Commercial Journey Playbook

Commercial Journey Playbook
title: Commercial Journey Playbook id: PLAYBOOK-COMMERCIAL-JOURNEY version: 0.1.0 status: Draft owner: Bill Higgins created: 2026-07-13 last_updated: 2026-07-13
Commercial Journey Playbook
Purpose
The Commercial Journey Playbook defines how Carve acquires, understands, transforms, and matures client relationships.
It establishes a repeatable experience for both the client and Carve while ensuring every engagement progresses with clear purpose, measurable outcomes, and defined next steps.
The objective is not simply to sell consulting services.
The objective is to reduce executive uncertainty while progressively increasing organizational capability.
Guiding Principles
Every stage of the commercial journey should:
Answer one executive question.
Produce one primary outcome.
Create a tangible artifact.
Reduce uncertainty.
Build confidence.
Make the next commitment obvious.
End with the next meeting scheduled whenever possible.
No client should ever leave a meeting wondering what happens next.
Every meeting ends by answering two questions:
What did we learn?
and
What happens next?
Journey Overview
Standard Stage Structure
Every stage should follow the same operating pattern.
Purpose
Why this stage exists.
Executive Question
The single executive question this stage answers.
Participants
Who should attend.
Client.
Carve.
Decision makers.
Client Preparation
Information.
Expectations.
Required attendees.
Homework.
Carve Preparation
Research.
Analysis.
Presentation.
Meeting agenda.
Internal alignment.
Client Experience
Describe what the client experiences during the engagement.
Focus on the conversation rather than Carve's methodology.
Carve Activities
Describe what Carve is doing behind the scenes.
Analysis.
Facilitation.
Validation.
Preparation.
Documentation.
Information Requested
Only request information required to answer the executive question.
Information should always have a purpose.
Documents are evidence—not deliverables.
Primary Artifact
Every stage produces one principal deliverable.
Examples include:
Discovery Summary
Business Discovery Engagement Brief
Executive Business Assessment
Executive Operating Blueprint
30-Day Operating Plan
Supporting Artifacts
Supporting documents may include:
Information request checklist
Meeting summary
Presentation
Timeline
Secure upload instructions
Action items
Communications
Define:
1
Before meeting
2
During meeting
3
After meeting
Communication should remain simple, executive-focused, and action-oriented.
Meeting Close
Every meeting ends by reviewing:
What We Learned
Summarize the key outcomes.
Confirm executive alignment.
Validate assumptions.
Confirm understanding.
What Happens Next
Explain:
the purpose of the next stage;
what information is required;
what artifact will be produced;
who should attend;
expected timeline;
expected business outcome.
Whenever possible:
Schedule the next meeting before leaving the room.
Momentum is part of the client experience.
Exit Criteria
Every stage has objective completion criteria.
A stage should never end because time expired.
It ends because the executive question has been answered sufficiently to move forward.
Transition
The transition should naturally connect today's learning to tomorrow's work.
Every transition should sound something like:
Based on what we learned today, the next logical step is...
The client should never feel like they are entering a new sales process.
They should feel like the conversation is naturally continuing.
Journey Stages
The following sections should eventually be completed for each stage:
01
Referral
02
Discovery
03
Business Discovery Kickoff
04
Business Discovery
05
Executive Business Assessment
06
Executive Operating Blueprint
07
30-Day Operating Partnership
08
Operating Partnership
09
Growth / Business Health
10
Strategic Re-engagement
Each stage should fully implement the Standard Stage Structure.
Success Criteria
The Commercial Journey is successful when:
Every meeting has a clear executive purpose.
Every stage answers one meaningful executive question.
Every engagement produces a valuable artifact.
Every client understands why the next stage exists.
Every meeting concludes with the next step clearly explained.
Whenever practical, the next meeting is scheduled before the current meeting ends.
The client experiences one continuous journey rather than separate consulting engagements.
Organizational capability increases throughout the relationship.