Assessing Commercial Maturity to Regain Market Leadership

A leading British marine and watersports manufacturer used Eendigo’s SPARK® Diagnostic to assess commercial maturity, align on priorities, and launch an execution plan.

Written by: Guillermo Carrasco Martínez, Defne Isler
© Copyright 2026 Eendigo. All Rights Reserved.

Context and Problem

A long-standing British marine and watersports manufacturer had expanded across wholesale partners, distributors, owned retail, and digital channels. Growth slowed as the market shifted toward omnichannel buying, competitors accelerated launches, and internal practices diverged by country.

Local teams worked hard but with different definitions, varied pricing approaches, and uneven sales routines. Leadership asked Eendigo to:

• Establish an objective maturity baseline
• Bring the voice of the customer into the discussion
• Create a focused plan to regain momentum

The Commercial Challenge

The commercial model had evolved organically. Countries and channels set their own routines, creating inconsistent execution and diluted brand positioning.

Key issues included:

• Pricing practices varied by region and product family
• Discount depth was hard to compare
• Pocket margin was not visible at decision time
• Funnel terminology differed, making forecasting fragmented and late
• Data lived in multiple files, making steering difficult

Customers valued performance and craftsmanship, but wanted:

• Clearer pricing
• Simpler engagement rules
• More consistent service

Internally, roles and decision rights were unclear, and incentives focused on volume rather than margin or strategic priorities.

Leadership needed:

• A shared fact base
• Clear ambition by capability area
• A practical sequence of actions teams would actually use

The Brief

The brief was clear:

• Measure commercial maturity across strategy, pricing, go-to-market, pipeline, organization, and incentives
• Combine internal interviews with customer input
• Translate evidence into a focused initiative plan with owners, targets, and execution cadence

From Symptoms to a Fact-Based Plan

Eendigo ran a four-week SPARK® Diagnostic combining:

• Internal assessment
• Customer insights
• Maturity scoring
• Initiative planning

Inside the Organization

• 27 stakeholder interviews
• 20 team surveys
• Sales, marketing, product, finance, and operations included

Roles, processes, and decision forums were mapped to highlight duplication, delays, and gaps.

Voice of the Customer

• 11 interviews
• 17 surveys
• Distributors, retailers, and end users

They assessed:

• Product perceptions
• Pricing clarity
• Service levels
• Marketing support

The outside-in view confirmed strengths in performance and quality, and highlighted gaps in channel consistency, promotional support, and pricing transparency.

Scoring Commercial Maturity

The diagnostic measured maturity across:

• 6 core areas
• 19 pillars
• 58 value drivers

The baseline maturity score was ~1.7 out of 5, with the lowest levels in:

• Pricing
• Go-to-market strategy
• Pipeline management

Leadership reviewed the maturity map in workshops, set pragmatic ambition targets, and aligned on a delivery sequence.

Early priorities:

• Pricing governance and list logic
• Closed-loop funnel
• Account segmentation
• Clear roles and decision rights

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From Ideas to Execution

• 48 ideas → 10 high-impact initiatives
• Each received a charter with:
  • Objectives
  • Scope
  • Milestones
  • Resources
  • KPIs
  • Owner

A three-year roadmap sequenced quick wins ahead of deeper changes and defined a review cadence for course correction.

What Changed in the Field

• One shared maturity baseline and target per pillar
• Unified pricing architecture and governance
• Closed-loop funnel with agreed stages and exit criteria
• Tiered account segmentation with visit cadence and objectives

Weekly Commercial War Room

One pack covered:

• Funnel movement
• Pricing adherence
• Initiative milestones
• Headroom by segment

Decisions were recorded with owners and due dates, improving speed, accountability, and cross-functional alignment.

Results in the First 12 Weeks

• Baseline maturity: 1.7 / 5 across 6 pillars and 19 sub-areas
• Fieldwork:
  • 27 internal interviews
  • 20 internal surveys
  • 11 customer interviews
  • 17 customer surveys
• 7% of customers drove 80% of sales
• Some teams spent <45% of time selling vs. a 65% benchmark
• 48 initiatives → ~20 high-impact projects
• Roadmap shows potential for:
  • 10% gross margin uplift
  • 8% revenue CAGR
• Weekly War Room established

Why This Matters for Leaders

Diagnostics only help if they change how work is run.

A maturity assessment creates:

• A shared language
• Clear priorities
• A cadence that keeps leaders and teams aligned

When pricing, funnels, and account focus are standardized, organizations gain speed and consistency without bureaucracy.

Clear initiative charters, visible KPIs, and regular checkpoints turn ambition into lasting routines.

Delivering Impact That Lasts

Within the first year:

• +3% revenue uplift
• +5% EBITDA impact
• CRM adoption up 40%+
• Forecast accuracy improved
• Churn among top-tier accounts down 12%

Over three years:

• 15%+ cumulative EBITDA improvement
• Additional upside from share-of-wallet growth

Get in Touch

Email: office@eendigo-ops.com
LinkedIn: www.linkedin.com/company/eendigo

Delivering impact that lasts.