The growth paradox: expanding businesses, modest profit lift

Consumer products SMEs report momentum—about three quarters have seen some form of growth over the last three years, and most have also improved profitability. The catch is that only a small share report profitability growth above 10%, which signals plenty of headroom to improve how revenue turns into profit. In practical terms, sales teams are being asked to deliver more than “more deals”: they need to protect price, reduce churn, and sell with confidence even when fulfillment and inventory constraints change quickly. That’s why the conversation shifts from sales execution to sales process design—how information moves, how decisions are made, and how quickly the business can act.

Growth objectives are clear—so are the risks

The top objective for the next two years is increasing market share (42%), closely followed by attracting new customers and becoming more agile (both 39%). At the same time, the sector is anxious about supply chain fragility (49%)—and the competitive pressure that comes with expansion, especially competition at the national level (42%). This combination creates a new sales reality: selling is no longer just about product and price, but about reliability, responsiveness, and trust. Companies that can clearly communicate availability, delivery commitments, and value differentiation will have a structural advantage in win rates and retention.

Fix the foundation: outdated IT slows sales Innovation

Sales leaders increasingly depend on strong internal systems—analytics, supply chain visibility, CRM, and ERP—to qualify leads and follow up with the right offer at the right time. Yet more than half of respondents say their current infrastructure makes it harder to stand up new businesses, enter new geographies, or deploy new business models. Cloud adoption is a concrete gap: consumer products companies report lower adoption (58%) versus the cross-industry average (73%). Closing that gap isn’t “an IT project”; it directly affects speed to quote, pricing clarity, and the ability to adjust when supply or demand changes.

Connect lead-to-cash: one customer journey, one version of truth

You cannot optimize the customer journey if data is fragmented across touchpoints. Sales teams need real-time product and service visibility, and they need it early—starting from lead discovery, not only at order placement. When processes and data are integrated, organizations report better outcomes such as more accurate and up-to-date data, real-time KPI insights, and a stronger ability to automate operational processes. This is what makes cross-channel order management workable: it reduces “hand-offs” and replaces guesswork with shared visibility across front and back office.

AI is the accelerator: faster cycles, better decisions, better experiences

AI is positioned as the next major lever for sales process innovation, especially when cloud applications create overwhelming volumes of operational and customer data. As of 2023, only about one quarter of respondents were using AI/ML in sales processes, but many expected adoptions within the following year. The expected impact is significant: respondents anticipate AI will affect products/services (84%) and sales/marketing (81%). Used well, AI can speed up order processing, improve demand forecasting and invoice workflows, and support frontline execution as capabilities such as image recognition mature (for example, translating shelf conditions into actionable insights).

A practical starting point for sales leaders in consumer products

Sales transformation succeeds when it is treated as a business operating model—not a collection of tools. The most realistic path is to target the moments that directly influence conversion, margin, and retention, and then scale what works. Start with a lead-to-cash lens and build the data spine that connects promise (what sales sells) with delivery (what operations can fulfill). Then introduce automation and AI where they remove friction rather than add complexity.

A practical set of steps:

• Map the lead-to-cash journey and identify the top three “break points” (pricing, availability/commitments, hand-offs).
• Prioritize cloud-enabled visibility for inventory, order status, and customer history used in daily selling.
• Standardize core data (products, customers, pricing rules) so teams stop debating whose numbers are correct.
• Pilot AI in one or two workflows (e.g., order processing, forecasting, promotion effectiveness) and measure cycle time and margin impact.

Conclusion

For midsized consumer products companies, sales process transformation is no longer optional—it is the route to protecting growth and improving profitability in a volatile market. The winning formula is consistent: close the cloud gap, integrate processes and data across functions, and use AI to reduce friction across the lead-to-cash journey. Done right, this creates faster sales cycles, more reliable commitments, and better customer experience while giving leadership clearer visibility into what drives revenue and margin. The companies that move first will be better positioned to outpace change rather than react to it.

Source: Outpacing Change: How consumer products companies can turn sales challenges into revenue opportunities

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