A growth market with structural shortcomings
An international energy group wanted to expand its solar business for residential and business customers in Germany. The market offered growth potential, but the company’s own structure was not keeping pace: partner-based sales and direct sales were operating in parallel, sales to residential customers were inefficient, and in the business customer segment there was a lack of management tools for monitoring turnover and capacity.
Several building sites, one goal
Several areas at once required experienced interim leadership. The network of market partners needed to be managed more closely and structured in such a way that it could operate alongside the company’s own direct sales organisation. At the same time, the question arose as to how the business could be grown in a targeted manner through acquisitions. The retail sales division, with around 50 staff, needed to be restructured without losing any of its effectiveness. And for business customers, there was a lack of reliable processes in project management.
One Interim Executive, four roles
Rather than filling each vacancy individually, the group opted for an interim executive who took on the most critical role at any given time, either sequentially or, in some cases, in parallel. In this way, the knowledge gained at each stage remained within the company and fed directly into the next. The guiding principle was to view sales, growth strategy and operational management as an integrated system.
From our partner network to project delivery
- Partner Sales: The partner programme was redesigned and launched in such a way that it can operate alongside direct sales. The largest market partners were closely managed, communication with the partner network was intensified, and the network was strategically expanded.
- Strategy & M&A: A geographical market analysis and a ‘Buyer’s Universe’ formed the basis for identifying and approaching suitable target companies. Integration and business models were developed for this purpose, and acquisitions were supported.
- Retail Sales: The interim manager introduced a sales excellence programme, restructured the sales organisation and made targeted investments in growth regions.
- PMO & Delivery: Project management and processes were reorganised for business customers. Controlling systems for revenue management and capacity planning, as well as KPI monitoring, were introduced.
