The Five C's of a Company Review by Peggy Klingel

1. Peggy Klingel The Five C’s of a Company Review 608-512-8830 PeggyKlingel@gmail.com Business areas to understand before joining or partnering with a company www.linkedin.com/in/peggyklingel www.twitter.com/peggyklingel PeggyKlingel@gmail.com

2. 5 C’s Areas to explore Heed the hints: Effective questioning & listening are essential. • Insights are gained by understanding a company’s history. • Success stories are windows into culture and strengths. • Revenue, margin, product mix and customers are key data points. • Product road maps shine lights on potential future opportunity. • Current organization initiatives leave clues about gaps. • Staff tenure, knowledge and willingness to share information will influence results. Whether considering employment at, selling to or partnering with a company, insightful understanding of the organization increases the probability of good decision making and positive outcomes.

3. 5 C’s Areas to explore Learn as much as possible about these business areas to understand strategy and potential. Never assume you already know the answers – you may be surprised!

4. 5 C’s Areas to explore Company • Strategy: Is leadership aligned & is the strategy shared? • People: Are staff knowledgeable, engaged & happy? • Customers: How is customer support handled? • Sales: Is the sales process effective and measured? • Product: Is the product plan aligned with strategy? • Operations: Is the company capable of delivering? • Revenue: What are the revenue sources? • Financials: Are targets being met? • Success: What are they most proud of accomplishing? Where are they in their company lifecycle?

5. 5 C’s Areas to explore Competitors & Market • Trends: What’s happening in the industry? • Disruption: What outside industry forces are influencing the market? • Resources: Are there any trade associations with insights? • Losses: Who have they lost to and why? • Wins: Why are customers choosing to buy? • Competitors: Who are they watching? • Ownership: Who owns them and who owns competitors? • Market: What is their current market share & future opportunity? Do they understand the market and their place in it?

6. 5 C’s Areas to explore Customer Knowledge • Sales: Who purchased from them recently and why did they choose them? • Retention: Who is staying with them and why? • Referrals: Are there any success stories in the sales process? • Metrics: What loyalty programs and measurements exist? • Experience: Have they mapped the customer journey? • Ownership: What areas of the business touch customers? • Communication: How do they maintain relationships? • Mix: What proportion of revenue is new vs. existing customers? Are the customers happy and referenceable?

7. 5 C’s Areas to explore Capabilities • Staffing:Are any key positions open? • Knowledge: What employee training & development programs exist? • Product: Is minimum viable product/service available & adequate? • Development: Is the product roadmap documented & reviewed regularly? • Marketing:Is the sales and marketing message aligned with strategy? • Priorities: What key initiatives are currently underway? • Strategy: Do employees understand the strategy and believe in it? Are resources available and can they execute?

8. 5 C’s Areas to explore Culture • Guidelines: Are the mission, vision & values communicated & understood ? • Leadership: Are leaders in agreement on company direction? • Knowledge: How do employees describe the culture? Is it consistent? • Collaboration: Are there examples of diverse groups working together? • Challenges: How do they explain failures? Were they learning experiences? • Structure: Are they unsettled from restructures, downsizings or other changes? • Communication: Is there an open, honest communication & feedback system? • Passion: Is there purpose, energy and enthusiasm about their future? Do they have the ability to succeed?

9. 5 C’s Areas to explore All companies have gaps between strategy and ability as they develop strategic plans. The question is whether they can bridge the gap. Understanding the gaps provides information for decision making.

10. 5 C’s Areas to explore Pulling it Together: What to do with the information learned. • Prospective employee? All companies have challenges. Go in with your eyes open to their challenges and their opportunity. Can they realize the opportunity despite the challenges? • Joining to lead? Develop your initial plan to turn around the organization or address the challenges in your area of responsibility based on what you’ve learned. Adjust as you get on board and continue to listen and learn. Can you fix it? • Partnering? Compare them to other potential partners. Are you aligned with their culture and can they deliver on the relationship? Decisions to join or partner are best made with as much information as possible providing a firm foundation for collaboration and success.

11. The Five C’s of a Company Review Peggy Klingel 608-512-8830 PeggyKlingel@gmail.com Sales and Market Strategy Development and Execution Change Management, Startup and Turnaround Expertise www.linkedin.com/in/peggyklingel PeggyKlingel@gmail.com www.twitter.com/peggyklingel

12. Other Presentations by Peggy Klingel Leadership Principles for High Impact Results Priorities to drive organizational change. Sales as a Team Sport The benefits of a broad organizational understanding. Growth Strategy Execution How to start fast and deliver results. Building Bridges for Growth A review of my history and philosophy behind driving revenue growth. www.linkedin.com/in/peggyklingel PeggyKlingel@gmail.com www.twitter.com/peggyklingel