Our Industry Focus
Select your industry to view Potential Use Cases (PUC)
Artificial Intelligence Industry
Artificial Intelligence Industry
The artificial intelligence (AI) industry is made up of companies and technologies focused on developing intelligent systems and software that perform tasks typically requiring human cognition, such as learning, reasoning, perception, and decision-making. This industry drives innovation across a wide range of applications by creating AI models, platforms, and tools that enhance automation, data analysis, and human-machine interaction.
Top 10 sub-sectors of the artificial intelligence industry:
- Machine Learning Platforms– Frameworks and tools that train algorithms to learn patterns from data for predictive and adaptive applications.
- Natural Language Processing (NLP)– AI systems that understand, interpret, and generate human language in text or speech form.
- Computer Vision– AI technologies enabling machines to process and analyse visual data such as images and video.
- Robotics and Autonomous Systems– AI-driven machines capable of performing tasks independently in industrial, transport, or service contexts.
- AI-powered Analytics and Business Intelligence– Tools that transform large datasets into actionable insights for decision-making.
- Speech Recognition and Voice Assistants– AI applications that convert spoken language into text and power conversational interfaces.
- AI Infrastructure and Hardware (e.g., AI chips)– Specialised processors and hardware designed to accelerate AI workloads and training.
- Intelligent Automation and Process Robotics (RPA)– AI systems automating repetitive business processes, boosting efficiency and accuracy.
- AI Cybersecurity Solutions– AI tools that detect, predict, and respond to cyber threats faster than traditional methods.
- AI Ethics, Governance, and Explainability Tools– Frameworks ensuring AI systems are transparent, fair, and compliant with ethical standards.
Potential Use Case
Startup (Portugal – AI Compliance Platform)
Company Brief:
Phase: Startup | Country: Portugal | Employees: 28 | Turnover: €2.5M | HQ: Lisbon
Task:
The company aimed to secure its first enterprise reference customers in the banking and insurance sectors. While its AI compliance platform showed strong technical promise, the founding team lacked credibility with C-suite decision-makers and struggled to translate technical features into measurable business impact.
Challenge:
- Sales conversations focused heavily on algorithm accuracy and regulatory datasets rather than on executive-level concerns such as risk exposure, reputation, and audit readiness.
- Without senior-level sponsorship from Chief Risk Officers (CROs) and Chief Compliance Officers (CCOs), projects stalled in mid-tier IT and operations departments.
- The company lacked a repeatable sales framework, relying on ad-hoc demos and personal contacts rather than a structured process.
Objectives:
- Establish executive sponsorship at CRO/CCO level to secure credibility.
- Reframe sales conversations to emphasise business value such as reduced compliance costs and risk mitigation.
- Build a scalable sales approach that founders and new hires could apply consistently.
Solution (4steps2win):
- Introduced the Executive Sponsorship framework from 4steps2win, providing a step-by-step approach for engaging senior executives and anchoring deals at the right level of influence.
- Enrolled the team in the 4steps2win Online Course, ensuring standardized training and consistent methodology adoption across all sales hires.
- Applied a structured qualification checklist from the online course to prioritise pilots with clear ROI (Return on Investment) potential and executive alignment.
Key Activities:
- Developed executive-facing presentations linking AI compliance outcomes to board-level metrics such as audit readiness, regulatory fines avoided, and reputational risk protection.
- Facilitated introductions to CROs and CCOs through investor networks and local fintech associations.
- Implemented a three-step discovery process (executive visioning →co-creation workshop → tailored ROI proposal), creating a clear progression path for clients.
Results (within one year):
- Secured three enterprise reference customers in the banking sector, generating €1.2M in annual recurring revenue.
- Reduced the sales cycle from 12 months to seven months, as pilots were anchored in executive agendas.
- Increased win rate for qualified opportunities from 14% to 31%, supported by stronger executive sponsorship.
- Improved internal alignment, as all sales staff adopted the 4steps2win methodology through the online course.
Summary:
By applying the Executive Sponsorship framework and scaling knowledge through the 4steps2win Online Course, the startup moved from feature-focused selling to value-driven executive engagement. This enabled the company to secure enterprise clients, accelerate revenue, and establish a repeatable sales process for future expansion.
Potential Use Cases
Scale-Up (Sweden – AI Computer Vision SaaS)
Company Brief:
Phase: Scale-Up | Country: Sweden | Employees: 160 | Turnover: €38M | HQ: Stockholm
Task:
The company sought to expand into new international markets while strengthening sales predictability. Investor confidence depended on demonstrating a reliable pipeline and scalable revenue model. However, rapid growth had left the sales organisation fragmented, with each regional team working differently.
Challenge:
- Qualification criteria varied across geographies, leading to unreliable forecasting and inconsistent pipeline health.
- Sales teams often relied on gut feeling instead of systematic checkpoints, undermining credibility with board members.
- Quota attainment fluctuated significantly between regions, creating uncertainty about the company’s ability to sustain growth targets.
Objectives:
- Standardise qualification practices across all regions.
- Improve forecast accuracy to provide reliable growth projections to investors.
- Increase quota attainment by equipping managers to coach opportunities more effectively.
Solution (4steps2win):
- Introduced the Proposition Phase framework, enabling teams to build proposals directly tied to customer success metrics such as cost savings, efficiency gains, and market expansion.
- Distributed the 4steps2win Book across the salesforce, using it as a practical reference for institutionalising best practices and ensuring a common language across teams.
- Embedded qualification milestones into the Customer Relationship Management (CRM) system to enforce consistency and transparency in deal progression.
Key Activities:
- Conducted pipeline audits in Germany, the UK, and the Netherlands to identify gaps in qualification discipline.
- Designed industry-specific playbooks for manufacturing, retail, and healthcare, ensuring customer value propositions were relevant and repeatable.
- Delivered a structured training programme for sales managers, equipping them to run opportunity reviews aligned to 4steps2win rather than focusing solely on numbers.
Results (within one year):
- Forecast accuracy improved from 55% to 82%, restoring investor trust in growth projections.
- Quota attainment rose from 49% to 71%, as managers applied structured coaching and deal reviews.
- Regional teams adopted a common methodology, reducing performance variance and building a culture of predictable execution.
Summary:
By embedding the Proposition Phase framework, reinforcing knowledge with the 4steps2win Book, and aligning CRM checkpoints, the scale-up strengthened forecast reliability and improved quota attainment. This gave investors confidence in the company’s international expansion while building the foundations for sustainable growth.
Potential Use Cases
SMB (Poland – AI Logistics Optimisation Firm)
Company Brief:
Phase: Small to Medium Business (SMB) | Country: Poland | Employees: 300 | Turnover: €92M | HQ: Warsaw
Task:
The company wanted to strengthen its competitiveness in mid-market logistics deals against larger global vendors. While its AI optimisation engine offered significant efficiency gains for warehouse and fleet operations, the sales team struggled to defend margins and differentiate beyond product features.
Challenge:
- Sales teams frequently resorted to price discounting, which eroded margins and positioned the firm as a low-cost provider.
- Prospects questioned the company’s ability to deliver tangible ROI (Return on Investment), making long-term partnerships difficult to secure.
- Deals often stalled during technical evaluations, as teams failed to connect features to measurable business outcomes.
Objectives:
- Equip sales teams to articulate business value more convincingly.
- Improve closing rates in competitive logistics opportunities.
- Reduce reliance on discounting, thereby protecting margins.
Solution (4steps2win):
- Applied the Closing the Deal framework, training sales professionals in structured, interest-based negotiation and objection handling.
- Developed ROI calculators tailored to logistics scenarios, enabling reps to demonstrate financial impact through reduced fuel consumption, improved delivery times, and warehouse productivity gains.
- Introduced proposal templates embedding relevant success stories from existing logistics clients to strengthen credibility and standardise value communication.
Key Activities:
- Built a library of logistics success stories, documenting measurable outcomes such as cost per delivery reduction and on-time delivery improvements.
- Conducted objection-handling workshops, equipping teams to address “too expensive” pushback with confidence.
- Launched a proposal review process led by managers to ensure every submission tied directly to client KPIs such as delivery efficiency and total cost of ownership.
Results (within one year):
- Closing rate increased from 31% to 48%, boosting competitiveness against larger global vendors.
- Average deal size grew by 15%, as clients accepted value-based proposals instead of negotiating purely on price.
- The company built a reputation as a strategic logistics partner, shifting market perception from price-led vendor to ROI-driven solution provider.
Summary:
Through the Closing the Deal framework, the creation of ROI tools, and embedding success stories into proposals, the Polish SMB improved closing performance and protected margins. This enabled the company to compete effectively with larger players and position itself as a trusted optimization partner for logistics clients.
Potential Use Cases
Global Corporate (India – AI Cybersecurity Provider)
Company Brief:
Phase: Global Corporate | Country: India | Employees: 4,500 | Turnover: €1.3B | HQ: Bangalore
Task:
The company needed to unify its global cybersecurity sales operations under a consistent methodology. Fragmented regional practices led to unreliable forecasting, duplicated effort, and weak executive involvement in strategic accounts. Leadership wanted a systemised approach to strengthen governance, improve visibility, and elevate client relationships.
Challenge:
- Different regions used their own qualification standards, leading to inconsistent pipeline data and poor comparability of opportunities.
- Global executives lacked visibility into pipeline health, making it difficult to allocate resources strategically.
- Senior account sponsorship was weak, with major opportunities often left in the hands of mid-level managers instead of being escalated to the board level.
Objectives:
- Harmonise sales processes across all regions under a single framework.
- Improve forecast accuracy to support global business planning and investor confidence.
- Strengthen executive sponsorship in strategic accounts.
Solution (4steps2win):
- Deployed the Roadmap & Commitments framework, requiring every major opportunity to have documented next steps, commitments, and stakeholder alignment before progressing.
- Rolled out a company-wide implementation of the 4steps2win methodology, embedding it into onboarding, training, and opportunity management.
- Established quarterly executive steering committees, bringing together both customer executives and corporate leadership to create visibility and accountability at the highest level.
Key Activities:
- Conducted a global sales audit to benchmark practices across Asia-Pacific, EMEA, and North America, identifying gaps in methodology adoption.
- Integrated standard milestones into the CRM system to enforce consistency in qualification and deal advancement.
- Appointed a network of regional coaches responsible for supporting methodology adoption and leading structured opportunity reviews.
Results (within one year):
- Forecast accuracy improved from 57% to 84%, enabling reliable business planning at global level.
- Ramp-up time for new sales hires dropped from 7 months to 5 months, thanks to consistent onboarding and methodology alignment.
- Senior executives began actively sponsoring key cybersecurity deals, elevating relationships and securing €250M in strategic contracts.
Summary:
By applying the Roadmap & Commitments framework and embedding the 4steps2win methodology across its global salesforce, the corporate transformed sales governance and executive engagement. This resulted in more reliable forecasts, faster onboarding, and stronger executive relationships in critical cybersecurity accounts.
Potential Use Cases
Market Leader (Singapore – AI Cloud Healthcare Expansion)
Company Brief:
Phase: Market Leader | Country: Singapore | Employees: 8,200 | Turnover: €4.7B | HQ: Singapore
Task:
The company, a global leader in AI cloud services, needed to diversify into the healthcare sector. While dominant in finance and retail, it lacked credibility with hospital executives and medical boards. To succeed, the company needed to secure flagship healthcare clients and systemise a repeatable approach for vertical expansion.
Challenge:
- Sales teams struggled to adapt discovery conversations for healthcare decision-makers, failing to resonate with Chief Medical Information Officers (CMIOs) and hospital administrators.
- Competitors gained traction with sharper healthcare-specific messaging, positioning themselves as innovation partners rather than technology providers.
- Success stories and case studies were limited to non-healthcare industries, reducing relevance for medical stakeholders.
Objectives:
- Replicate market-leading sales behaviours in the healthcare vertical.
- Win lighthouse healthcare clients to build reference credibility.
- Increase revenue contribution from healthcare, reducing dependency on core markets.
Solution (4steps2win):
- Established a dedicated Sales Method Project Office (SMPO) for healthcare, ensuring vertical-specific strategy, governance, and best-practice capture.
- Institutionalised the 4steps2win methodology across the healthcare salesforce, embedding discovery, co-creation, and executive sponsorship as core behaviours.
- Designed co-creation programmes with leading hospitals, aligning AI solutions with sector priorities such as patient flow optimisation, diagnostic accuracy, and compliance with digital health regulations.
Key Activities:
- Hosted executive workshops with CMIOs and healthcare boards, positioning the company as a trusted partner in solving operational and clinical challenges.
- Built a library of healthcare case studies, documenting measurable outcomes such as reduced patient waiting times and improved treatment planning.
- Rolled out healthcare-specific playbooks, enabling sales teams globally to approach new clients with confidence and consistent messaging.
Results (within one year):
- Win rate in healthcare increased from 24% to 43%, as sales teams applied structured engagement tailored to sector needs.
- Healthcare revenue doubled from 6% to 12% of total company sales.
- The company secured five flagship hospital partnerships across Southeast Asia, establishing credibility in a new vertical.
Summary:
By launching a dedicated SMPO and institutionalising the 4steps2win methodology, the market leader shifted from generic technology conversations to healthcare-specific value creation. This allowed the company to win lighthouse hospital clients, diversify its revenue, and position itself as an innovation partner in the healthcare sector.
Energy Technology Industry
Energy Technology Industry
The energy technology industry develops innovations that improve energy generation, distribution, storage, and efficiency, with a strong emphasis on decarbonization, digitalization, and decentralization. It’s a sector under pressure to meet climate targets while ensuring reliability, cost-efficiency, and security of supply.
Top 10 sub-sectors of the energy technology industry:
- Renewable Generation– Producing clean power from sources like solar, wind, and geothermal energy.
- Energy Storage– Technologies such as batteries, hydrogen, and supercapacitors that store energy for reliable supply and grid balancing.
- Smart Grid & Digital Infrastructure– IoT sensors, edge devices, and digital platforms that optimise energy distribution and enable real-time management.
- Electric Mobility & Charging Infrastructure– EVs (electric vehicles), charging networks, and related systems that support transport decarbonisation.
- Carbon Capture, Utilization & Storage (CCUS)– Technologies capturing CO₂ emissions for storage or reuse in industrial processes.
- Hydrogen & Fuel Cells– Clean hydrogen production and fuel cell systems for energy, transport, and industrial applications.
- Energy Efficiency Technologies– Solutions that reduce energy consumption in buildings, manufacturing, and industry operations.
- Nuclear Innovation– Next-generation technologies such as small modular reactors (SMRs) and fusion power for low-carbon baseload energy.
- Energy Market Platforms & Trading Tech– Digital platforms enabling energy trading, demand forecasting, and market integration.
10 . Waste-to-Energy & Circular Economy – Converting waste into usable energy while supporting recycling and sustainable resource use.
Potential Use Case
Startup (Estonia – Smart Grid IoT Sensors)
Company Brief:
Phase: Startup | Country: Estonia | Employees: 26 | Turnover: €2.2M | HQ: Tallinn
Task:
The company built IoT-enabled grid sensors to help utilities detect faults and balance energy distribution. While regional utilities were eager to test the technology, most projects stalled after pilots. Leadership wanted a way to progress from small-scale trials to multi-year strategic contracts.
Challenge:
- Utility customers often treated pilots as R&D experiments instead of commercial opportunities.
- Technical teams emphasised engineering accuracy, but failed to link outcomes to business-critical KPIs such as grid stability, customer satisfaction, or regulatory fines.
- With limited sales staff, the company had no structured process to prioritise opportunities or manage complex stakeholder groups inside utilities.
Objectives:
- Advance pilots into commercial rollouts rather than one-off demonstrations.
- Reframe conversations from technical validation to measurable business outcomes.
- Build an internally aligned sales approach that connected engineering, delivery, and sales in each deal.
Solution (4steps2win):
- Used the Co-Creation framework to run discovery workshops with utility stakeholders, surfacing hidden requirements and aligning on measurable business value.
- Applied the Proposition Phase approach to shape proposals around differentiators (faster deployment, predictive fault detection, lower service costs).
- Engaged internal delivery and engineering teams early, following 4steps2win guidance on internal alignment, so that proposals were realistic and supported by technical experts.
Key Activities:
- Facilitated multi-stakeholder workshops with operations, compliance, and executive teams in utilities to co-design business cases.
- Developed value calculators estimating the cost of avoided outages and reduced maintenance truck rolls.
- Created a joint roadmap with delivery and engineering teams to assure clients that scale-up risks were already addressed.
Results (within one year):
- Converted two pilots into full commercial rollouts across three regions, generating €2.8M in new revenue.
- Increased proposal acceptance rate from 18% to 37%, as value metrics were built into every bid.
- Reduced internal rework on proposals by 30%, as engineering and delivery were engaged earlier.
- Secured an invitation to join a Nordic energy consortium, raising visibility with larger utilities.
Summary:
By leveraging Co-Creation workshops, the Proposition Phase framework, and stronger internal alignment, the Estonian startup broke out of pilot purgatory. It advanced from technical trials to strategic contracts, improved proposal quality, and positioned itself as a trusted partner in utility grid transformation.
Potential Use Case
Scale-Up (Spain – Renewable Energy SaaS Platform)
Company Brief:
Phase: Scale-Up | Country: Spain | Employees: 180 | Turnover: €42M | HQ: Madrid
Task:
The company offered a SaaS platform that forecasted renewable generation (wind, solar, hydro) to help utilities and energy traders balance demand and supply. With strong traction in Iberia, it aimed to expand into Northern Europe but needed a more professionalised approach to pipeline management and forecasting to reassure investors and partners.
Challenge:
- Forecasting was inconsistent across regions, with opportunity health measured differently by each team.
- Sales managers focused mainly on targets, offering little coaching on deal advancement or qualification.
- Proposals often emphasised software functionality but failed to connect to client KPIs, such as balancing costs, regulatory compliance, and avoided penalties.
Objectives:
- Introduce consistent qualification standards across geographies.
- Improve forecast accuracy to support expansion and investor confidence.
- Strengthen manager coaching capability, so teams advance opportunities systematically.
Solution (4steps2win):
- Applied the Proposition Phase framework, ensuring all proposals were tied to utility KPIs such as avoided balancing penalties, improved capacity utilisation, and trading profits.
- Distributed the 4steps2win Book across managers and account executives, creating a shared methodology for qualification and deal advancement.
- Introduced a systemised deal review process, enabling managers to coach using clear milestones rather than retrospective reporting.
Key Activities:
- Conducted a pipeline audit in Spain and Germany, identifying 40% of opportunities that lacked executive alignment or ROI justification.
- Created energy-specific playbooks, showing how SaaS forecasting improved regulatory compliance and reduced imbalance costs.
- Delivered a training programme for 15 sales managers, equipping them to coach using opportunity reviews anchored in 4steps2win.
Results (within one year):
- Forecast accuracy improved from 54% to 81%, giving leadership confidence in growth projections.
- Quota attainment rose from 46% to 70%, supported by more rigorous deal reviews and coaching.
- Expansion into Northern Europe was accelerated, with six new utility clients signed in Germany, Denmark, and Sweden.
Summary:
By embedding the Proposition Phase framework, using the 4steps2win Book as a reference, and coaching managers to lead structured deal reviews, the Spanish scale-up improved forecast accuracy, raised quota attainment, and built investor confidence. This created the commercial foundation needed to expand into Northern Europe’s competitive renewable energy markets.
Potential Use Case
SMB (Norway – Offshore Wind Robotics)
Company Brief:
Phase: Small to Medium Business (SMB) | Country: Norway | Employees: 340 | Turnover: €105M | HQ: Stavanger
Task:
The company designed robotic systems for inspection and maintenance of offshore wind turbines. Competing against global engineering giants, it needed to prove value beyond technical capability and protect margins during tenders, where price pressure was intense.
Challenge:
- Sales teams often conceded to heavy discounting, eroding profitability and weakening the firm’s positioning.
- Procurement departments framed robotics projects as cost items rather than long-term efficiency investments.
- Objections around implementation risk and service reliability frequently delayed decisions.
Objectives:
- Improve closing effectiveness in offshore wind tenders.
- Reduce reliance on price concessions to defend margins.
- Build customer trust by quantifying ROI (Return on Investment) and addressing implementation risks.
Solution (4steps2win):
- Applied the Closing the Deal framework, equipping sales teams to run structured, interest-based negotiations.
- Introduced ROI calculators tailored to offshore wind scenarios, quantifying financial impact via reduced downtime, fewer technician deployments, and longer turbine lifespan.
- Embedded objection-handling techniques from the 4steps2win methodology, shifting conversations from price defense to risk-sharing solutions.
Key Activities:
- Developed case studies showing measurable results from pilot projects, such as €1.2M annual savings per wind farm.
- Delivered negotiation workshops, teaching sales teams to reframe “too expensive” objections into discussions on risk mitigation and value realisation.
- Instituted a proposal review checkpoint, ensuring every tender response included quantified ROI and a section on risk-sharing mechanisms.
Results (within one year):
- Closing rate in competitive tenders rose from 30% to 49%.
- Average deal margins improved by 11%, as discounting was reduced.
- Client trust increased, with three major utilities adopting long-term service contracts covering robotics deployment.
Summary:
Through the Closing the Deal framework, the creation of ROI tools, and embedding structured objection handling, the Norwegian SMB shifted from price-led competition to value-driven partnerships. This improved win rates, protected margins, and positioned the company as a trusted robotics partner in the offshore wind sector.
Potential Use Case
Global Corporate (India – Solar Microelectronics)
Company Brief:
Phase: Global Corporate | Country: India | Employees: 6,000 | Turnover: €2.6B | HQ: Bangalore
Task:
The company, a global leader in solar microelectronics used in inverters and storage systems, needed to unify its regional sales organizations. Inconsistent qualification standards and fragmented governance undermined forecast accuracy and limited executive engagement in major accounts. Leadership wanted to institutionalize a common methodology to drive reliable growth and improve stakeholder trust.
Challenge:
- Regional silos created fragmented opportunity management, with little comparability between Asia-Pacific, EMEA, and the Americas.
- Global executives lacked visibility into deal health, making resource allocation difficult for strategic projects.
- High-value customers expected executive sponsorship, but engagement was inconsistent and left to local account teams.
Objectives:
- Harmonise sales processes worldwide under one framework.
- Improve forecast accuracy to strengthen investor and partner confidence.
- Ensure executive sponsorship in top solar and energy storage accounts.
Solution (4steps2win):
- Implemented the Roadmap & Commitments framework, requiring every major opportunity to have validated commitments, next steps, and stakeholder alignment.
- Rolled out a global adoption of the 4steps2win methodology, embedding it into training, onboarding, and sales governance.
- Established executive steering committees where corporate leaders met quarterly with customer executives to review progress, address risks, and reinforce sponsorship.
Key Activities:
- Conducted a global sales audit to benchmark maturity across 18 countries and align on common practices.
- Integrated standard milestones into the CRM system, ensuring consistency in qualification and progression.
- Appointed regional champions to coach local teams on applying 4steps2win and to escalate lessons learned into global governance.
Results (within one year):
- Forecast accuracy increased from 60% to 86%, enabling reliable global business planning.
- Onboarding time for new hires reduced from 7 months to 5 months, supported by standardised training.
- Executive sponsorship was secured in 12 of the top 15 global accounts, strengthening strategic relationships and helping close €400M in long-term framework agreements.
Summary:
By deploying the Roadmap & Commitments framework, embedding the 4steps2win methodology, and creating executive steering committees, the Indian corporate systemised global sales governance. This improved forecast accuracy, accelerated onboarding, and strengthened executive relationships with strategic solar clients – securing long-term growth in a highly competitive global market.
Potential Use Case
Market Leader (Germany – Hydrogen & Energy Storage Cloud)
Company Brief:
Phase: Market Leader | Country: Germany | Employees: 11,500 | Turnover: €6.2B | HQ: Munich
Task:
The company, a global leader in energy storage and hydrogen infrastructure, was diversifying into cloud-based platforms to help industrial clients optimise storage and trading of hydrogen and renewable energy. While dominant in hardware, it needed to establish credibility as a digital partner, win flagship accounts, and create governance for scaling the new vertical globally.
Challenge:
- Sales teams were strong in capital equipment but lacked experience selling digital platforms.
- Proposals often focused on technical capabilities rather than strategic outcomes such as trading margins, carbon reduction, and energy security.
- Knowledge was fragmented across global regions, leading to inconsistent messaging and duplication of effort.
Objectives:
- Establish a repeatable go-to-market model for hydrogen cloud services.
- Win flagship industrial clients to build market credibility.
- Institutionalise knowledge capture and governance across regions.
Solution (4steps2win):
- Established a dedicated Sales Method Project Office (SMPO) to govern the hydrogen cloud vertical, capturing lessons learned and aligning sales globally.
- Institutionalised the 4steps2win methodology, embedding discovery, co-creation, and executive sponsorship into every deal cycle.
- Produced industry-specific playbooks, ensuring sales teams could translate digital platform features into customer outcomes such as carbon intensity reduction and trading profitability.
Key Activities:
- Ran executive co-creation sessions with industrial clients, aligning hydrogen cloud services with their decarbonization roadmaps and energy trading objectives.
- Developed success stories and case studies from early adopters, showing measurable reductions in carbon footprint and operating costs.
- Rolled out training programmes across Europe, Asia, and North America, ensuring consistent adoption of 4steps2win.
Results (within one year):
- Secured five flagship industrial clients, including two of Europe’s largest chemical producers.
- Increased win rate in digital platform deals from 21% to 44%.
- Institutionalized a global governance model through the SMPO, ensuring lessons learned were captured and shared across 25 countries.
Summary:
By launching a dedicated SMPO and institutionalising the 4steps2win methodology, the German market leader created a structured approach for entering the hydrogen cloud services market. This enabled it to win lighthouse clients, double its win rate in digital opportunities, and establish itself as both a hardware and digital innovation partner in the energy transition.
Hi-Tech Industry
Hi-Tech Industry
The hi-tech industry refers to companies that design, manufacture, or deliver advanced technological products and services, often characterized by rapid innovation cycles, high R&D investment, and global scalability. It includes both hardware and software-driven sectors where technology itself is the core competitive differentiator.
Top 10 sub-sectors of the hi-tech industry
- Semiconductors & Microelectronics– Core components like chips, processors, and integrated circuits powering modern technology.
- Telecommunications & 5G Infrastructure– Network equipment and connectivity solutions enabling next-generation mobile and data services.
- Cloud Computing & Data Centers– Infrastructure, storage, and virtualisation platforms delivering scalable computing power.
- Enterprise Software & SaaS Platforms– Business applications and productivity tools delivered via subscription models.
- Consumer Electronics & Devices– Everyday technologies including smartphones, wearables, and IoT-enabled devices.
- Robotics & Industrial Automation– Smart manufacturing systems, robotics, and automation technologies that boost productivity.
- AR/VR & Metaverse Technologies– Immersive hardware, software, and digital twin solutions creating virtual and augmented environments.
- Quantum Computing– Emerging computing models using quantum mechanics for breakthroughs in processing power.
- Advanced Hardware & Devices– Innovative equipment such as 3D printers, drones, and autonomous systems.
- Cyber-Physical Systems & IoT– Connected sensors and devices linking the physical and digital worlds through smart grids and edge computing.
Potential Use Case
Startup (Singapore – Semiconductors & Microelectronics)
Company Brief:
Phase: Startup | Country: Singapore | Employees: 34 | Turnover: €4.2M | HQ: Singapore
Task:
The company developed low-power AI chips for use in edge devices such as wearables and industrial sensors. While the technology gained interest in pilots with device manufacturers, the startup struggled to secure large-scale supply agreements. Leadership wanted to convert technical pilots into anchor partnerships with global OEMs (Original Equipment Manufacturers).
Challenge:
- Sales efforts were led by engineers, focusing on transistor counts and power efficiency rather than business-critical KPIs like battery life extension, reduced total cost of ownership, or product differentiation.
- Without executive sponsorship from CTOs and product strategy leaders at OEMs, discussions stalled at mid-level R&D teams.
- The sales process was inconsistent, with no structured way to qualify opportunities or scale learnings across the team.
Objectives:
- Build executive sponsorship with OEM product leaders to anchor partnerships strategically.
- Translate technical advantages into business outcomes valued by global clients.
- Establish a repeatable sales methodology to support scaling beyond founder-led deals.
Solution (4steps2win):
- Applied the Executive Sponsorship framework to engage CTOs and product executives, positioning the chips as enablers of OEM product differentiation.
- Ran Co-Creation workshops with R&D and product management teams, mapping chip performance directly to outcomes such as battery life, device miniaturisation, and consumer adoption.
- Enrolled the team in the 4steps2win Online Course, standardising qualification, stakeholder engagement, and objection handling to professionalise the young sales team.
Key Activities:
- Developed executive-facing business cases linking chip efficiency to extended battery life and reduced costs per device.
- Facilitated introduction pathways via Singapore’s Economic Development Board (EDB) to secure access to multinational electronics executives.
- Implemented an opportunity qualification checklist to prioritise OEMs with clear product roadmap alignment and near-term commercialisation goals.
Results (within one year):
- Converted two global OEM pilots into long-term supply agreements worth €12M.
- Improved pilot-to-contract conversion rate from 11% to 28%.
- Reduced sales cycle time from 15 months to nine months by securing executive sponsorship early.
- Established a scalable playbook, enabling new hires to replicate founder-led successes in Asia and Europe.
Summary:
By applying the Executive Sponsorship framework, leveraging Co-Creation workshops, and scaling knowledge through the 4steps2win Online Course, the Singapore startup advanced from technical pilots to anchor partnerships with global OEMs. This built early credibility, shortened deal cycles, and laid the foundation for international growth.
Potential Use Case
Scale-Up (Finland – Telecommunications & 5G Infrastructure)
Company Brief:
Phase: Scale-Up | Country: Finland | Employees: 210 | Turnover: €58M | HQ: Helsinki
Task:
The company provides 5G infrastructure solutions for telecom operators, including small-cell networks and edge connectivity. With demand rising in Northern Europe, leadership aimed to expand into Germany and the UK but needed to professionalise sales governance to reassure investors and customers in heavily regulated markets.
Challenge:
- Inconsistent qualification practices led to bloated pipelines with opportunities that had little regulatory approval potential.
- Forecasting was unreliable, as regional teams defined opportunity stages differently.
- Managers focused on quarterly revenue but lacked tools to coach deal advancement in long-cycle, multi-stakeholder engagements.
Objectives:
- Standardise deal qualification and progression across regions.
- Improve forecast accuracy to give investors confidence.
- Strengthen sales manager coaching capability to advance complex telecom opportunities.
Solution (4steps2win):
- Applied the Roadmap & Deal Matrix framework to map both internal (supplier) and external (customer/regulatory) decision-making dynamics.
- Distributed the 4steps2win Book across sales teams as a practical guide for qualification standards and proposition building.
- Introduced a systematic opportunity review process, requiring managers to coach based on milestones rather than backward-looking revenue figures.
Key Activities:
- Conducted pipeline audits in Finland, Sweden, and Germany, eliminating 25% of opportunities that lacked regulatory or executive alignment.
- Created 5G-specific playbooks, linking infrastructure benefits to operator KPIs such as reduced latency, capacity gains, and compliance with EU spectrum rules.
- Delivered training for 18 sales managers, equipping them to lead structured opportunity reviews and improve coaching practices.
Results (within one year):
- Forecast accuracy improved from 51% to 82%, restoring confidence among investors and regulators.
- Quota attainment rose from 44% to 68%, as managers applied structured coaching and pipeline discipline.
- Expansion accelerated, with four new operator contracts signed in Germany and the UK worth €75M collectively.
Summary:
By applying the Roadmap & Deal Matrix framework, reinforcing behaviors through the 4steps2win Book, and professionalizing sales manager coaching, the Finnish telecom scale-up built a predictable, disciplined sales engine. This improved forecast accuracy, boosted quota attainment, and positioned the company to scale into new regulated European markets with confidence.
Potential Use Case
SMB (Hungary – Robotics & Industrial Automation)
Company Brief:
Phase: Small to Medium Business (SMB) | Country: Hungary | Employees: 360 | Turnover: €125M | HQ: Budapest
Task:
The company specialised in robotic arms and automation systems for automotive and electronics factories across Central Europe. Facing competition from global Japanese and German robotics vendors, leadership wanted to strengthen its ability to defend margins and win tenders on value rather than price.
Challenge:
- Frontline sales managers tolerated discount-driven behaviour, with little accountability for protecting value.
- Factory procurement teams framed robotics projects as cost items, undermining the ability to link automation to productivity and uptime.
- Sales proposals were inconsistent, as reps skipped methodology steps under pressure to close.
Objectives:
- Reinforce leadership commitment to methodology adoption across the salesforce.
- Improve closing effectiveness while defending margins.
- Translate automation benefits into measurable ROI for manufacturing clients.
Solution (4steps2win):
- Applied the Leadership Commitment framework, requiring first-line managers to model methodology adoption and coach consistently.
- Deployed the Closing the Deal framework, equipping teams to handle price objections through interest-based negotiation.
- Developed ROI calculators to quantify savings from reduced downtime, labour costs, and defect rates, embedding these into all proposals.
Key Activities:
- Delivered manager workshops on coaching with 4steps2win, ensuring leaders enforced qualification and proposition standards.
- Built a library of success stories showing measurable ROI, including 18% productivity gains and 12% quality improvements at regional automotive plants.
- Introduced a proposal review step led by managers to validate that every tender response included ROI metrics and objection-handling strategies.
Results (within one year):
- Closing rate in tenders improved from 29% to 47%.
- Deal margins increased by 10%, as leadership reduced reliance on discounting.
- Customer trust strengthened, with two multinational automotive OEMs signing framework agreements for multi-site deployments.
Summary:
By applying the Leadership Commitment framework, reinforcing sales discipline through Closing the Deal, and embedding ROI calculators, the Hungarian robotics firm reduced discounting, improved win rates, and positioned itself as a trusted value partner in industrial automation.
Potential Use Case
Global Corporate (UAE – Cloud Computing & Data Centers)
Company Brief:
Phase: Global Corporate | Country: United Arab Emirates (UAE) | Employees: 9,200 | Turnover: €6.8B | HQ: Dubai
Task:
The company, a leading provider of cloud infrastructure and hyperscale data centers, managed enterprise clients across finance, government, and oil & gas. With rising demand for regional cloud sovereignty, leadership wanted to strengthen governance, improve forecasting, and ensure consistent client engagement across multinational accounts.
Challenge:
- Regional divisions operated independently, creating fragmented account management and inconsistent client experiences.
- Senior executives lacked visibility into deal health and pipeline progression, limiting their ability to intervene in strategic opportunities.
- Onboarding of new account managers was slow and inconsistent, with methodology adoption left to individual interpretation.
Objectives:
- Establish executive steering governance to oversee strategic accounts.
- Improve forecast accuracy and transparency across global operations.
- Accelerate onboarding and enablement of new sales and account managers.
Solution (4steps2win):
- Launched Executive Steering Committees, pairing corporate executives with client CXOs to ensure sponsorship, risk management, and milestone accountability.
- Rolled out full-scale 4steps2win methodology implementation, embedding qualification, co-creation, proposition development, and commitments into every account cycle.
- Deployed a sales enablement programme (Chapter 12) linking delivery, engineering, and sales teams, creating consistency in client proposals and execution.
Key Activities:
- Conducted a global account governance audit, identifying gaps in sponsorship and decision-mapping across 20+ multinational clients.
- Integrated standardised milestones into the CRM, enforcing consistent qualification and progress tracking across EMEA and APAC.
- Built a structured onboarding curriculum based on the 4steps2win Online Course, cutting time-to-productivity for new hires.
Results (within one year):
- Forecast accuracy improved from 61% to 87%, supporting global investment planning.
- Onboarding time for new account managers reduced from 8 months to 5 months, supported by systemised enablement.
- Secured executive sponsorship in 14 strategic accounts, unlocking €500M in long-term framework agreements.
Summary:
By establishing Executive Steering Committees, implementing the 4steps2win methodology globally, and institutionalizing sales enablement, the UAE-based corporate created a unified governance model. This improved forecast reliability, accelerated onboarding, and strengthened executive engagement in strategic multinational accounts.
Potential Use Case
Market Leader (Australia – Consumer Electronics & Devices)
Company Brief:
Phase: Market Leader | Country: Australia | Employees: 18,000 | Turnover: €11.5B | HQ: Sydney
Task:
The company, a dominant producer of smartphones and wearables, sought to expand into AR/VR and metaverse-enabled devices. While technically strong, its global salesforce lacked the skills and governance needed to position these emerging products as strategic innovations rather than consumer gadgets.
Challenge:
- Sales teams were trained on volume-driven consumer sales, not on articulating the strategic enterprise use cases of AR/VR (e.g., training, simulation, collaboration).
- Best practices were not shared consistently across global hubs, creating uneven customer experiences.
- The lack of a governance mechanism meant regional teams pursued AR/VR opportunities without alignment or knowledge transfer.
Objectives:
- Build sales team enablement to equip staff with skills to sell AR/VR strategically.
- Establish a Sales Method Project Office (SMPO) to govern global methodology adoption and vertical expansion.
- Institutionalize knowledge capture and sharing across global regions.
Solution (4steps2win):
- Launched a global Sales Team Enablement programme, combining training, co-creation exercises, and role-play sessions to help sales teams master the 4steps2win approach in AR/VR opportunities.
- Established a central SMPO to capture learnings, standardise playbooks, and manage governance for AR/VR vertical expansion.
- Institutionalised the 4steps2win methodology in onboarding and ongoing coaching, ensuring consistent adoption across sales hubs.
Key Activities:
- Designed vertical-specific playbooks for healthcare, education, and industrial training use cases in AR/VR.
- Built a knowledge-sharing platform documenting case studies, proposals, and success stories from early AR/VR deployments.
- Certified 1,200 sales managers and account leads through a structured 4steps2win enablement programme.
Results (within one year):
- AR/VR win rate in enterprise opportunities increased from 19% to 41%.
- Institutionalised knowledge sharing captured 150+ case studies across 15 countries.
- Sales team performance improved globally, with quota attainment rising by 14%, as managers applied consistent enablement practices.
Summary:
By launching a Sales Team Enablement programme, establishing an SMPO, and embedding the 4steps2win methodology, the Australian consumer electronics leader transformed its salesforce into a strategic partner for enterprise AR/VR adoption. This accelerated diversification, improved win rates, and created a governance model for scaling new verticals globally.
Cybersecurity Industry
Cybersecurity Industry
The cybersecurity industry encompasses technologies, services, and processes that protect systems, networks, and data from digital attacks. It is mission-critical across every sector, driven by rising cybercrime, regulatory compliance, and digital transformation.
Top 10 sub-sectors of the cybersecurity industry:
- Endpoint Security– Protects laptops, mobiles, and devices with antivirus, endpoint detection and response (EDR), and zero-trust controls.
- Cloud Security– Safeguards SaaS, IaaS, and PaaS workloads against misconfigurations, breaches, and evolving cloud threats.
- Identity & Access Management (IAM)– Controls user authentication and authorisation via Single Sign-On (SSO), Multi-Factor Authentication (MFA), and privileged access management.
- Network Security & Firewalls– Defends IT environments through perimeter firewalls, intrusion detection systems, and traffic monitoring.
- Application Security– Secures software at the code and development stage using scanning, penetration testing, and DevSecOps practices.
- Threat Intelligence & Analytics– Provides real-time monitoring, detection, and response through analytics platforms and Security Operations Centers (SOC).
- Data Security & Encryption– Protects sensitive data with encryption, tokenisation, and access policies across storage and transmission.
- OT & Critical Infrastructure Security– Secures operational technology (OT) in energy, utilities, and industrial systems against targeted cyberattacks.
- Managed Security Services (MSSP)– Offers outsourced 24/7 monitoring, incident response, and security management for enterprises.
10 .Cyber Risk & Compliance – Ensures organisations meet governance, risk, and regulatory requirements through frameworks and reporting.
Potential Use Case
Market Leader (Germany – Hydrogen & Energy Storage Cloud)
Company Brief:
Phase: Market Leader | Country: Germany | Employees: 11,500 | Turnover: €6.2B | HQ: Munich
Task:
The company, a global leader in energy storage and hydrogen infrastructure, was diversifying into cloud-based platforms to help industrial clients optimise storage and trading of hydrogen and renewable energy. While dominant in hardware, it needed to establish credibility as a digital partner, win flagship accounts, and create governance for scaling the new vertical globally.
Challenge:
- Sales teams were strong in capital equipment but lacked experience selling digital platforms.
- Proposals often focused on technical capabilities rather than strategic outcomes such as trading margins, carbon reduction, and energy security.
- Knowledge was fragmented across global regions, leading to inconsistent messaging and duplication of effort.
Objectives:
- Establish a repeatable go-to-market model for hydrogen cloud services.
- Win flagship industrial clients to build market credibility.
- Institutionalise knowledge capture and governance across regions.
Solution (4steps2win):
- Established a dedicated Sales Method Project Office (SMPO) to govern the hydrogen cloud vertical, capturing lessons learned and aligning sales globally.
- Institutionalised the 4steps2win methodology, embedding discovery, co-creation, and executive sponsorship into every deal cycle.
- Produced industry-specific playbooks, ensuring sales teams could translate digital platform features into customer outcomes such as carbon intensity reduction and trading profitability.
Key Activities:
- Ran executive co-creation sessions with industrial clients, aligning hydrogen cloud services with their decarbonization roadmaps and energy trading objectives.
- Developed success stories and case studies from early adopters, showing measurable reductions in carbon footprint and operating costs.
- Rolled out training programmes across Europe, Asia, and North America, ensuring consistent adoption of 4steps2win.
Results (within one year):
- Secured five flagship industrial clients, including two of Europe’s largest chemical producers.
- Increased win rate in digital platform deals from 21% to 44%.
- Institutionalized a global governance model through the SMPO, ensuring lessons learned were captured and shared across 25 countries.
Summary:
By launching a dedicated SMPO and institutionalizing the 4steps2win methodology, the German market leader created a structured approach for entering the hydrogen cloud services market. This enabled it to win lighthouse clients, double its win rate in digital opportunities, and establish itself as both a hardware and digital innovation partner in the energy transition.
Potential Use Case
Scale-Up (Hungary – Identity & Access Management SaaS)
Company Brief:
Phase: Scale-Up | Country: Hungary | Employees: 170 | Turnover: €39M | HQ: Budapest
Task:
The company provided a cloud-based identity and access management (IAM) platform to enterprises in finance and retail. Having gained traction in Central Europe, it planned to expand into Western Europe. However, fragmented sales practices created unreliable forecasts and hindered investor confidence.
Challenge:
- Sales teams applied inconsistent qualification criteria, making it difficult to assess pipeline health.
- Forecasts were often based on optimism rather than evidence, undermining credibility with the board.
- Managers focused on closing deals but lacked a systematic coaching framework to guide opportunity development.
Objectives:
- Standardise qualification practices across all regions.
- Improve forecast accuracy to reassure investors.
- Equip managers to coach their teams in advancing opportunities systematically.
Solution (4steps2win):
- Applied the Proposition Phase framework, ensuring proposals tied directly to customer KPIs such as compliance readiness, user onboarding times, and breach prevention.
- Distributed the 4steps2win Book across the salesforce, creating a shared methodology and reference for deal qualification.
- Embedded qualification checkpoints into the CRM (Customer Relationship Management) system to enforce consistency and transparency.
Key Activities:
- Conducted a pipeline audit in Hungary, Poland, and Austria, revealing that 35% of opportunities lacked executive alignment.
- Designed IAM-specific playbooks, showing measurable outcomes like reduced onboarding costs and improved audit readiness.
- Trained 20 sales managers on leading structured deal reviews, focusing on opportunity advancement rather than just numbers.
Results (within one year):
- Forecast accuracy improved from 50% to 78%, strengthening investor trust.
- Quota attainment increased from 48% to 72%, supported by more rigorous qualification and coaching.
- Expansion into Western Europe was accelerated, with five new enterprise clients secured in Germany and the Netherlands.
Summary:
By embedding the Proposition Phase framework, reinforcing behaviours with the 4steps2win Book, and coaching managers to lead structured deal reviews, the Hungarian scale-up increased forecast accuracy and quota attainment. This positioned the company to expand into Western Europe with a unified, professionalised salesforce.
Potential Use Case
SMB (Finland – Critical Infrastructure Cybersecurity)
Company Brief:
Phase: Small to Medium Business (SMB) | Country: Finland | Employees: 320 | Turnover: €110M | HQ: Helsinki
Task:
The company specialised in cybersecurity solutions for critical infrastructure, protecting utilities, ports, and public transport systems. Competing against large global vendors, it needed to prove that its platform could deliver reliable, long-term protection and avoid being commoditised in procurement-led tenders.
Challenge:
- Procurement teams evaluated proposals mainly on price, dismissing differences in risk reduction and service reliability.
- Clients hesitated due to perceived implementation risks, worrying about system downtime and integration with legacy technology.
- Sales teams struggled to quantify the financial value of avoided breaches, weakening business cases.
Objectives:
- Defend margins by shifting conversations from cost to measurable value.
- Improve closing rates in tenders against larger vendors.
- Build customer confidence by addressing risk and integration concerns.
Solution (4steps2win):
- Applied the Closing the Deal framework, equipping sales teams with structured approaches to address price objections and reframe negotiations around risk and value.
- Introduced risk-to-cost translation models, quantifying financial impact of avoided downtime, service disruption, and regulatory penalties.
- Embedded objection-handling techniques from 4steps2win to address concerns around implementation risks with risk-sharing proposals.
Key Activities:
- Developed risk-adjusted ROI calculators, showing cost avoidance of €5–10M annually for major utilities.
- Delivered objection-handling workshops, training sales teams to respond to “too expensive” objections with quantified risk-reduction evidence.
- Instituted a proposal quality review, ensuring all bids included business cases linking cybersecurity measures to reduced risk exposure and compliance assurance.
Results (within one year):
- Closing rate in public tenders improved from 27% to 45%.
- Average deal margins increased by 9%, as discounting was reduced.
- Secured three national-level framework agreements, including one for a transport authority responsible for 200M passengers annually.
Summary:
By applying the Closing the Deal framework, introducing risk-adjusted ROI models, and systemizing objection handling, the Finnish SMB repositioned itself from a price-focused vendor to a trusted cybersecurity partner. This boosted win rates, defended margins, and secured high-profile critical infrastructure contracts.
Potential Use Case
Global Corporate (Netherlands – Cloud Security & Data Protection)
Company Brief:
Phase: Global Corporate | Country: Netherlands | Employees: 7,800 | Turnover: €3.9B | HQ: Amsterdam
Task:
The company, a global provider of cloud security and data protection, served enterprise clients across finance, healthcare, and telecom. With rising demand for GDPR and cloud compliance solutions, leadership needed to unify its global sales organisation, improve forecasting, and strengthen governance in strategic accounts.
Challenge:
- Regional teams used different qualification standards, producing fragmented data and inconsistent forecasting.
- Executives lacked visibility into global opportunity progression, complicating resource allocation and investment planning.
- High-value clients expected executive-level involvement, but engagement was inconsistent across markets.
Objectives:
- Harmonise sales processes worldwide with a single methodology.
- Improve forecast accuracy to support planning and investor confidence.
- Increase executive sponsorship in strategic cloud and compliance accounts.
Solution (4steps2win):
- Deployed the Roadmap & Commitments framework, requiring validated commitments, stakeholder alignment, and next steps for all strategic deals.
- Rolled out a global adoption of the 4steps2win methodology, embedding it into onboarding, opportunity reviews, and sales governance.
- Established executive steering committees, pairing corporate leaders with customer executives to align on risk, compliance, and delivery milestones.
Key Activities:
- Conducted a global sales audit across EMEA, North America, and APAC to benchmark practices and identify gaps.
- Integrated standard milestones into the CRM (Customer Relationship Management) platform, enforcing consistent qualification across 30+ countries.
- Appointed regional champions to coach teams in applying 4steps2win and escalate lessons into executive steering reviews.
Results (within one year):
- Forecast accuracy improved from 59% to 85%, enabling reliable global business planning.
- Average deal cycle for strategic accounts shortened from 14 months to nine months, supported by executive sponsorship.
- Secured long-term framework agreements with three multinational banks, each worth over €100M.
Summary:
By implementing the Roadmap & Commitments framework, embedding the 4steps2win methodology, and launching executive steering committees, the Dutch corporate standardized global sales governance. This improved forecast reliability, accelerated deal cycles, and secured high-value contracts with clients focused on compliance and data security.
Potential Use Case
Market Leader (UK – Managed Security Services Provider)
Company Brief:
Phase: Market Leader | Country: United Kingdom | Employees: 14,000 | Turnover: €7.8B | HQ: London
Task:
The company, one of the world’s largest Managed Security Services Providers (MSSPs), needed to strengthen global governance as it expanded into new industries such as pharmaceuticals and energy. With thousands of accounts worldwide, leadership wanted to institutionalise a single methodology, capture best practices, and ensure consistent client experience.
Challenge:
- Regional divisions operated with different sales approaches, causing inconsistency in service renewals and cross-sell opportunities.
- Knowledge sharing between regions was weak, leading to duplication of effort and missed opportunities in multinational accounts.
- Clients expected consistent executive engagement across geographies, but relationships often varied by region.
Objectives:
- Establish a Sales Method Project Office (SMPO) to govern methodology adoption globally.
- Institutionalise a single sales methodology across all account teams.
- Improve service renewal rates and cross-sell performance in global accounts.
Solution (4steps2win):
- Launched a global SMPO, responsible for methodology governance, knowledge capture, and alignment with corporate strategy.
- Institutionalised the 4steps2win methodology, embedding discovery, co-creation, and executive sponsorship into all major account cycles.
- Introduced knowledge-sharing platforms, enabling account teams to document and reuse success stories, proposals, and client roadmaps.
Key Activities:
- Hosted executive co-creation sessions with global clients in energy and pharma, aligning MSSP services with compliance and resilience objectives.
- Developed a global playbook for account management, standardising best practices across 50+ countries.
- Rolled out training and certification for 1,200 account managers, ensuring consistent adoption of 4steps2win.
Results (within one year):
- Global service renewal rates increased from 76% to 91%.
- Cross-sell revenue grew by 18%, as account teams adopted consistent methodologies.
- Knowledge-sharing platforms captured 120+ success stories and case studies, reducing duplication and accelerating proposal preparation.
Summary:
By establishing a global SMPO and institutionalising the 4steps2win methodology, the UK-based MSSP created a consistent, scalable approach for managing thousands of accounts worldwide. This improved renewal rates, boosted cross-sell performance, and ensured clients experienced consistent value across regions and industries.
Venture Capital Industry
Venture Capital Industry
The venture capital industry provides funding and strategic support to early- and growth-stage companies, aiming to generate returns through scaling and exit events. Success depends not just on financial capital, but on relationship-building, credibility, and structured decision-making with both limited partners (LPs) and portfolio founders.
Top 10 sub-sectors of the venture capital industry:
- Seed & Angel Funds– Provide the earliest capital to founders, backing high-risk ideas before traction or revenue.
- Early-Stage VC (Series A/B)– Invest in startups with proven product-market fit, helping scale teams, sales, and operations.
- Growth Equity (Series C/D)– Fund more mature companies with significant revenue, supporting expansion, acquisitions, or IPO readiness.
- Corporate Venture Arms– Investment vehicles of large corporates that back startups aligned with their strategic priorities.
- Impact & Sustainability VC– Focus on companies delivering measurable environmental, social, or governance (ESG) outcomes alongside financial returns.
- Deep-Tech & Frontier VC– Invest in high-potential, high-barrier innovations such as AI, quantum computing, robotics, and space tech.
- FinTech VC– Specialise in backing startups transforming financial services, from digital payments to blockchain and lending platforms.
- Healthcare & Biotech VC– Invest in medical technology, pharmaceuticals, diagnostics, and biotech innovations improving health outcomes.
- Geographic/Regional VC– Focus on emerging markets or specific geographies, leveraging local networks and knowledge to back regional champions.
- Global Mega-Funds– Multi-billion-dollar firms that invest across all stages and sectors, shaping global innovation and capital flows.
Potential Use Case
Startup (UAE – Dubai – Seed & Angel Fund)
Company Brief:
Phase: Startup | Country: United Arab Emirates (UAE) | Employees: 18 | Assets Under Management (AUM): €85M | HQ: Dubai
Task:
The fund, a Seed & Angel investor targeting fintech and consumer startups across the Middle East, needed to build credibility with limited partners (LPs) and position itself as a trusted partner to portfolio founders. With a small team of ex-founders and early investors, it struggled to professionalise fundraising and scale its pipeline of quality deals.
Challenge:
- LPs raised concerns about governance and reporting standards, questioning the fund’s ability to scale beyond its initial capital pool.
- Portfolio support focused narrowly on capital injection, with limited value-add in areas like customer introductions or strategic advice.
- Without a repeatable fundraising and deal qualification process, the team was chasing too many opportunities with uneven outcomes.
Objectives:
- Strengthen executive sponsorship with LPs by improving governance and communication.
- Increase deal flow quality, focusing only on startups aligned with the fund’s thesis.
- Professionalise fundraising and portfolio engagement through a scalable methodology.
Solution (4steps2win):
- Applied the Executive Sponsorship framework, enabling the partners to secure senior LP relationships and elevate governance discussions.
- Ran Co-Creation workshops with portfolio founders to jointly define value creation priorities (customer acquisition, partnerships, compliance readiness).
- Enrolled the team in the 4steps2win Online Course, embedding systematic qualification and stakeholder engagement practices into both fundraising and deal sourcing.
Key Activities:
- Produced executive-level reports for LPs, linking portfolio progress to business outcomes such as revenue growth and time-to-market.
- Conducted deal qualification sessions using 4steps2win’s structured criteria to filter startups by scalability, alignment with fund thesis, and ROI potential.
- Facilitated joint roadmap sessions with founders, aligning seed investment with clear milestones for Series A readiness.
Results (within one year):
- Raised an additional €40M from institutional LPs, doubling assets under management (AUM).
- Improved deal-to-investment conversion from 9% to 24%, as qualification criteria were standardised.
- Achieved 100% LP retention in the second fundraising round, supported by stronger governance and executive sponsorship.
- Portfolio founders reported higher satisfaction, with 80% citing the fund’s co-creation workshops as adding tangible value beyond capital.
Summary:
By applying the Executive Sponsorship framework, introducing Co-Creation workshops, and scaling knowledge via the 4steps2win Online Course, the Dubai-based Seed & Angel fund transitioned from an informal network to a professionalised early-stage investor. This strengthened LP trust, improved deal quality, and positioned the fund as a credible partner for both investors and founders.
Potential Use Case
Scale-Up (USA – Early-Stage VC, Series A/B)
Company Brief:
Phase: Scale-Up | Country: USA | Employees: 65 | Assets Under Management (AUM): €320M | HQ: New York
Task:
The firm, an early-stage VC specialising in Series A and B rounds for SaaS and fintech companies, was preparing to expand from Australia into Southeast Asia. While deal flow was strong, the team lacked a standardised way to evaluate investments and communicate predictable outcomes to LPs (Limited Partners).
Challenge:
- Inconsistent deal qualification led to overcommitment in sectors misaligned with the fund’s thesis.
- Forecasting of portfolio performance was vague, making fundraising discussions with LPs more challenging.
- Regional teams worked in silos, resulting in duplication of due diligence and missed opportunities for co-investment.
Objectives:
- Standardise deal qualification across investment teams.
- Improve forecast accuracy to reassure LPs during fundraising.
- Build a shared methodology that could scale across Australia and Southeast Asia.
Solution (4steps2win):
- Applied the Proposition Phase framework, requiring all investments to demonstrate alignment with fund KPIs such as ARR (Annual Recurring Revenue) growth, customer acquisition efficiency, and market scalability.
- Distributed the 4steps2win Book to partners and analysts, creating a reference point for consistent qualification, opportunity prioritisation, and value proposition design.
- Embedded qualification milestones into the fund’s internal CRM, systemising the investment review process.
Key Activities:
- Conducted pipeline audits across Australia and Singapore to assess alignment with investment thesis.
- Created sector-specific playbooks for SaaS, fintech, and marketplace investments, linking sector benchmarks to expected outcomes.
- Delivered training sessions for 15 investment managers, enabling them to apply the Proposition Phase framework in deal reviews.
Results (within one year):
- Forecast accuracy for portfolio outcomes improved from 52% to 79%, giving LPs confidence in expansion strategy.
- Rejected 20% of pipeline deals early, focusing capital only on high-thesis-aligned opportunities.
- Closed €150M in new LP commitments, supported by improved transparency and consistent methodology.
- Successfully expanded into Singapore and Indonesia, establishing local teams aligned with global processes.
Summary:
By embedding the Proposition Phase framework, reinforcing practices with the 4steps2win Book, and institutionalising qualification milestones, the Australian VC scale-up professionalised its investment approach. This improved LP trust, increased fundraising success, and enabled confident expansion into Southeast Asia.
Potential Use Case
SMB (Singapore – Corporate Venture Arm)
Company Brief:
Phase: Small to Medium Business (SMB) | Country: Singapore | Employees: 280 | Assets Under Management (AUM): €600M | HQ: Singapore
Task:
The firm acted as the corporate venture arm (CVC) of a regional telecom operator, investing in startups in IoT and cybersecurity. While it had strong access to deal flow, the team struggled to balance the parent company’s strategic objectives with the need for financial returns, often leading to slow decision-making and missed opportunities.
Challenge:
- Corporate executives evaluated deals based on synergy potential, while investment managers assessed financial ROI, creating internal misalignment.
- Startup founders resisted CVC involvement, perceiving it as a path to strategic control rather than partnership.
- Proposals often stalled as objections around valuation, integration risk, and strategic relevance went unresolved.
Objectives:
- Improve closing effectiveness in deals requiring alignment between corporate and financial goals.
- Reduce internal conflicts between the CVC team and parent company executives.
- Build trust with founders, positioning the CVC as a value-adding partner rather than a controlling shareholder.
Solution (4steps2win):
- Applied the Closing the Deal framework, enabling the CVC team to manage negotiations with both startups and internal executives using structured, interest-based approaches.
- Developed dual ROI models: financial returns (IRR, cash multiples) for investment committees, and strategic outcomes (new revenue streams, technology adoption, churn reduction) for corporate executives.
- Introduced objection-handling techniques from 4steps2win, equipping teams to address founder concerns around valuation and integration risk.
Key Activities:
- Built case studies highlighting past portfolio successes where both financial and strategic value were achieved.
- Facilitated alignment workshops with parent company executives to define shared evaluation criteria for deals.
- Conducted founder-focused sessions to clarify partnership terms, reassure against control concerns, and highlight access to the telecom’s distribution network.
Results (within one year):
- Closing rate for CVC deals improved from 26% to 44%, as objections were addressed earlier and more effectively.
- Internal approval time for investments decreased from six months to three months, supported by dual ROI models.
- Strengthened founder trust, with 70% of portfolio CEOs citing the CVC as a strategic partner rather than a controlling investor.
Summary:
By applying the Closing the Deal framework, building dual ROI models, and systemising objection handling, the Hong Kong CVC resolved conflicts between strategic and financial goals. This improved closing effectiveness, reduced approval delays, and repositioned the fund as a trusted partner to both its parent company and portfolio founders.
Potential Use Case
Global Corporate (Netherlands – Impact & Sustainability VC)
Company Brief:
Phase: Global Corporate | Country: Netherlands | Employees: 1,200 | Assets Under Management (AUM): €4.5B | HQ: Amsterdam
Task:
The firm, a leading impact and sustainability VC, managed a portfolio spanning renewable energy, sustainable agriculture, and circular economy startups. With growing scrutiny from institutional LPs (Limited Partners), it needed to systematise governance, ensure portfolio accountability, and demonstrate that impact metrics could be aligned with financial performance.
Challenge:
- Regional offices reported on impact using different frameworks, making global performance reporting inconsistent.
- LPs demanded greater transparency, wanting proof that impact metrics translated into financial resilience and long-term growth.
- Portfolio founders often struggled to balance impact objectives(e.g., carbon reduction) with commercial targets (e.g., revenue growth).
Objectives:
- Harmonise impact and financial reporting under a unified methodology.
- Improve forecast accuracy and transparency for LPs.
- Align portfolio founders and investors around shared commitments and milestones.
Solution (4steps2win):
- Deployed the Roadmap & Commitments framework, requiring every investment to document measurable milestones in both impact and financial terms.
- Rolled out a global adoption of the 4steps2win methodology, embedding stakeholder mapping, proposition development, and executive sponsorship into all investment cycles.
- Established executive steering committees, bringing together LPs, fund partners, and portfolio founders to monitor progress quarterly.
Key Activities:
- Conducted a global audit of portfolio reporting practices, standardising metrics across 40+ countries.
- Integrated impact milestones (e.g., tonnes of CO₂ reduced, water saved) into the CRM system alongside financial KPIs.
- Trained regional investment teams in applying 4steps2win to balance discovery, qualification, and commitment-building with both founders and LPs.
Results (within one year):
- Forecast accuracy for portfolio outcomes increased from 56% to 83%, boosting LP confidence.
- Secured an additional €1.2B in LP commitments, supported by transparent impact-to-financial reporting.
- Portfolio alignment improved, with 85% of founders meeting both impact and financial milestones set during roadmap planning.
Summary:
By applying the Roadmap & Commitments framework and embedding the 4steps2win methodology, the Amsterdam-based impact VC created a global governance model that aligned impact and financial outcomes. This improved investor confidence, attracted new LP commitments, and helped portfolio companies balance sustainability and profitability at scale.
Potential Use Case
Market Leader (UK – Global Mega-Fund)
Company Brief:
Phase: Market Leader | Country: United Kingdom | Employees: 2,300 | Assets Under Management (AUM): €75B | HQ: London (global offices in New York and Singapore)
Task:
The firm, one of the world’s largest global mega-funds, managed a diversified portfolio across technology, healthcare, and infrastructure. With LPs ranging from sovereign wealth funds to pension funds, it needed to institutionalise governance, standardise engagement across global offices, and systemise portfolio value creation at scale.
Challenge:
- Regional offices in London, New York, and Singapore operated in silos, leading to inconsistent LP experiences and fragmented reporting.
- Portfolio support varied widely, with some founders praising hands-on guidance while others reported limited engagement.
- LPs demanded greater transparency and predictability, particularly around value creation plans and exit strategies.
Objectives:
- Establish a Sales Method Project Office (SMPO)to govern methodology adoption and reporting globally.
- Institutionalise a single methodologyfor LP engagement and portfolio governance.
- Improve LP retention and fundraising successby standardising transparency and accountability.
Solution (4steps2win):
- Launched a global SMPO, responsible for methodology governance, knowledge capture, and alignment with corporate strategy.
- Institutionalised the 4steps2win methodology, embedding discovery, co-creation, and executive sponsorship into LP engagement and portfolio support processes.
- Introduced knowledge-sharing platforms, ensuring portfolio success stories and best practices were documented and reused across geographies.
Key Activities:
- Held executive co-creation workshopswith LPs, mapping investment strategies to long-term outcomes such as risk-adjusted returns and ESG impact.
- Developed a global playbookfor LP engagement and portfolio support, aligning practices across 20+ countries.
- Rolled out training and certificationfor 300 investor relations and portfolio management professionals, ensuring consistent methodology adoption.
Results (within one year):
- LP retention increased from 88% to 96%, as engagement and transparency improved.
- Raised an additional €12B in commitments, supported by consistent governance and reporting frameworks.
- Documented 200+ portfolio success stories, creating a reusable knowledge base and reducing duplication across regions.
Summary:
By launching a global SMPO and institutionalising the 4steps2win methodology, the UK-based mega-fund created a unified governance model for LPs and portfolio companies. This strengthened LP retention, accelerated fundraising, and positioned the firm as the benchmark for professionalisation in the venture capital industry.
