The Challenge (Before):

• Company had strong product-market fit in Europe with 500+ active sellers

• US expansion attempt was stalling: only 3 deals closed in 6 months despite 50+ conversations

• Founder was still closing 80% of US deals personally

• Sales team couldn't articulate why some deals won and others lost

• No clear ICP—they were chasing any buyer with a budget

What We Did (The Sprint):

• Week 1-3 (Diagnose & Align): Analyzed 20 lost deals and 5 won deals. Discovered the real problem: they were targeting "anyone with equipment to sell" when their actual ICP was "mid-market industrial distributors with 50+ employees and existing marketplace experience."

• Week 3-8 (Design & Install): Rebuilt messaging around "turn your inventory into cash flow" instead of generic "sell on our platform." Designed a 4-step sales process with clear qualification criteria. Documented playbook with scripts, objection handlers, and deal stages.

• Week 8-12 (Co-Sell & Refine): Ran 8 live sales cycles with the team. Refined messaging based on real conversations. Built confidence in the new process.

The Outcome (After):

• New VP Sales hired with confidence—given the playbook on day 1

• First month with new VP: 6 qualified deals in pipeline (vs. 3 in previous 6 months)

• Deal cycle reduced from 90 days to 45 days

• Sales team now closes 40% of deals (vs. founder closing 80%)

• Founder freed up to focus on product and strategy

Key Insight:

"The problem wasn't our product or our market. It was that we were selling to the wrong buyer with the wrong message. Once we fixed the ICP and messaging, everything else fell into place."