commitment is made.
What happens after the engagement ends?
You keep everything we have built, namely the playbook, the CRM configuration, the KPI scorecards, the compensation structures, and the operating cadence. The infrastructure stays inside your business and continues to work. New hires onboard faster because the systems train them. If you want ongoing support, I offer reduced-cadence retainers and quarterly strategy reviews, but the goal is always to leave you with a self-sustaining sales engine, not a dependency on me.
My Approach and Philosophy
What is your sales philosophy?
Sales is about identifying and solving real problems for real people, not about persuading anyone of anything. Trust precedes technique, and values precede tactics. Anyone who knows me will know that I prefer practical things that actually work over clever frameworks that look good on paper. The companies I work with sell because they care about the outcome for their customers, and the systems I build reinforce that, namely consultative discovery, qualification before presentation, and follow-up that respects the buyer’s time.
Do you focus on sales strategy or execution?
Both, and that is the point. Strategy without execution is theatre. Execution without strategy is exhausting. My work spans the full picture, namely the Sales Blueprint Strategy (buyer personas, value proposition, competitive positioning, sales story), the operational infrastructure (CRM, KPIs, compensation, hiring), and the management cadence that ties them together. CEOs and Managing Directors hire me because they want someone who can think at the strategic level and still get hands dirty in the operating model.
How do you balance human relationships with sales technology?
Technology should remove friction, not humanity. CRMs, automation, and AI are valuable when they free your team to do the work that actually moves deals forward, namely listening, building trust, and solving real problems. I have seen too many sales teams buried under tools that nobody uses properly, which is worse than no tools at all. My approach is to map the workflow first, identify the tedious steps that drain time, and apply technology where it earns its place.
Pricing and Investment
How do you structure your fees?
Engagements are priced on outcomes and scope, not hours. Project work is fixed-fee, retainer engagements are monthly, and strategy sessions are day-rate. The model depends on what you need:
- Sales Discovery Report: Fixed fee, typically the lowest entry point
- Sales Infrastructure project: Fixed fee, scoped over three to six months
- Fractional Sales Management: Monthly retainer based on agreed time commitment
- Sales Framework sessions: Day-rate for quarterly strategic engagements
I am happy to talk through ranges on a discovery call, since the right number depends on your size, complexity, and the gaps we identify.
Is there a minimum commitment?
The Sales Discovery Report is the smallest commitment, and most clients start there. It is designed specifically to give you clarity before any larger investment, namely what is working, what is missing, and what the priority order should be. From there, the next step might be a focused infrastructure project, a longer fractional retainer, or simply taking the report away and acting on it yourself. There is no obligation to continue.
Do you offer a starting point that does not require a full engagement?
Yes. The Sales Discovery Report exists for exactly this reason. It is a structured diagnostic that gives you an honest assessment of your sales function without requiring a multi-month commitment. I built this entry point because I have seen too many owners burned by consultants who sell the biggest possible engagement on day one. Start small, get clarity, then decide.
Who I Work With
What size company do you typically work with?
SME’s and mid-market companies, typically with revenue between one million and one hundred million, where the founder or CEO has either outgrown direct selling or hired a sales team without the infrastructure to support it. The common pattern is a business that grew on relationships and reputation, hit a ceiling, and now needs structure to scale. If you are running everything through your head and the team cannot close without you, that is the moment to talk.
Do you only work with B2B companies?
Primarily, yes. My experience is heaviest in B2B sectors with considered purchase cycles, namely industrial, technology, professional services, manufacturing, and financial services. The reason is simple: my methodology is built around consultative selling, structured qualification, and longer sales cycles. If your business sells transactional consumer products, I am probably not the right fit, and I will tell you that on the discovery call.
What if I do not have a sales team yet?
That is often the best time to bring me in. I help founder-led businesses install the sales infrastructure before the first hire, which means your first salesperson inherits a working system instead of building one from scratch. They ramp faster, perform sooner, and you avoid the common trap of hiring a senior salesperson and expecting them to fix everything from zero. I cover hiring, onboarding, compensation, and the playbook they will use from day one.
What if I have already worked with a consultant and it did not work?
You are not alone. The most common reason consultants fail is that they deliver advice without infrastructure, namely a strategy document with no working systems behind it. Within sixty days the document is forgotten, the team reverts to old habits, and nothing changes. My approach is the opposite. The deliverable is a working sales engine, not a slide deck. I have been known to bite off more than I can chew on some projects, but never to walk away without leaving something operational behind.
Process and Deliverables
What does a typical engagement include?
Depending on the scope, a Sales Infrastructure project typically covers:
- Process: Sales process design, CRM selection or configuration, KPI architecture
- Data and KPIs: Sales projections, activity goals, scorecards by rep and team
- Team: Job descriptions, compensation plans, hiring process, onboarding
- Strategy: Buyer personas, value proposition, competitive positioning, sales story
- Management: One-on-one cadence, team meetings, revenue management
A custom Sales Playbook ties it all together, namely a single document your team uses daily and new hires onboard from.
What is the Sales Playbook and why does it matter?
The Sales Playbook is the operating manual for your sales function. It captures the strategy, the process, the scripts, the objection handling, the discovery questions, and the metrics in one place. Without it, every salesperson invents their own approach, which means inconsistent results, slower onboarding, and no compounding learning. With it, your team executes a repeatable, scalable motion. Results matter; the playbook is what makes results predictable rather than accidental.
How hands-on are you during an engagement?
Very. This is not advice from the sidelines. I am in your CRM, on your sales calls when needed, and in your management meetings. I coach your sales leader, sit one-on-ones with reps, and review live deals. The intensity scales with the engagement model: a Discovery Report is largely diagnostic, an Infrastructure project is collaborative build work, and a Sales Management retainer means I am effectively part of your leadership team for the duration.
How do you measure success?
The metrics depend on what we agreed at the start, but typically include:
- Cycle time: How long deals take from first contact to close
- Win rate: Conversion at each stage of the pipeline
- Stakeholder engagement: Quality of conversations with decision makers
- Forecast accuracy: How close projections land to actuals
- Revenue growth: The outcome these inputs are designed to produce
We agree the success measures upfront, review them quarterly, and adjust as the business evolves.
Getting Started
How do I know if this is the right fit for my business?
Book a thirty-minute conversation. There is no pitch deck and no hard sell. We talk through where your sales function is stuck, what you have tried, and whether my approach matches your situation. If I am not the right fit, I will tell you, and where possible I will point you toward someone who is. The first conversation costs nothing and obligates nothing.
What do I need to prepare before we begin?
Honest answers to a few questions, namely what your revenue looks like, where you think the gaps are, what you have already tried, and what success would look like in twelve months. If you have existing sales materials, a CRM, or recent pipeline data, having those ready helps. If you do not, that is fine; we will start from where you are.
Do you work with companies outside Melbourne?
Yes. I am based in Melbourne, and I work with clients across Australia and internationally. My background spans South Africa, Germany, China, and Australia, and I am comfortable operating across time zones and cultures. Most engagements are conducted through a mix of remote work and on-site sessions, with the balance agreed at the start based on what serves the engagement best.
Still have questions?
Book a thirty-minute discovery call. No pitch deck, no hard sell, just an honest conversation about whether this approach fits your situation.
Inc. 5000 List 4 Years in a Row
I look forward to learning more about your organization.