Advisory methodology

The Strategic Revenue Audit, anatomised.

The exact shape of an Evara Strategic Revenue Audit. What we look at, who we talk to, what you get. Designed to be picked up by a board, not a generic deck.

Read the sample audit (anonymised) →See engagement types →

What it is.

A Strategic Revenue Audit is a structured two to four-week diagnostic of the full revenue function. It is delivered by Rich Evans with support from Rachel Lunn and produces a written report with prioritised interventions, not a generic deck.

By the end of the engagement the leadership team has a single, board-ready document that explains where the revenue function is strong, where it is weak, and the three to five interventions that will move the most revenue inside the next two quarters.

Duration

Two to four weeks elapsed, scoped against business size

Cost

Fixed fee, scoped per business at kick-off. Audits typically sit in the same fee range as a senior retained search and are paid in two stages (engagement and report).

What we will need from you.

  • Read-only access to CRM, forecast and pipeline reports
  • Last twelve months of board packs and revenue actuals
  • Org chart, comp plans and quota sheets
  • Forty-five to sixty minutes with each member of the commercial leadership team
  • Three to five customer conversations (won, lost and churned)

Workstreams

The five workstreams of the audit.

01

Strategy and ICP

Questions we answer

  • Is the ideal customer profile defined and consistently applied across sales and marketing?
  • Are the segments served the right ones for the next two years of growth?
  • Does the pricing reflect the value delivered and the willingness to pay?

Artefacts reviewed

  • ICP document and account scoring rules
  • Win/loss data for the last four quarters
  • Pricing and packaging history

Outputs

  • Confirmation or restatement of the ideal customer profile
  • Heat map of segment fit and economic attractiveness
  • Pricing and packaging recommendations where misaligned
02

Structure and capacity

Questions we answer

  • Does the current org match the segmentation and the sales motion?
  • What is the realistic ramped capacity of the team versus the next twelve months of plan?
  • Are spans of control sustainable for the manager bench?

Artefacts reviewed

  • Org chart and tenure data
  • Quota sheets and attainment by rep for the last four quarters
  • Hiring plan and headcount budget

Outputs

  • Capacity model linking quota, ramp, attainment and attrition to the revenue plan
  • Org redesign options where capacity is short or structure is wrong
  • Hiring sequence and prioritisation
03

Process and pipeline

Questions we answer

  • Are stage definitions and exit criteria precise enough to make the forecast trustworthy?
  • Where are deals stalling and why?
  • Is pipeline coverage at three to four times forward quota in the right segments?

Artefacts reviewed

  • CRM stage definitions and conversion data
  • Pipeline coverage by segment and rep
  • Forecast versus actuals for the last four quarters

Outputs

  • Sales process recommendations with stage exit criteria
  • Pipeline gap analysis by segment
  • Forecast cadence and hygiene plan
04

Compensation and motivation

Questions we answer

  • Does the comp plan pay for the behaviour the business actually needs?
  • Are accelerators and decelerators set at the right thresholds?
  • Are top performers paid enough that they will not be poached?

Artefacts reviewed

  • Comp plans for AE, SDR, CSM, manager and leader roles
  • Top-performer earnings versus market data
  • Plan-versus-actual payout history

Outputs

  • Compensation recommendations with worked payout examples
  • Quota-to-OTE ratio benchmarking against the relevant regional market
  • Risk register of plans likely to drive the wrong behaviour
05

Tooling and operating cadence

Questions we answer

  • Is the tech stack supporting the sales motion or fighting it?
  • Is the operating cadence (forecast call, pipeline review, QBR, board pack) installed and useful?
  • Are the right metrics being reported to the right people at the right frequency?

Artefacts reviewed

  • CRM, MAP, sales engagement and analytics stack inventory
  • Forecast call and pipeline review recordings
  • Last four board packs

Outputs

  • Tooling recommendations with rationalisation opportunities
  • Operating cadence design with attendees, agenda and decisions
  • Board reporting pack template

What you receive.

  • Written diagnostic (40 to 60 pages) with prioritised intervention list
  • Capacity model spreadsheet linking the plan to headcount, ramp and attainment
  • Operating-model design summary suitable for board distribution
  • Hiring sequence and brief for any roles recommended
  • Two readout sessions: one with the executive team, one with the board

Audit FAQs

Common questions.

Who delivers the audit?+

The audit is led by Rich Evans, with support from Rachel Lunn on people and hiring topics. Both have personally built and led revenue functions; the audit is not delivered by analysts working from a template.

How long does it take?+

Two weeks for a focused diagnostic on a £2m to £5m business. Three to four weeks for businesses of £10m or more, or where multiple business units are in scope. The clock starts when access to data and interviews is agreed.

What does it cost?+

Fixed fee, scoped at kick-off. Most audits sit in the same fee range as a senior retained search and are paid in two stages (engagement and report). We will not quote a price publicly because the scope genuinely changes with business size.

Will you sign an NDA?+

Yes. A mutual NDA is signed before any commercial data is shared. We have run audits inside competing businesses without conflict by maintaining a strict information barrier and recusing the lead consultant where required.

Can the audit feed straight into hiring?+

Yes. The most common pattern is an audit followed by a structured set of hires using the ALIGN methodology, sometimes with a fractional CRO running point in between. The audit and the hiring are scoped together so the brief for each search is grounded in the diagnostic.

Will you actually tell us things we do not want to hear?+

Yes. The whole point of bringing in an external operator is to surface what the in-house team cannot say. The audit is delivered with calibration and respect, but it is not a flattery exercise.

Talk to Evara.

Sales recruitment, GTM recruitment and revenue advisory for SMEs UK-wide. We reply within one working day.

Email Rachel Lunn