Sales Diagnostic
A sales diagnostic for B2B events, media, data and subscription businesses, and the investors who back them. Led by people who have carried the number, sat on the board and stayed on to deliver what they recommended.
Book a call to discussIn a recent diagnostic, a pipeline that “collapsed over the summer” turned out to have been too thin since the spring. The forecast had been built down from the target, not up from the pipeline, and sellers had been pulled onto next year's rebooks during the key selling window. None of it happened in August. August is just when it showed.
Year-end is when those same assumptions get locked into next year's budget. A diagnostic now means your 2027 number is built on what your pipeline, your team and your customers can actually deliver.
In our experience it comes down to five things, and it's rarely just one:
Focus – too many segments, geographies or events, and not enough depth in any of them
Targets set by ambition – a number that came from the plan, not from the pipeline or capacity
Sales management – a leader who is selling, not coaching, inspecting and planning
Planning – activity without intent: busy weeks, few next steps
Product–market fit – what's being sold doesn't quite match what the market will pay for
We start with a view of how much each one is costing you, then test it with your data, your team and your customers.
How we look at your sales engine
Most sales teams are measured on the left-hand side: leads, pipeline and deals won. In B2B events, media and subscription businesses, most of the value is made on the right-hand side: whether customers get results, rebook and spend more.We use the bowtie, from the Sales as a Science approach, to look at both sides as one system. Every stage is measured the same way, by volume, conversion and time, so you can see exactly where growth is being won and lost.
Recurring revenue comes from customers who get results, again and again. That's what we help you build.
Recent diagnostic
Six sellers, but about two people's worth of real selling time. Sales leadership was strong on industry knowledge and light on management practice. We set out three options, from added support to a full restructure. Within five months, reporting, a weekly meeting rhythm, revenue operations and customer success were all in place.
| Compare | Outside-in Review | Sales Diagnostic | Diagnostic and 2027 Plan |
|---|---|---|---|
| In a sentence | The read an investor, new chair or new CEO needs, fast | What's really going on inside the sales engine, and why | The full diagnostic, plus a plan your board can sign off |
| Time with your team | One conversation with the CEO or sales leader, plus a debrief | 1:1s with the sales leader and senior team, pipeline meetings, call listening, 5–8 customer conversations | As the Sales Diagnostic, plus working sessions with the sales leader, CEO and finance to build the plan |
| What we cover | Pipeline, results vs target, pricing and packages, retention, structure, commission | Everything in the Outside-in Review, plus real selling time, sales management, calls and proposals, and customers' views | Everything in the Sales Diagnostic, plus a target built up from the pipeline, capacity, structure, incentives and weekly rhythm |
| What you get | The five reasons weighted, top risks, and the questions the board should be asking | Findings, sales management scorecard, options with pros and cons, and decisions for the next 90 days | Costed 2027 sales plan, Q1 work plan, board-ready summary, 90-day check-in |
| Timing | 1–2 weeks | 4 weeks | 10–12 weeks |
| Best for | Investors before a deal or in the first 100 days; new chairs and CEOs | Leadership teams who know the number is at risk and want to know why | Businesses resetting for 2027, or getting ready for investment or exit |
| Price | Price on request | Price on request | Price on request |
Week 1
We review your pipeline, results, pricing and structure, and share an early view of which of the five reasons matter most.
Weeks 2–3
1:1s with the sales leader and senior team, sitting in on pipeline meetings, listening to calls, and talking to a handful of customers.
Week 4
We play back the findings and options to the CEO, leadership team or board.
A short check-in at the end of each week, so there are no surprises.
We'll check back after 90 days and score how far the changes have got: created, understood, embedded, embraced.
Many clients then run the plan themselves. Others ask us to stay on as advisers, in an interim role, or to provide embedded sales coaching on live deals.
The Sales Diagnostic is led by Sandeep Saujani. He has been CEO, MD and COO of B2B media, data and events businesses, and sits on the board of a PE-backed events business. Over his career he has hired more than 200 Go To Market team members and worked across 40+ brands in businesses with combined revenue of more than £100m. He has led teams locally and from overseas headquarters in the US, UK, Germany, Singapore and Spain.
Darren London leads on revenue operations and data.
How we work: always focused on the customer, and always straight-talking. We've had many wins and a lot of learnings, and we bring both. We've stayed on after most of our diagnostics to put the recommendations in place, and that changes what we recommend.
“When we hired Sandeep we were successfully growing our subscription business but through marketing only. We didn't have the internal expertise to know how to grow faster, how to build a sales team, how to think about pricing, yield, renewal rates, how to operate internationally etc. in a much more sophisticated way. Sandeep brought all that…”