This classic quote is from a very memorable scene from the iconic movie Glengarry Glen Ross — highly acclaimed both as the Broadway play by David Mamet and the 1992 movie starring Alec Baldwin, Al Pacino, Jack Lemmon, Kevin Spacey, and Ed Harris. It powerfully depicts a rough, stereotypical side of corporate sales. A must-see, if you haven’t already. [Curious? This scene is easily found on YouTube. Profanity warning.]
The film often reinforces another damaging stereotype: the fervent battle between the VP of Sales and the CFO—an image of Finance only existing to block spending, cut costs, and stifle Sales' growth initiatives.
Like most stereotypes, this is a false understanding of a CFO’s potential impact on growth and the business investment in the sales process.
At FocusCFO, we know this is a false and limiting understanding. The modern, strategic CFO is not a budget executioner; they are a critical partner in profitable sales growth and investment.
The best way to understand the strategic CFO's approach to sales is to look at the powerful, insightful questions they ask to optimize the entire sales ecosystem:
The Strategic CFO's 5 Core Sales Questions
A seasoned CFO provides strategic insight, moving the conversation from "How much did we spend?" to "How profitable is our entire sales engine?"
- Have we carefully broken our sale process into value-add steps and are we applying the appropriate skills, effective and efficient resources at each stage?
- Do we have a well-defined sales process with measurable metrics and performance indicators?
- Are we targeting our sales efforts, resources, and expenditures to the most profitable accounts/ product lines?
- Does our expenditure of sales resources by channel/ segment/ region coincide with the profitability for each of those?
- Can we profitably accelerate growth with added sales resource?
More Than a Cost Cutter: The CFO as a Growth Catalyst
These questions shine a light on the broad base of expertise an experienced, fractional CFO from FocusCFO can bring to your sales team:
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Questions #1 & 2: The CFO as Expert at Business Process. They help systematize the pipeline to ensure predictability and repeatability.
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Questions #3 & 4: The CFO as Expert in Margins. They identify the most profitable levers in the business, guiding Sales to the highest-value opportunities.
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Question #5: The CFO as Expert in Growth Management. They provide the financial modeling needed to invest in growth confidently and prevent over-leverage or under-performance.
Knowing the questions to ask can facilitate significant insight into sales and revenue outcomes, allowing your team to make strategic adjustments to improve long-term success.
The truth is, coffee is for closers, but strategy is for sustainable growth. The integration of a solid sales team with strategic financial oversight is the real secret to moving beyond the old stereotypes and achieving profitable scale.
Ready to Partner Sales and Finance for Profit?
If your sales team is closing deals but you're not seeing the profit you expect, it's time to bring in a strategic financial partner. FocusCFO provides experienced, part-time CFOs who specialize in building the processes, metrics, and alignment needed to turn high revenue into high profit. Schedule a complimentary consultation today.
Michael Stier is an Area President for FocusCFO based in Charlotte, NC. He and his colleagues across the country help businesses move past stereotypes and implement strategic financial frameworks that enable profitable growth.
