For founder-led businesses
The Commercial Diagnostic
Something Is Broken. But You Can't Agree on What.
Revenue has plateaued. You’ve tried things. Some helped temporarily. None of it held.
The frustrating part isn’t the plateau, it’s that your leadership team has three different theories about what’s causing it. The MD thinks it’s pipeline. Marketing thinks it’s positioning. The ops lead thinks it’s process. Everyone’s right about a symptom. Nobody’s right about the cause.
That’s not unusual. It’s almost the rule.
Before you invest in a Fractional Commercial Director, a proposition overhaul, or another hire, you need one thing: a clear-eyed, evidence-based diagnosis of what’s actually broken and why.
That’s what the Commercial Diagnostic delivers.
The diagnostic
What It Is
Two weeks. Fixed price. One output: absolute clarity on your commercial constraint and what to do about it.
I interview your key stakeholders, audit your commercial infrastructure, review your pipeline and revenue data, and synthesise everything into a single strategic document, written plainly, without consultant jargon, that tells you exactly what’s broken, why it’s broken, and the sequenced steps to fix it.
You’ll also know which investment makes most sense next: whether that’s me as a Fractional Commercial Director, a Proposition Architect engagement, an internal hire, or something else entirely.
Fit
Who this is for
I’m selective about who I work with. Not because I’m precious, but because this only works when the conditions are right.
This is for you if...
- Revenue has plateaued and the real cause isn't agreed internally
- You're about to make a significant commercial investment and want to de-risk it
- Previous interventions have stalled, been reversed, or delivered less than expected
- Your board is asking for a commercial strategy and you're not confident in what you have
- The Addoli Plateau Assessment flagged multiple plateaus and you're not sure which to fix first
This isn't for you if...
- You already know precisely what's broken and are ready to act - skip straight to the relevant service
- If you're under £1m revenue - book a free diagnostic call instead, this level of investment isn't appropriate yet.
The two weeks
What Happens
Week 1: Evidence Gathering
I conduct structured interviews with four to six key people in your business: typically the founder or CEO, a commercial lead, a delivery lead, and one or two recent clients. Each interview is 45–60 minutes, with a consistent framework applied to all. Findings are anonymised and synthesised, nobody gets quoted, everyone speaks freely.
Alongside the interviews, I audit your commercial infrastructure: sales process, pipeline discipline, positioning, pricing approach, and team capability. Where data is available, revenue trends, win/loss patterns, deal cycle analysis, I use it.
Week 2: Strategy & Roadmap
I synthesise the findings and build your Commercial Strategy Document, typically 15 to 20 pages. This is a working document, not a presentation. It’s written to be used, not filed.
A three-hour workshop brings your leadership team together to review the findings, debate the priorities, and agree the 90-day action plan.
Disagreements surface here, which is exactly the point, the workshop is designed to create alignment, not report findings.
You leave with a single agreed view of the problem and a sequenced plan to fix it.
Deliverables
What You Receive
01
Commercial Strategy Document
Root cause diagnosis, 7 Plateaus maturity assessment, gap analysis, 12–18 month roadmap, quick wins
02
key Stakeholder map
Influence, alignment, blockers, visual and written analysis
03
90-day action plan
Month-by-month priorities, owners, success metrics
04
leadership workshop
3 hours, facilitated, consensus-building on priorities
05
investment recommendation
Which engagement (if any) makes most sense next, and why
The journey
Where this sits in the journey
- 01
Free Diagnostic Assessment
Identifies which plateaus are active. Takes 10 minutes.
Take Free Assessment - 02
Commercial Diagnostic
Diagnoses root cause. Builds the roadmap. Agrees next steps.
You are here - 03
Proposition Architect
Everything your business needs to escape the comparison trap.
Learn More - 04
Fractional Commercial Director
Me, embedded in your business. Your commercial #2. Fractionally.
Learn More
If you're not sure where you are on the journey, take the assessment first, then we can agree your best starting point.
WHAT THEY SAY
“Tom took the time to fully understand what we wanted to achieve and knew how to get us there. I learned so much from working with him, and it really transformed the business. He could empathise with my frustrations, and put solutions in place from day one that helped both me and my team.”
Fee
Investment
£4,000 + VAT fixed price. Two weeks from kickoff. No hidden extras. Travel expenses charged at cost if on-site visits are agreed.
Not sure yet?
If you’re not sure the Diagnostic is the right starting point, book a free 30-minute call first. We’ll be honest about whether it’s the right fit.
Credit
If the diagnostic leads to further work on the Proposition Architect or Fractional Commercial engagement journeys within 30-days, then we will apply a £2,000 credit towards those services.
Next step
Start here
Take the Assessment. Three minutes. Instant results. If multiple plateaus are flagged, the Commercial Diagnostic is likely your next step.