What the Service Is

Growth Execution Partner is a fractional, operator-led sales leadership model designed for food, beverage, and CPG brands that need revenue growth now, not theory or decks.

Instead of advising from the sidelines, Next Shelf Partners steps into the business, takes ownership of sales execution, and runs the function as if it were internal leadership—without the cost, delay, or risk of a full-time executive hire.

This service sits between strategy and the shelf.

How the Service Works (End-to-End)

1. Sales Ownership (Not Consulting)

We operate as a true extension of the leadership team. That means:

• Owning sales outcomes, not just recommendations
• Representing the brand with distributors, retailers, and brokers
• Making decisions, setting priorities, and driving accountability

This is not advisory work. It is embedded leadership.

2. Discovery & Revenue Diagnosis (Weeks 1–2)

The engagement begins with a fast but thorough commercial assessment:

We evaluate:

• Current revenue by channel, account, and SKU
• Distributor coverage, performance, and gaps
• Retail velocity, pricing, and promo effectiveness
• Sales process maturity (pipeline, forecasting, CRM, reporting)
• Team structure, broker usage, and role clarity

Outputs:

• Clear view of what is blocking growth
• Immediate revenue opportunities identified
• A prioritized execution roadmap (30/60/90 days)

3. Go-To-Market Execution

We build and actively run the go-to-market engine.

Includes:

• Channel strategy (Grocery, Natural, Convenience, Foodservice, Club)
• Account targeting and sequencing
• Distributor onboarding, resets, or replacement
• Pricing architecture and trade logic
• Promo cadence and velocity improvement

Everything is designed for sell-in + sell-through, not vanity distribution.

4. Key Account Leadership

We personally handle or co-handle priority accounts.

Activities include:

• Retail buyer presentations and line reviews
• Distributor joint business planning
• New item launches and item authorizations
• Performance reviews and corrective action plans
• Forecasting and order flow management

Clients gain senior-level account coverage immediately—without waiting months to hire.

5. Sales Team & Broker Management

If a team or broker network exists, we lead it.

This includes:

• Role definition and territory clarity
• Weekly cadence calls and KPI reviews
• Field priorities and call focus
• Broker scorecards and performance enforcement
• Hiring support if gaps exist

If no team exists, we build the structure first, then scale it responsibly.

6. Operating Cadence & Accountability

Execution only works with rhythm.

We install:

• Weekly execution check-ins
• Monthly business reviews
• Pipeline, velocity, and distribution dashboards
• Clear owner-by-owner accountability

Founders and CEOs always know:

• What is moving
• What is stuck
• What is being done about it

7. Founder & Leadership Support

We reduce noise at the top.

We help leadership:

• Decide where not to spend time
• Prepare for board, investor, or retailer conversations
• Pressure-test growth assumptions
• Translate ambition into executable plans

This keeps leadership focused on growth—not managing sales chaos.

Engagement Structure

Time Commitment

• Typically 10–25 hours per week, depending on growth stage
• Can scale up or down as needs change

Communication

• Weekly leadership sync
• Direct access for urgent account or distributor issues
• Clear reporting—no surprises

Pricing Model (Typical Range)

• $5,000–$8,000 per month
• Flat monthly retainer
• No commissions, no long-term lock-in required

Pricing depends on:

• Channel complexity
• Account ownership expectations
• Team management scope

Who This Is Best For

• Brands stalled between $1M–$20M in revenue
• Founders who need execution, not education
• Companies preparing for key retail expansion
• Teams that lack senior sales leadership internally

What Makes This Different

• Operator-led, not consultant-led
• Revenue accountability, not slide decks
• Embedded execution, not advice
• Built for food, beverage, and CPG realities

When Hiring a VP of Sales Feels Risky

A full-time sales executive is expensive, slow to onboard, and high-risk if the hire misses.

Brands choose this model when:

• They need senior leadership now
• They aren’t ready for a $200k+ hire
• They want proof before committing long-term

This gives them experienced leadership immediately, with flexibility.

When Brokers Aren’t Being Managed
Brokers are active, but outcomes are unclear.Typical issues:
No clear priorities or scorecards
Activity without accountability
Inconsistent messaging to retailersBrands choose Growth Execution Partner to:
Set expectations
Enforce performance
Decide who stays and who goes6. When Strategy Exists—but Execution Doesn’t
The brand has:
Decks
Plans
Ambitious targetsBut no one is fully accountable for turning plans into revenue.This service is chosen when leadership says:
“We know what we want to do—we just need it executed.”In Short
Brands choose Growth Execution Partner when they:
Need results, not consulting
Need leadership before they hire it full-time
Are serious about moving from opportunity to executionIf you want, I can:
Compress this into a one-screen version
Rewrite it as buyer-facing FAQs
Add a short “Not a Fit If…” section (which increases conversions)
Turn this into a comparison vs hiring a VP of SalesJust tell me where this will live on the page.

When the Founder Is Carrying Sales Alone

Many founders are still acting as:

• Head of Sales
• Key Account Manager
• Broker manager
• Forecast owner

This becomes unsustainable as the business grows.

Brands choose this service when:

• Sales is consuming leadership time
• Decisions are reactive instead of planned
• There’s no clear sales operating rhythm

Growth Execution Partner replaces chaos with structure—without forcing a full-time hire too early.