The position was appointed as part of a succession process. The Sales Director was to become a member of the executive management team and was responsible for all commercial aspects of the largest business unit. The role was therefore not limited to operational sales management, but directly connected to market positioning, customer retention, pricing, account planning and strategic market development.
The market itself was stable and predictable, but by no means simple. Existing customer business was highly important, with customer relationships often built over decades. At the same time, the company operated in a displacement market with only a few major players, where selecting the right new customers and defending high-margin business were decisive.
The role was shaped by:
- responsibility for the largest business unit
- membership of the executive management team
- direct reporting line to the CEO
- personal revenue responsibility for major accounts of around CHF 100 million
- management of around 50 key accounts
- up- and cross-selling within existing customer relationships
- budgeting, account planning and pricing
- development of the market approach strategy
- responsibility for customer satisfaction
- C-level point of contact in public tender processes
The Challenge: Commercial Strength Alone Was Not Enough
The ideal candidate had to master sales, understand the market and think strategically.
The search was demanding because the role required several areas of competence at the same time. The new Sales Director had to demonstrate a strong track record in sales with major customers, bring at least ten years of experience in a comparable function and be able to understand market mechanics, customer relationships and strategic priorities in an established market environment.
A pure sales profile would not have been sufficient for this task. The decisive factor was the balance between commercial competence and strategic thinking. The person had to maintain existing customer relationships, identify new potential, understand pricing and account logic and act credibly at executive management level.
A member of the executive management team described the requirement as follows:
“The person not only had to master sales, but also understand how our market works and how we need to defend our position and market share.”
Further requirements included negotiation-level communication in German and French, experience with customers in the CHF 10–50 million revenue range, affinity with the construction industry or capital goods, a sound educational background and further training in strategic selling, account planning or relevant sales methodologies.
Particularly demanding aspects included:
- proven track record with major and key accounts
- experience with large customer revenues and long-term customer relationships
- strategic understanding of a displacement market with only a few major players
- ability to identify high-margin business
- personal management of important key accounts
- C-level communication in tender processes
- leadership of a small, experienced team
- negotiation-level German and French
- cultural fit with a fair, collegial and ambitious company
Why the Search Had to Be Conducted Externally
Earlier approaches had shown that the relevant market was not easy to access.
The client had observed opportunities in the market over a longer period and had also held conversations with potential candidates. However, this internal or passive search did not lead to the desired result. Especially for a role of this importance, it became clear that the search had to be more systematic, more active and more strongly focused on strategic fit.
The difficulty was not only finding candidates with strong sales capabilities. The key was to identify people who understood the specific market, could credibly manage long-term customer relationships and were able to fulfil the executive management level of the role. This required targeted direct approach and careful pre-selection.
The search therefore had to clarify:
- Which candidates had sufficient commercial responsibility?
- Who understood a stable yet margin-oriented displacement market?
- Which profiles could combine long-term customer retention with selective new customer development?
- Who could operate at executive management level and stand up to CEO-level expectations?
- Which personalities fit a culture of collegiality, fairness, professionalism and ambition?
Profile Refinement: From Sales Profile to Executive Management Role
The decisive step was not to understand the role too narrowly as a sales position.
At the beginning, the position was analysed in detail together with the client. This was not only about recording tasks and requirements, but about understanding the strategic importance of the role within the company. The search was not to start from isolated wish-list criteria, but from a clear assessment: what kind of Sales Director can commercially lead the largest business unit while also securing the long-term market position?
During profile refinement, two core capabilities proved particularly important: commercial strength and strategic thinking. The person had to demonstrate sales success, but also be able to assess market logic, customer portfolios, pricing questions and new customer potential analytically and entrepreneurially.
A member of the executive management team highlighted this point:
“At the beginning, we spoke in detail about the company and the position. This ensured that our requirements were understood precisely.”
This thorough preparation became visible later in the process. The proposed candidates covered the relevant dimensions because the search was not based solely on formal career stages, but on the right combination of experience, market understanding, personality and strategic fit.
The profile refinement focused on:
- the role as a member of the executive management team
- responsibility for the largest business unit
- overall commercial responsibility instead of pure sales management
- major account experience and personal revenue responsibility
- strategic market development in a displacement market
- long-term customer care and customer satisfaction
- pricing, account planning and budgeting
- ability to make an impact in committees, boards and tender processes
Selection Process: Structure, Transparency and Honest Reflection
The support helped not only with candidate selection, but also with internal alignment.
The process was structured and professional. The client was regularly informed about the status of the search: which profiles had been identified, how far the process had progressed and which next steps were planned. This transparent communication was particularly important because the role was strategically relevant and several internal perspectives had to be brought together.
During the selection process, it became clear that the decision-making committee had different views on which profile was actually needed. After the first interviews, there was not yet full internal clarity on the right emphasis. This was precisely where the support became especially valuable: the discussion was not glossed over, but addressed openly. This helped bring the committee back to the core question: which person can successfully fulfil this role in the long term?
The impressions after interviews were also critically reflected. The goal was not simply to promote candidates, but to assess strengths, risks and interview dynamics honestly. This approach increased the quality of the decision and helped make the final selection more objective.
Particularly important in the selection process were:
- regular and transparent communication
- clear feedback after interviews
- critical assessment of candidates and process dynamics
- support in managing differing views within the selection committee
- focus on quality rather than quantity
- careful pre-selection of suitable profiles
- balance between candidate quality, cultural fit and strategic impact
Result: Successful Appointment Despite Demanding Internal Alignment
In the end, the client was able to choose from several convincing profiles.
The search led to the successful appointment of the Sales Director. The quality of the proposed candidates was highlighted particularly positively. Instead of presenting as many profiles as possible, the focus was on carefully selected candidates who met the relevant requirements. In the end, the client was able to choose from 3 promising candidates; in total, 7 candidates reached the final interview round.
The mandate was completed in under 5 months, despite internal delays on the client side. The shortlist was presented after 6 weeks. This meant that a strategically important executive management position in a demanding market could be successfully appointed.
Concrete client benefits:
- successful appointment of a strategically important Sales Director role
- appointment of a commercial leader for the largest business unit
- stronger profile refinement through thorough company and role analysis
- access to carefully selected candidates instead of a broad, unspecific candidate pool
- higher decision quality through critical and honest process support
- support in aligning differing views within the selection committee
- strengthening of succession planning at executive management level
- appointment of a role responsible for customer retention, market strategy and commercial success
Key KPIs:
- 6 weeks from mandate start to shortlist presentation
- 7 candidates in the final interview round
- Under 5 months mandate duration
What This Mandate Shows
Strategic sales roles require more than sales strength: the decisive factor is the combination of market understanding, customer retention and executive management competence.
- In stable markets with only a few major players, sales is strongly strategic.
- Long-term customer relationships are a competitive advantage, but they must be actively maintained and developed.
- For succession processes at executive management level, passive market observation is often not enough.
- Precise profile refinement helps distinguish sales competence from true commercial leadership capability.
- Differing views within the selection committee should be addressed early so that the decision remains robust.
- Quality in pre-selection is particularly important when role, market and culture require a high degree of fit.
