Welcome to the Sales Operating Model Masterclass
Issue #14: The system that holds the entire 5F Framework together
Hey there Win Circle,
After 13 issues building your sales foundation through the Fix framework, we've reached a crucial moment in your sales transformation journey.
You've got the tools. You've done the assessments. Your foundation is solid. But here's what most teams miss completely: having great processes isn't enough. You need a Sales Operating Model that makes those processes work as one cohesive, revenue generating system.
Think of the Sales Operating Model as the operating system for your sales organisation. Without it, even the best individual processes become disconnected activities that create gaps where opportunities leak through. It's like having excellent individual musicians who've never learned to play together as an orchestra.
Over the next six newsletters, we'll unpack the complete Sales Operating Model that serves as the glue holding the entire 5F Framework together. This isn't theory, it's the practical system that turns your Fix foundation into a revenue generating machine, ready for Find, Follow, Finish, and Feedback.
But before we dive into the components, let me share why this matters more than any individual sales technique you'll ever learn.
What Is a Sales Operating Model?
A Sales Operating Model is the structured approach that defines how your sales organisation runs day to day. It's the framework that ensures every activity, from the moment a lead enters your system to the final contract signature, works together methodically.
In building materials sales, where projects span months and involve multiple stakeholders across complex supply chains, having this structured approach is the difference between hoping deals close and knowing they will. It's the difference between random success and predictable revenue growth.
The model consists of six interconnected components that work together like gears in a machine:
1. Lead Qualification - Methodical approach to identifying which opportunities deserve your time and resources
2. Pipeline Coaching - Regular review process ensuring steady flow and progression through sales stages
3. Opportunity Coaching - Structured method for winning individual deals consistently
4. Stakeholder Value Propositions - Tailored arguments for each stakeholder type in your market
5. Visual Performance Management - Dashboard and metrics that drive right decisions and behaviours
6. Meeting Structure - The cadence and format that makes everything else work in practice
Each component supports and reinforces the others. Miss one, and the whole system develops cracks that allow opportunities to slip through.
Why Building Materials Companies Need This More Than Anyone
Our industry is fundamentally different from most B2B sales environments, and generic sales approaches fail miserably in our context.
Projects don't happen overnight. The typical building project involves a 6 to 18 month cycle from initial concept to contract award. Specifications get written months before tenders are issued. Multiple stakeholders influence decisions at different stages. Relationships matter as much as price and technical performance. As one of my old bosses used to say it is like playing a pin ball machine.
Random sales activities don't work in this environment. You can't wing it with relationship building when there are architects, engineers, contractors, quantity surveyors, building owners, and facilities managers all influencing the final decision. You need methodical approaches that ensure nothing falls through the cracks and every opportunity gets the right attention at the right time.
Consider the typical building materials sales process:
Stage 1: Project Identification Someone in your organisation becomes aware of a potential project. This might come through your network, industry publications, planning applications, or direct contact from stakeholders. Without structured lead qualification, you waste time on projects that will never buy or that you'll never win.
Stage 2: Stakeholder Engagement Building materials sales requires engaging multiple stakeholders, each with different priorities, timelines, and decision making authority. Without structured stakeholder value propositions, your messaging becomes generic and fails to resonate with anyone specifically.
Stage 3: Specification Influence In our industry, getting specified during the design phase dramatically increases your win probability. But this requires deliberate relationship building, technical positioning, and process alignment. Without opportunity coaching frameworks, most reps miss critical positioning opportunities.
Stage 4: Tender Management Even when you're specified, you still need to support your partners through the tender process. Contractors need commercial support, technical clarification, and installation guidance. Without pipeline coaching, opportunities stall or get lost to competitors who provide better support.
Stage 5: Contract Closure Finally converting specification and tender success into signed contracts requires disciplined follow through, commercial negotiation, and delivery coordination. Without visual performance management, deals slip through administrative gaps.
Each stage requires different skills, different stakeholder engagement, and different internal processes. The Sales Operating Model ensures consistent excellence across all stages.
The Cost of Random Sales Approaches
I've worked with building materials companies across the UK that were losing massive opportunities because they lacked structured sales operations. Here are the patterns I see repeatedly:
Qualification Failures Teams spending months pursuing projects where competitors were already locked in through relationships or where funding was never confirmed. One company I worked with was allocating 40% of their sales resources to opportunities that had less than 10% genuine win probability.
Stakeholder Disconnects Sales reps pitching energy efficiency to contractors who cared about installation speed, or emphasising aesthetics to building owners focused on operating costs. Generic value propositions that failed to resonate with anyone specifically.
Process Misalignment Missing critical specification deadlines because no one tracked the design timeline properly. Losing specified projects because they failed to support contractors through tender preparation adequately.
Pipeline Stagnation Deals stalling in the system without clear next steps or stakeholder commitment. One regional supplier had 60% of their pipeline stuck in "follow-up" status with no structured progression strategy.
Performance Blindness Making resource allocation decisions based on gut feel rather than data. Missing early warning signs that could have prevented lost deals with proper measurement.
The result? Inconsistent performance, frustrated sales teams, and growth that depended more on market conditions than sales excellence.
What Structured Sales Operations Delivers
Companies that implement a proper Sales Operating Model see dramatic and measurable improvements:
Sales Coaching Performance Statistics with Evidence
32% increase in win rates through structured opportunity coaching that ensures proper stakeholder engagement and value positioning for every deal. Source: Korn Ferry's 5th Annual Sales Enablement Study
23% improvement in time allocation via pipeline coaching that eliminates bottlenecks, with sellers spending more time selling and less time on non-productive tasks. Source: Korn Ferry Sales Enablement Research
41% improvement in forecast accuracy using AI-powered forecasting tools and structured qualification processes that provide realistic probability assessments. Source: Outreach Sales Forecasting Study
59% increase in average deal size by focusing resources on properly qualified opportunities and providing structured stakeholder value propositions that justify premium positioning. Source: SOMAmetrics Case Study
But the most important benefit is predictable revenue growth. Instead of hoping for the best and reacting to problems after they occur, you create a machine that consistently converts opportunities to revenue at known rates.
The Integration Challenge
Here's where most building materials companies struggle, they try to implement individual improvements without proper integration.
They send their team to qualification training but don't change their pipeline review process. They create stakeholder value propositions but don't track their usage and effectiveness properly. They implement new CRM systems but don't establish the meeting cadences that ensure data gets updated and used for coaching.
The result is improvement initiatives that deliver temporary benefits but don't create lasting change. Teams drift back to old habits because the structured reinforcement isn't in place.
The Sales Operating Model solves this by creating proper integration across all sales activities. Each component reinforces the others, creating a self-reinforcing system that improves performance consistently over time.
What's Coming in This Series
Each newsletter will dive deep into one component of the Sales Operating Model, providing specific frameworks, tools, and implementation guidance:
Newsletter 15: Lead Qualification - The Gateway to Sales Success
The four question framework that determines which opportunities to pursue, including detailed qualification criteria for building design fit, building function match, influence potential, and funding reality. You'll get specific tools for project sizing and resource allocation that ensure you focus effort where you can win.
Newsletter 16: Pipeline Coaching - Ensuring Steady Flow and Momentum
The structured review process that prevents deals from stalling whilst ensuring continuous flow of new opportunities. We'll cover the three critical pipeline questions, the three stage progression model, and the coaching frameworks that keep opportunities moving forward consistently.
Newsletter 17: Opportunity Coaching - The Structured Approach to Winning Individual Deals
The four dimension framework (Decision Makers + Value Proposition + Needs & Requirements + Process) that determines probability of winning, including specific coaching strategies for "Get Specified," "Defend Specification," and "Break Specification" scenarios.
Newsletter 18: Stakeholder Value Propositions - Tailored Messaging That Wins
The three stakeholder frameworks (Specifiers, Contractors, Building Owners) with specific value arguments, compelling questions, and presentation structures for each stakeholder type. You'll learn how to adapt your messaging based on stakeholder priorities and decision making criteria.
Newsletter 19: Visual Performance Management - Dashboards That Drive Results
The three-level measurement framework (Pipeline Health, Opportunity Development, Sales Activity Effectiveness) with specific metrics, dashboard designs, and review processes that focus attention on activities that predict revenue results.
Newsletter 20: Meeting Structure & Implementation - Making It All Work
The five meeting types (Team Meetings, One to One Coaching, Co visits, Visual Performance Reviews, Implementation Planning) with specific agendas, frequencies, and success factors that transform theory into consistent practice.
Before We Begin: Your Foundation Readiness Check
This Sales Operating Model sits on top of your Fix foundation. If you haven't completed your Foundation Readiness Assessment from Newsletter 13, or if you scored below 18 checkmarks, pause here and address those gaps first.
Here's why this is critical: The Sales Operating Model amplifies everything in your sales system. If your foundation has gaps, inconsistent qualification methods, unclear follow-up processes, weak measurement systems, this model will expose them quickly and painfully.
But if your foundation is solid, this model will transform how your sales organisation performs. You'll move from hoping individual reps perform well to knowing your system consistently produces results.
The Road Ahead: From Operating Model to Find
Once you've implemented the complete Sales Operating Model, you'll be ready for the next phase of the 5F Framework: Find.
The Find methodology focuses on being found by quality prospects whilst developing structured capability to identify opportunities before competitors know they exist. But Find only works when you have structured operations that can handle increased opportunity flow effectively.
Think of it this way: Find is about opening the taps to increase opportunity flow. The Sales Operating Model ensures your pipes can handle the increased volume without leaking or breaking.
Get the operating model right first. Then we'll show you how to be found by the right prospects at the right time.
Recommended Resources
Recommended Resources
Here are the essential resources to deepen your understanding of sales operating models and structured sales excellence:
Building the Right Sales Operating Model (12 min read) - Comprehensive guide to the three-pillar sales enablement operating model that drives consistent performance and strategic alignment.
Complete Guide to Sales Pipeline Management (15 min read) - Freshworks' practical framework for tracking, optimizing, and managing sales pipelines for predictable revenue growth.
BANT vs. MEDDIC Sales Qualification Guide (10 min read) - Salesforce's expert comparison of the two most popular sales qualification methodologies with implementation guidance.
Building Materials Sales Strategies (8 min read) - Industry-specific insights into what separates high-performing building materials sellers from average performers.
Sales Pipeline Management Best Practices (14 min read) - Outreach's proven framework for preventing pipeline gaps and maintaining consistent deal flow through structured processes.
Coming Next Week: Lead Qualification
Next Wednesday, we'll dive into the structured approach to lead qualification that ensures you pursue the right opportunities whilst avoiding time wasters. You'll discover the four-question framework that determines whether a project is worth your time, learn how to size opportunities for proper resource allocation, and get specific tools for stakeholder mapping and influence assessment.
This is where structured sales growth begins, with disciplined decisions about which opportunities deserve your attention.