Commercial Strategy

Sean Wilson has more than 20 years of commercial leadership experience, combining strategy, sales, marketing, business development and operational execution to improve revenue, profitability and enterprise value.

He has worked across startups, scale-ups, large enterprises, government and not-for-profit organisations, in roles including CEO, COO, Chief Commercial Officer, Commercial Director, National General Manager Sales & Marketing and National Sales Director. His broader experience spans sales and marketing, business development, product, technology, operations and leading complex organisations and divisions, including P&L accountability of up to $85m and leadership of teams of more than 300 people, giving him a practical understanding of how the different parts of a business need to work together to achieve strong commercial outcomes.

His experience spans the full commercial lifecycle. From understanding markets and customers, developing propositions and pricing, and defining go-to-market strategies, through to building sales capability, developing partnerships, improving conversion and retention, and creating the operating disciplines required to deliver sustainable growth.

He has also spent much of his career on the frontline of commercial performance. He has personally won and closed major accounts, built sales pipelines, developed strategic partnerships and led national sales and marketing teams. This gives him a practical understanding of what it takes to turn commercial strategy into actual revenue.

Commercial Strategy & Growth

Sean works with organisations to understand where the greatest commercial opportunities exist and what needs to change to capture them.

His experience includes:

• Market & Competitor Analysis — understanding customers, markets, competitors and market opportunities to determine where to compete and how to differentiate.

• Value Proposition & Pricing — developing propositions, pricing models and commercial offers that improve customer value, conversion and margins.

• Go-to-Market Strategy — determining target markets, channels, routes to market, sales approaches and the capabilities required to execute effectively.

• Revenue Growth — identifying and executing opportunities to increase acquisition, retention, average customer value, recurring revenue and market share.

• Commercial Operating Models — designing the structures, processes, systems, channels and accountabilities required to support sustainable commercial performance.

• Sales Effectiveness — improving sales processes, pipeline management, conversion, account management, performance measurement and sales execution.

• Sales Transformation — rebuilding underperforming sales functions, introducing new commercial disciplines and aligning sales, marketing, product and operations around revenue outcomes.

• Commercial Capability Development — building the people, structures, processes, systems and accountability required to turn commercial strategy into consistent execution and sustainable growth.

• Partnership & Business Development — identifying strategic relationships, developing channels and partnerships, and converting opportunities into sustainable commercial outcomes.

Proven Commercial Impact

Sean's commercial experience includes:

• At BetterHR, he led the turnaround and growth of a national SaaS business, doubled revenue & gross profit and increased share value by 150%+ in the first 2 years as CEO (from $16.71 in 2018 to $42.08 in 2020, with the share price remaining above the level inherited for more than six years), while expanding the customer base to more than 60,000 users and building a partner network of 300+ organisations (Telstra, ADP, Xero, industry associations, franchise groups).

• At Sharing Minds, he commercialised a new SaaS division, taking sales from zero to more than $2 million for the financial year, with over $1 million banked in the first 180 days.

• At the Housing Industry Association, as National General Manager Sales & Marketing, he led a national commercial operation across 23 offices and more than 300 employees, transforming declining membership and revenue into sustained growth, growing membership to more than 50,000 and revenue to over $89m, attracting more than 10,000 new members.

• At Sensis, as National Sales Director, he led national sales operations and built a dedicated government sales capability supporting more than 5,000 accounts. Earlier in his Sensis career he personally delivered millions of dollars in sales, achieved up to 366% vs target and won multiple national sales awards.

• Across his executive career, he has developed major strategic partnerships with organisations including Telstra, ADP, Westfield and government organisations, while managing major corporate and government accounts worth $1 million+.

Sales Capability & Performance

Sean understands that commercial strategy only creates value when an organisation has the sales, marketing, people, systems and operating discipline to execute it.

He has built and led sales and marketing teams of more than 300 people, developed sales operating models, introduced performance disciplines, restructured underperforming teams, developed sales talent and built the commercial capability required to support growth.

His experience includes:

• Sales team structure and operating models

• Sales performance and accountability

• Pipeline development and management

• Key account management

• Sales process and conversion improvement

• Sales talent development and coaching

• Sales and marketing alignment

• Channel and partner development

• Customer acquisition and retention

• Commercial capability development

He combines the perspective of an experienced CEO and commercial leader with the practical experience of someone who has personally built pipelines, developed relationships, negotiated major agreements and closed significant business.

Turning Strategy Into Commercial Performance

Sean's approach is practical.

He starts with the commercial objective, works out what is preventing the organisation from achieving it, and then focuses on the changes that will have the greatest impact.

That might involve repositioning the proposition, changing pricing, entering a new market, improving the sales model, developing new channels or partnerships, rebuilding the sales team, improving customer retention, or simply creating greater accountability and execution discipline.

The objective is not simply a better commercial strategy. It is measurable improvement in revenue, margin, customer value, market position and ultimately enterprise value.

His broader experience across technology, operations, finance, HR, product, transformation and governance also means he understands that commercial performance rarely sits within the sales function alone. Sustainable growth depends on the whole organisation working together.