FAQ - frequently asked questions
what are we not ?
We want to focus on delivering the best Sales Leaders to our clients. Hence we have decided to specifically state what we are not:
Consulting company
Executive Search / staffing / headhunting company
Sales Training or Coaching company
CRM Implementation company
All of the above may become part of our assignment as they are an integral part of successful sales leadership: we bring our experience and expertise and consult for the CEO and the Management team; we aid efforts by HR to hire the right permanent sales leader; we train and coach the sales staff, and determine the need for changes to the CRM. And if the job requires capacities aligned with the above specialty areas we have partners lined up to help.
What are the Differences Between An Interim Sales Leader And A Sales Management Consultant?
Sales Management consultants advise and recommend.
Sales Leaders advise, recommend and implement.
Consultants are usually employed by large consulting organizations with inflexible methodologies and large overheads. However closely they work with the client – management consultants are ultimately responsible and accountable to the consultancy.
An Sales Leader becomes a full member of the management team of the client company for the duration of the Interim Leadership assignment. As an independent expert, they will operate as part of your team, rather than as an employee of an external organization.
Sales Leaders tend to be seemingly over-qualified for the assignment so that they are immediately effective, whilst many junior consultants tend to learn on the job. Also, Sales Leaders are far less expensive to employ as they don’t have overheads of supervision from a consultancy company.
What Are The Benefits of an Interim or Fractional Sales Leader ?
Let’s start with: Never go a day without Sales Leadership.
Improved sales effectiveness, customer loyalty, and day-to-day sales management.
Optimized pricing strategies. A Interim or Fractional Sales Leader reviews competitors, applies proven pricing strategies, and trains the team on how to apply them.
Interim strategic help for sales and market opportunity profiling. Directing the sales team to prospects that have the greatest need, with fewer barriers to close, closing more deals, faster.
Master the art and science of sales compensation. The right compensation model is often the secret to superstar sales teams. Our Interim or Fractional Sales Leader will devise and implement a compensation strategy that attracts top performers, encourages average performers to reach higher, and eliminates your dead weight.
Internationalization poses great challenges; foreign engagements demand excellent management skills and intercultural competence. Our Interim or Fractional Sales Leaders offer this and profound knowledge of the specifics of the given market and country, and the ability to do business with the stakeholders there, thus securing the success of international projects.
Growing sales through channel partners, a fast, and affordable way to increase reach.
Skilled sales hiring to add top talent to the team and to fill in territory gaps.
Taking the risk and timing out of the Sales Leader hiring.
Control cost and only pay for what you need (part-time, specific period)
Interim or Fractional Sales Leaders add value by using their skills and expertise to help deliver an outcome, solution, service or mitigate the risk that provides a meaningful ‘return on investment’ to a client. Interim or Fractional Sales Leaders are paid on the understanding of goals and objectives being performed and delivered, and not simply based on attendance.
Interim or Fractional Sales Leaders maintain high professional standards because their future work relies upon referrals and a successful track record. They, therefore, have a stake in the success of the assignments that they undertake.
what is the history of interim management ?
The concept of Interim Management began in the Netherlands in the mid-1970s. Dutch companies wanted a model that would enable them to conveniently access specific, senior management talent for pre-determined periods to deliver on key tasks and bring new initiatives to life. By forming a panel of experienced senior managers and placing them on secondment into a variety of companies to deliver on specific management tasks, the concept of Interim Management was created.
The added degree of flexibility and scalability that Interim Management delivered proved to be highly effective and the model then became established in the U.K. and other European countries.
Over the last 30 years, Interim Management grew between 20% and 40% annually and the industry is now worth over $3 billion.
The Interim Management concept has been rapidly expanding into the Americas and Asia-Pacific.
Historically, interim executives were only associated with the turnaround. Today more and more interim executives are called in to help take a company through expansion and growth. Whether a private equity-based portfolio company looking to grow to a point of exit, an entrepreneur or founder who has reached a ceiling in their growth, or a company looking to expand from one product to multiple to become a stronger platform, having the right people in the right roles, at the right stage of a company’s development is key.
In a fast-growing company, ideally, you are promoting from within, trying to train and groom people to accept more and more responsibility as the company grows. Some might not be able to accept more, being well suited in their current role. Others may be ready for promotion. Sometimes there is no internal candidate ready to step up, in which case an outside leader can be the perfect short-term solution. This is the world of the growth-oriented interim executive.
what is the cost of an interim or Fractional sales leader ?
Fees vary according to several criteria, including market price, the complexity of the assignment, level of the function, the client's budget, estimated duration of the assignment, etc. The typical fractional assignment involves a monthly retainer at a minimum. Occasionally, a variable compensation plan is added as part of the total package.
Clients are only required to pay for the actual days worked by the Interim or Fractional Sales Leader. The client remains in control of costs at all times.
Vendux also offers project-based pricing options when a time-based fee may not be the right approach.
Overall, the cost of the Interim or Fractional Sales Leader is highly attractive when compared with the fully loaded cost of a permanent leader. The Vendux model allows clients to leverage the expertise of a proven sales leader at a fraction of their fully loaded costs.