Is your revenue stuck? Is it Declining?
Investments in technology aren't providing the expected returns?
Navigate the rough waters of today's revenue generation models and Requirements
Calm Ocean Sales brings 20+ years of B2B sales leadership to your Go-to- Market challenges — at a fraction of the cost of a permanent hire.
CALM OCEAN SALES™
Not Your Typical Fractional CRO
The First Of Its Kind (VPS)aaS™ - VP of Sales as a Service
*Featuring the Go2MarketLab!*
CALM OCEAN SALES™ is a TechCXO offering
Find us on LinkedIn >
Rough Waters?
The Founders' Dilemna
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“How do we take advantage of AI in our sales process?”
“We don't have enough pipeline”
“We need to drive more revenue from our current customer base”
“Our sales leaders are under tremendous pressure and it is impacting performance and results”
Your CRO resigned (or was terminated) and you need to understand how to get or keep the business scaling until a replacement is found.
“Something just seems off in our Go To Market and we need to fix it NOW”
Founders, CEOs, CFOs, CROs, and investors are under immense pressure to address underperforming sales organizations and revenue engines.
When revenue targets are missed, the root cause is often unclear.
The issue may stem from an ineffective sales process, shifting market conditions, unclear or weak market messaging, or gaps in sales leadership.
Organizations cannot afford misalignment. Success requires clarity and consistency across message, process, and people.
When these elements are not aligned, sales performance stalls, opportunities are lost, and growth slows.
The ocean is not calm.
Agnostic, Pragmatic, Execution Oriented
Operating in a "calm ocean" improves your ability to have predictable outcomes. We start where you are - assess the team, the pipeline, and the motion with a clear eye, then we build the plan, execute and refine.
No theatrics, no long ramp. You get an experienced operator at the helm who has navigated the rough waters and led sales organizations for two decades, working inside your business with you, focused on moving the number
FAQ
What is a (VPS)aaS™?
The VP of Sales as a Service reimagines the traditional Fractional CRO and enables your business to essentially license a point solution to solve the Go To Market Challenge that YOU have. The (VPS)aaS may be focused on building pipeline efficiency, it can be sales forecasting or Strategic Account Planning. It may be necessary to utilize a more traditional Fractional VP of Sales to strategically embedded for 1-2 days per week in 30-90 day increments.
Many businesses today have capable sales leadership in place and not enough hours in a week to build or improve GTM processes.
A (VPS)aaS can help during growth phases of your business or step in on an interim basis to fill a vacancy and may even help source or hire a full time sales leader.
What are some of the benefits?
The VP of Sales as a Service reimagines the traditional Fractional CRO and enables your business to essentially license a point solution to solve the Go To Market Challenge that YOU have. The (VPS)aaS may be focused on building pipeline efficiency, it can be sales forecasting or Strategic Account Planning. It may be necessary to utilize a more traditional Fractional VP of Sales to strategically embedded for 1-2 days per week in 30-90 day increments.
Many businesses today have capable sales leadership in place and not enough hours in a week to build or improve GTM processes.
A (VPS)aaS can help during growth phases of your business or step in on an interim basis to fill a vacancy and may even help source or hire a full time sales leader.
How long is the commitment?
The VP of Sales as a Service reimagines the traditional Fractional CRO and enables your business to essentially license a point solution to solve the Go To Market Challenge that YOU have. The (VPS)aaS may be focused on building pipeline efficiency, it can be sales forecasting or Strategic Account Planning. It may be necessary to utilize a more traditional Fractional VP of Sales to strategically embedded for 1-2 days per week in 30-90 day increments.
Many businesses today have capable sales leadership in place and not enough hours in a week to build or improve GTM processes.
A (VPS)aaS can help during growth phases of your business or step in on an interim basis to fill a vacancy and may even help source or hire a full time sales leader.
With over 30 years in B2B sales and 20 years leading sales organizations, Michael has built and managed teams from early-stage startups to the giants of enterprise technology.
His experience spans building expansion motions, deploying MEDDIC-based methodologies, strategic account planning, and transforming transactional organizations into multi-product, high-retention revenue engines.
Michael brings the rare combination of a seasoned operator who has sat in the seat, the coach who develops talent, and the strategic advisor who sees the full picture — without the full-time price tag.
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Pavilion CRO Certified
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Arbinger Institute "Outward Performance for Leaders" Certified
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Patient, empathetic, professional
Meet Michael Muhlfelder
Choose Your Journey
Three ways to bring an experienced sales leader alongside your team
Strategic Advisor (Hourly)
*"Safe Space" for leaders to discuss their concerns and plans
*Work with specific teams or individuals on account plans and strategies
*Stress test key deals
*Review sales process, forecasting methodogies
Go2Market Lab (Fixed Cost)
*Engage in discovery of people, process, technology through a series of interviews, system and process reviews.
16-30 hours of assessment, data review with write and read back report, including prioritizations
*Review and revamp a specific portion of the GTM
VP Sales as a Service
( Fractional CRO)
Contracted sales leader, strategically embedded in your business in monthly and yearly increments.
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Forecast creation and management
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Deal negotiations and BOD prep
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Leader and/or rep coaching
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Review and deployment of process and technology
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Recruit for a full time Head of Sales
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Pricing varies with duration; minimum 30 day engagement
Mike In The Media
The Role Of Accountability in Sales Success ( podcast 25 minutes )
Surf and Sales Podcast "What AI is F*cking Up About Sales
Is It A Pipeline Problem Or A Qualification and Discovery Problem? ( video 46 minutes )
Top 50 Sales Influencers - 2021
Sales Career and Selling Process Tips ( podcast 49 minutes)
Sales Leadership In A Time Of Crisis ( video 44 minutes )
Becoming A Technology Enabled Salesperson- article
Developing a B2B Sales Playbook to Maximize Pipeline Efficiency ( video 30 minutes )
B2B Selling In the Modern Era ( video 19 minutes )
Calm Ocean Sales™ Representative Clients
Testimonials
Working under Mike’s guidance, our team was able to transition from a well known transactional selling model to a more strategic approach. Mike’s knowledge of the MEDDIC sales process, coupled with his strong coaching and mentoring skills, helped us to understand how to effectively engage with mid-market and enterprise customers and navigate complex sales cycles.
I greatly appreciated Mike’s dedication to our team and his commitment to helping us succeed. Mike was always available to answer questions, provide feedback, and offer guidance when needed. His leadership style is supportive, collaborative, and focused on achieving results. - B2B Sales Director
(Mike's) leadership cadence and candid communication style aligned well with what I was looking for in a senior leader. Experience, compassion, and flexibility are a few words that I would use to describe Mike's approach to leading a Sales team. A consummate professional, always.- B2B Sales Leader
Mike helped transform our company from a single product sales organization focused on new logo acquisition into a multi-product, new logo and expansion organization. He did this by putting in a structured sales methodology and reporting while recruiting/developing a high caliber team. He has a passion for ensuring new customers received the full value of what they purchased and he helped deliver that through a high touch sales model and engaging cross-functionally for solution and value delivery. His years of technology sales experience in both large and small companies is invaluable to executives and sales leaders who want to accelerate development of their go to market model, team skillsets and overall sales methodologies.- B2B SVP
Strategy is critical in deals of any size and Mike has led and supported several projects solely and alongside sales members. Not all opportunities will run the same strategy and Mike is an expert on creative selling methodologies and moving the needle to win. Being a great sales leader is not just about being good at sales and selling. It's about being an effective coach and building a solid team. I've had the opportunity to work with Mike within the sales organization for 3+ years. His leadership and mentorship were invaluable to the top-of-funnel organization and new business development. To be a successful leader one should have the desire to grow top-notch talent and Mike was very passionate about the development of members personally and professionally. Many successful professionals are thriving in their careers today due to the support and mentorship he has provided. -Sales Development Mgr