Figure 8 Revenue Knot

Figure 8 Revenue Knot

The commercial operating system behind sustainable growth

The commercial operating system behind sustainable growth

“Free up your permanent CRO to focus on delivering today’s numbers, while I help them create the repeatable commercial framework that will help you scale for tomorrow.”

“Free up your permanent CRO to focus on delivering today’s numbers, while I help them create the repeatable commercial framework that will help you scale for tomorrow.”

Typical situations to engage

Typical situations to engage

Newly appointed CRO

Newly appointed CRO

Need foundations

Need foundations

Founder-led sales

Founder-led sales

Need repeatability

Need repeatability

Growth below plan

Growth below plan

Need diagnosis

Need diagnosis

Expansion stalled

Expansion stalled

Need clarity

Need clarity

Acquisition integration

Acquisition integration

Need one model

Need one model

Exit preparation and planning

Exit preparation and planning

Need predictability

Need predictability

Where Figure 8 helps

Where Figure 8 helps

CEOs

Gain clarity, alignment and confidence in the commercial engine.

CROs

Spend more time leading people and driving growth. Less time fixing systems.

Investors

Gain visibility into the health, scalability and value of the commercial function.

“

Use Figure 8 when growth is important, but the constraint is unclear: strategy, sales motion, team rhythm, customer expansion or investor confidence.

Use Figure 8 when growth is important, but the constraint is unclear: strategy, sales motion, team rhythm, customer expansion or investor confidence.

Figure 8 Revenue Knot

Figure 8 Revenue Knot

Intertwined. Robust. Repeatable

Intertwined. Robust. Repeatable

1

2

3

Define ICP & positioning

Attract relevant prospects

Qualify & build intent

Drive to purchase

Onboard & deliver value

Expand & upsell

Retain & advocate

Loop One

Attracting the Right Prospects

Top of funnel to purchase.

Loop Two

Transforming Customers into Advocates

Post-sale to long-term growth.

The Knot

Converting prospects to customers.

Drive adoption & outcomes

1

Acquisition Loop: Attract the Right Prospects

Acquisition Loop: Attract the Right Prospects

The first loop focuses on customer acquisition. Attract the right prospects at the top of the funnel, build interest and create intent. All done systematically

The first loop focuses on customer acquisition. Attract the right prospects at the top of the funnel, build interest and create intent. All done systematically

Key Success Indicator

Key Success Indicator

A highly targeted marketing approach reduces customer acquisition costs and leads to higher quality pipeline, with improved conversion

A highly targeted marketing approach reduces customer acquisition costs and leads to higher quality pipeline, with improved conversion

2

Conversion Knot: Convert Prospects to Customers

Conversion Knot: Convert Prospects to Customers

This is the critical handover point where intent turns to purchase. Your sales process must reflect your ideal customer profile and laser in on solving real customer challenges.

This is the critical handover point where intent turns to purchase. Your sales process must reflect your ideal customer profile and laser in on solving real customer challenges.

Key Success Indicator

Key Success Indicator

An effective sales process that aligns with customer needs enhances the likelihood of successful win rates, on improved terms.

An effective sales process that aligns with customer needs enhances the likelihood of successful win rates, on improved terms.

3

Expansion Loop: Transform Customers to Advocates

Expansion Loop: Transform Customers to Advocates

Post-sale, the focus shifts to delivering exceptional experiences (quickly) that drive adoption and advocacy. Satisfied customers buy more and renew year on year.

Post-sale, the focus shifts to delivering exceptional experiences (quickly) that drive adoption and advocacy. Satisfied customers buy more and renew year on year.

Key Success Indicator

Key Success Indicator

Happy customers advocate for your brand, expanding their lifetime value whilst massively strengthening your market position.

Happy customers advocate for your brand, expanding their lifetime value whilst massively strengthening your market position.

Typical challenges faced

Typical challenges faced

Too much effort, not enough relevant pipeline
Attracting volume, not the right buyers.

Weak or inconsistent positioning
Struggling to articulate value in the language of buyers.

Low engagement from target accounts
Reaching the right people in the right way.

Build a predictable engine for quality opportunity.

To help you strengthen Loop One so you can consistently attract the right prospects and have conversations that convert

Unclear value or business case
Buyers struggle to justify the decision internally.

Commercial friction
Terms, pricing or contracting slow the deal down.

Last-minute surprises
New objections or requirements emerge late.

Strengthen your Knot. Win more. Lose less.

To help you remove friction, align stakeholders and create the conditions for confident decisions

Slow or painful onboarding
Customers don’t see value quickly.

Low adoption or engagement
Solutions aren’t embedded or used.

Missed expansion opportunities
No clear process or visibility for growth.

Turn customers into your greatest growth engine.

To help you strengthen Loop Two so you deliver more value, drive accounts and build a base of advocates

No GTM strategy has ever be implemented without great, motivated people working together

No GTM strategy has ever be implemented without great, motivated people working together

People

People

Stop talking about what you do. Talk about issues you solve, in your customers’ language

Stop talking about what you do. Talk about issues you solve, in your customers’ language

Positioning

Positioning

Process is not the issue. Bad process is. “How we do things here” doesn’t scale well

Process is not the issue. Bad process is. “How we do things here” doesn’t scale well

Process

Process

Revenue and product are inextricably linked. Balance your roadmap, linked to revenue

Revenue and product are inextricably linked. Balance your roadmap, linked to revenue

Product

Product

Improve the metrics, cadence and decisions that turn effort into results

Performance

Performance

New Logo Imbalance

New Logo Imbalance

Scenario 1

Obsessed with new logo.

Obsessed with new logo.

Stretches beyond its ICP

Stretches beyond its ICP

The business chases volume at the top of the funnel, attracting less relevant prospects and winning less-ideal customers with inferior conversion rate.


Throwing more marketing spend and more sales people is not the answer.

Result: High churn, low expansion and limited long-term value.

Loop Two

Customers buy less and churn more over time

UNDERINVESTED

!

Alignment at the knot

Marketing and sales misalignment creates friction and waste.

Loop One

Attracting the wrong (any) prospects

OVERSIZED FOCUS

Broad targeting

Lower lead quality

Higher CAC

Lower win rate

Lower adoption

Low expansion

Higher churn

Weak advocacy

The Knot

Converting prospects to customers

The outcome

The outcome

High acquisition cost for low-quality revenue

Low net retention

Unpredictable growth

Lower customer lifetime value

Constraints future growth potential.

Existing Customer Imbalance

Scenario 2

Obsessed with expansion

Obsessed with expansion

Neglects new opportunities

Neglects new opportunities

The business relies on existing customers, and might be growing, but starves top of funnel for new customers

Result: Limited pipeline, plateaued growth and concentration risk over time

Loop Two

Customers buy more and renew year on year

OVERSIZED FOCUS

!

Alignment at the knot

Marketing and sales misalignment creates friction and waste.

Loop One

Focused only the perfect fit prospects

UNDERINVESTED

Narrow targeting

Thin pipeline

Low market penetration

Future growth constrained

High adoption

Strong expansion

Higher retention

Loyal advocates

The Knot

Converting prospects to customers

The outcome

The outcome

Pipeline dries up over time, takes a long time to rebuild

Over reliance on same customer pool for growth

Growth plateaus

Increase risk, lower valuation

Limits long term scale and optionality

Example engagement

MONTH 1

1 Diagnose

GTM maturity assessment

GTM maturity assessment

Positioning reflection

Positioning reflection

ICP and TAM review

ICP and TAM review

Sales (and other) process audit

Sales (and other) process audit

Team analysis & review

Team analysis & review

MONTH 2

2 Design

ICP and segmentation model

ICP and segmentation model

Messaging & positioning template

Messaging & positioning template

Sales stages & gates definition

Sales stages & gates definition

Accurate forecasting process

Accurate forecasting process

Org structure & hiring framework

Org structure & hiring framework

MONTH 3

3 Embed

Weekly cadence

Weekly cadence

Playbook creation

Playbook creation

Pipeline governance

Pipeline governance

Dashboard & reporting model

Dashboard & reporting model

Marketing contribution tracker

Marketing contribution tracker

MONTH 4

4 Transition

CRO onboarding / handover

CRO onboarding / handover

GTM operating manual

GTM operating manual

90-day CRO success plan

90-day CRO success plan

Handover to CRO / CMO / CEO

Handover to CRO / CMO / CEO

Board ready report

Board ready report