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  • AFP Exchange (Association for Finance Professionals)

Well Said: Why Articulating Your Strategy Can Set You Apart

By: Frank V. Cespedes
  • Format:Print
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Abstract

Senior finance managers now operate in an altered c-suite landscape. The executives reporting to the CEO have doubled in the past 30 years, mostly an increase in functional specialists, not general managers responsible for cross-functional integration. Three decades ago, COOs outnumbered CFOs in Fortune 500 and S&P 500 companies, but the proportions have flipped. Many CFOs are now charged with driving strategic planning in their firms and, in this role, often serve as the glue across functions and business units. But without clarity about strategy and the ability to articulate strategy, people can only pick up random, disconnected cues about priorities, and alignment is then hit-and-miss, especially when it comes to linking sales behaviors with strategic priorities. This article explains core links between selling initiatives and basic drivers of enterprise value, and it provides suggestions about how best to communicate strategy to busy people in the field.

Keywords

Strategy; Sales

Citation

Cespedes, Frank V. "Well Said: Why Articulating Your Strategy Can Set You Apart." AFP Exchange (Association for Finance Professionals) 35, no. 2 (March 2015): 49–51.

About The Author

Frank V. Cespedes

Entrepreneurial Management
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More from the Author
  • Belden and Digital Transformation: From Product Sales to Solutions Sales By: Frank V. Cespedes and Amy Klopfenstein
  • Using Simulations to Upskill Employees By: Frank V. Cespedes, Trond Aas, Alex Hunt and Huw Newton-Hill
  • Aphro Beverages By: Frank V. Cespedes and Amram Migdal
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