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Solution · Commercial strategy

One sharp commercial choice that gives direction.

Bring your challenge to the table

A commercial strategy has to do more than describe an ambition. It has to help you choose: which customers do you want to matter to, which problem do you solve better or differently, and how do you organise the route to growth? If those answers stay too broad, the strategy becomes a collection of possibilities rather than a compass.

STOF helps leadership teams and commercial leaders distil their growth ambition into one sharp, well-founded choice. We connect the outside world of market, customers and competition with the inside world of organisation, leadership and collaboration. The result is a direction that is both attractive and achievable.

When do you need a commercial strategy?

  • The organisation is growing, but mainly through one-off opportunities and existing relationships.
  • The offer has become broad and the commercial story is losing its edge.
  • There are several promising markets, but no shared priority.
  • Marketing, sales and delivery make different trade-offs.
  • A new phase of growth calls for different choices, roles or commercial discipline.
  • The current strategy makes sense on paper, but does too little to steer the pipeline and the agenda.

What we sharpen together

We don't start with a model, but with the question behind the strategy. Does the organisation want to grow within existing customers? Enter a new market? Simplify its offer? Make the pipeline more predictable? Or choose a position that makes it less dependent on price?

Then we bring together the elements that make a commercial choice credible: ideal customers, urgent customer problems, what sets you apart, the offer, the revenue model, the route to market, the capacity required and the behaviour that makes execution possible. The outcome is not a thick plan, but a clear set of choices and consequences.

Our approach: the STOF rhythm

  1. Look and listen — interviews, customer and market insights, the offer, the pipeline and existing plans form one factual starting point.
  2. Make a sharp choice — we test options, bring tensions into the open and formulate the leading commercial choice, with clear boundaries.
  3. Align — we translate the strategy into a story, priorities, roles and coherence between marketing, sales, operations and leadership.
  4. Follow through — we turn choices into a first execution rhythm with ownership, actions, lessons and decision points.

Read more about our approach

How to get started with us

Each programme can stand on its own. We only agree a next step if the outcome calls for one. Which programme fits is something we discuss in the free introductory call.

01 · Starting point

Table session

One day at the table with the whole commercial chain, and a plan for the next ninety days.

View Table session

Discuss this in a free introductory call
When is this the right choice?
You sense that growth is sluggish, but don't yet know whether a full programme is needed.
What does it deliver?
The management team knows which three to five things need to change on Monday morning, and who will pick them up.
Duration
2–3 weeks, with one day at the table
What does it ask of your team?
Short conversations beforehand, and one day with the management team and people from marketing, sales and customer success.
Possible next step
A Growth diagnosis or Positioning sprint, if the day calls for it.

02 · Diagnosis

Growth diagnosis

Know where growth gets stuck between marketing, sales and customer success, and what to change first.

View Growth diagnosis

Discuss this in a free introductory call
When is this the right choice?
Marketing and sales work hard, but results lag behind, or teams blame each other.
What does it deliver?
Insight into where growth stalls in the commercial chain and why, and the three to five changes that matter most.
Duration
3 weeks
What does it ask of your team?
Access to CRM data, conversations with marketing, sales and customer success, and a decision session with the management team.
Possible next step
An Alignment programme or Market activation.

03 · Alignment

Alignment programme

Marketing, sales and customer success pulling in the same direction, with a management team behind it.

View Alignment programme

Discuss this in a free introductory call
When is this the right choice?
A Growth diagnosis or your own analysis shows that teams are working at cross purposes.
What does it deliver?
One goal, one ideal customer profile and one story for the whole chain, in a working rhythm that stays in place once we have gone.
Duration
8–12 weeks
What does it ask of your team?
A sponsor in the leadership team and time from the team leads.
Possible next step
Ongoing support, if you want to embed the new way of working.

04 · Into the market

Market activation

From a sharp choice to the first new sales opportunities, with an account-based approach for the accounts that matter.

View Market activation

Discuss this in a free introductory call
When is this the right choice?
The commercial choice is made, but you don't yet know how to use it to reach the right customers and create new opportunities.
What does it deliver?
A list of target accounts, an account map per priority account, a message per role, and a first pilot: designed, supported and evaluated.
Duration
A few weeks of preparation, then a pilot of about 90 days
What does it ask of your team?
Someone to run the pilot, in-house or through your agency. We design and support; campaigns and media budget stay with you.
Possible next step
Scale up what works, with support if needed.

What you get

What you getWhat you use it for
Growth diagnosis reportSee where growth gets stuck and why, and which three to five changes matter most.
Ideal customer profile and personasChoose which customers to focus on and who is involved in the decision, with a list of priority accounts if that suits your approach.
Collaboration agreementsClear agreements between marketing and sales on leads, handovers, meetings and responsibilities.
KPI setA handful of figures per team, each with a definition, source, baseline, owner and a set moment to review it.
Sales enablement kitPitch, conversation guide and answers to objections, tested with the people who use them.
90-day planKnow what happens first, by whom and when.
HandoverFiles, owners, work instructions and open decisions, so you can carry on yourselves.

Which elements you get depends on the programme. We agree up front when the strategy is working: not only in revenue or pipeline, which often follow later, but also in early signals such as more consistent qualification, faster decisions and visible ownership.

What makes the STOF approach different?

We don't separate strategy from implementation. A choice is only good if it is commercially sound and the organisation can carry it out. Nona looks from the outside in: which customers, which propositions and which route to market. At Everbridge she built the regional go-to-market together with sales. Carlijn looks from the inside out: as a former commercial director, she knows what a choice asks of leadership, collaboration and new business. That lets us look at market logic and human behaviour at the same time.

Our aim isn't to make STOF indispensable. We build the language, choices and rhythm so that the organisation can carry on when we leave.

Is this solution right for you?

This solution suits organisations with growth ambitions and plenty of expertise, but without a clear commercial focus. Is the choice already sharp and does the problem lie mainly in behaviour and execution? Then see ‘Strategy to execution’. Is the story for customers and employees the biggest bottleneck? See ‘Positioning and story’.

Cases

What that looked like at Driftawave

Driftawave

First a complete brand, then a route to market and the systems to run it every week. In two months the account database grew almost tenfold and visibility in Google more than doubled.

Frequently asked questions

What does it cost?

We work on a project basis, not by the hour. If STOF is a good fit for your challenge, you'll receive a proposal after the introductory call with a fixed price, a clear timeline and what you'll have at the end. Longer-term support is agreed per month, all-in.

How long does it take?

That depends on the project. Each project above shows its timeline. Every project stands on its own; we only agree a next step if the outcome calls for it.

Who will we be working with?

You'll work with both Nona and Carlijn. We're a team and look together at which expertise and experience fits your challenge best. You have one fixed point of contact, unless we agree otherwise together, and we both know what's going on in your organisation. Who leads the project depends on the project: we bring in the right expertise and always spar with each other. Our approach is documented, so the project keeps moving during illness or holidays.

What will we have at the end?

Depending on the project, a growth diagnosis report, an ideal customer profile, working agreements between marketing and sales, a set of KPIs and a 90-day plan. Always with a handover, so you can carry on yourselves.

Who is this not right for?

If you're only looking for extra hands to execute, a standalone website or a new logo without the choices behind it, or someone to keep managing it forever, we're not the right partner. We do build brands and websites: as a translation of your positioning, in sprints, with a trusted technical partner when it gets technically heavier. We do need to be able to sit in on the teams and conversations where the story is told.

How do we start?

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

Which commercial choice needs sharpening now?

In a free introductory call we explore the challenge, the tensions that may be at play and what a sensible first step would be.

Bring your challenge to the table

Read more

Challenge

Growth has stalled

Lots of activity, but growth is lagging? STOF finds out where growth gets stuck, and which three to five changes matter first.

Challenge

Setting commercial priorities

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

Challenge

Marketing and sales alignment

Are marketing and sales working at cross purposes? STOF connects customer insight, commercial choices, roles and working rhythm into one shared effort.

Approach

Our approach

The STOF rhythm in four threads: look and listen, make a sharp choice, align and follow through.

About STOF

Who we are

Nona Stabel and Carlijn Hofland: two perspectives, one common thread.