Book a call

Challenge · Growth has stalled

We're doing more than ever. Yet revenue isn't keeping up.

Bring your challenge to the table

The diary is full. There are campaigns, calls are being made, proposals are going out and the team has grown. Yet revenue isn't growing at the same pace. Everyone works hard, but nobody can point to exactly where it gets stuck.

The first answer is usually: more. More leads, more people, more campaigns. That feels logical, but often just makes the problem bigger. If you don't know where growth gets stuck, you mostly put more in.

How can you tell growth is getting stuck?

  • Activity is rising, but revenue is growing more slowly.
  • Each team has its own explanation, and those explanations point at each other.
  • The pipeline looks good, but the forecast keeps being revised.
  • New customers are coming in, but existing customers aren't growing or are dropping off.
  • New initiatives are started before it's clear why the previous ones didn't work.
  • There are plenty of reports, but they don't lead to different choices.

Why working harder doesn't solve it

Stalled growth is rarely a matter of too little effort. Usually the problem sits between the teams: in the choice of who you are for, in the handover from marketing to sales, or in what happens after a customer has signed. Each team optimises its own part, and the whole stays smaller than the sum.

That's why it doesn't help much to have one department push harder. As long as you can't see where growth gets stuck, every investment is a gamble.

Growth usually gets stuck in three places

  • In the choice: you attract customers who don't fit well, so sales spends time on opportunities that never come to anything.
  • Between the teams: interest is handed over too early, too late or without context, and opportunities vanish between marketing and sales.
  • After the first deal: existing customers get little attention, while that is often where the fastest growth is.

In most organisations, more than one of these three is at play. The skill is to see which weighs heaviest, and start there.

The STOF rhythm when growth has stalled

  1. Look and listen — we look at the CRM data and the pipeline, and talk to people in marketing, sales and customer success. Not to assign blame, but to make the differences visible.
  2. Make a sharp choice — we show where growth gets stuck most, and bring it back to three to five changes that matter first. And so what is not a priority.
  3. Align — we discuss the findings with the leadership team and make the choices together, so they're backed by the people who have to carry them out.
  4. Follow through — a 90-day plan with owners, and set moments to see whether it's working.

Read more about our approach

A good place to start: the Growth diagnosis

In three weeks, you see where growth gets stuck between marketing, sales and customer success, why that happens, and which three to five changes matter first. With a decision session with the leadership team, a 90-day plan and a handover, so you can carry on yourselves. Read more about the Growth diagnosis.

Would you rather start with one day at the table with the whole commercial chain? Then the Table session is a lighter start.

Prefer to get started yourselves first? Read the guide Building a commercial strategy: a step-by-step plan for B2B companies.

When is STOF right for this challenge?

STOF is a good fit when the organisation is healthy, the product is good and the team is motivated, but growth no longer comes by itself. We prefer to work with growing B2B companies of around 15 to 250 people, where marketing, sales and customer success already exist, but don't yet work as one chain. If you are mainly looking for extra hands for campaigns or prospecting, we're not the right partner.

Frequently asked questions

Don't we just need more leads?

Sometimes, yes. But if growth lags while activity rises, it's usually getting stuck somewhere. More leads then mostly make that problem bigger. That's why we first look at where it gets stuck, and only then at whether you need more coming in.

What data do you need?

Access to the CRM and the pipeline, and conversations with people in marketing, sales and customer success. A perfectly set-up CRM isn't necessary: what's missing from it tells us something too.

What does it cost?

We work on a project basis, not by the hour. After the free introductory call, if there's a fit, you get a proposal with a fixed price, a clear timeline and what you will have at the end.

How do we start?

With a free 45-minute introductory call with Nona or Carlijn. We look at where growth gets stuck and what a sensible first step would be. Even if it turns out you don't need us.

See where your growth gets stuck.

In a free 45-minute introductory call, we look at where growth gets stuck, and whether a Growth diagnosis is the right first step.

Bring your challenge to the table

Further reading

Solution

Commercial strategy

STOF develops a commercial strategy that connects market choices, customer value, organisation and execution. From a sharp choice to momentum.

Related challenge

Lots of leads, few deals

Marketing delivers leads, sales says they're no good? STOF finds out where opportunities disappear, and makes sure both teams see the same opportunity.

Related challenge

Setting commercial priorities

Too many markets, propositions or initiatives? STOF helps you set commercial priorities that teams understand and actually act on.