Embedding Forward Visibility For Investment

Client Profile

• Industry: Construction Supplier – Building systems

• Turnover: On track to grow from $15m to $30m+ over 3 years

• Ownership: Family-owned SME 

• Location: Australia

Project Trigger

The client received a private equity offer which was declined due to plans for ambitious growth. This triggered a strategic transformation initiative to increase enterprise value; achieve investor readiness within three years; and build a scalable, saleable business with forward visibility. This first phase review, triggered a sales transformation program that involved launching a new sales pipeline platform; changing and embedding plan vs actual review cadence; and enabling conversion performance analysis.

Approach  

Active Directions deployed a multi-phase strategy-to-exit framework:  

1. Strategic Review:

• Assessed current performance, market opportunities, and management capability.

• Identified key growth levers and operational bottlenecks. 

2. Strategy-to-Action Program: 

• Defined five strategic goals including revenue growth, lead generation, earnings quality, scalability, and investor readiness. 

• Embedded granular project plans with KPIs, timelines, and ownership.  

3. Sales Pipeline Transformation:  

• Implemented sales system stage gates. 

• Developed quarterly sales activity plans by region and product.  

• Built dashboards for deal visibility by state, client type, and product mix. 

• Introduced structured cadence for pipeline reviews and remediation. 

4. Execution Support: 

• Weekly sales and pipeline meetings.  

• Development of a Sales and Installation Playbook.  

• Forecasting tools from lead to revenue. 

Outcomes  

• Established stage gate reporting aligned to industry milestones from tender through to win / close through to project start date. 

• Forward Visibility: Achieved granular tracking of pipeline stages, enabling accurate forecasting and resource planning.  

• Sales Efficiency: Improved win/loss analysis, quoting protocols, and lead conversion 

• Confidence: Increased confidence investing ahead of the curve 

• Proactive: Transitioning from a reactive business to a proactive one  

• Strategic Alignment: Embedded review cadence and remediation across sales, marketing, and finance.  

• Investor Readiness: Built governance structures, supplier panels, and financial models to support valuation targets. 

Starter Questions for Businesses  

1. How do you currently track and manage your sales pipeline? Are stage gates clearly defined and enforced?  

2. What visibility do you have into future revenue streams by region, product, and client type?  

3. Are your sales, marketing, and finance teams aligned around a shared forecasting and reporting framework?  

Client Testimonial 

"Working with Active Directions has made a real difference for us. They helped us get clear on where we’re heading and what we need to do to grow and be ready for investors. But more importantly, they didn’t just give us a plan, they helped us actually get started and make things happen. 

One of the biggest wins has been sorting out our sales pipeline. With their help, we’ve put proper sales stage gates in place and now have regular check-ins that give us clear forward visibility of our pipeline. It’s helped us focus on the right deals, plan better, and feel more confident about the future."