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Paul Voisard, PMP, MBA, Partner Commercial capability building is fundamentally a mindset shift—not just a series of training sessions. It’s about embedding the skills and behaviors that drive growth not only in sales but across the entire value chain. Today’s market is flooded with fragmented solutions: sales workshops here, negotiation tools there. While these may address individual gaps, they rarely come together as a cohesive, strategic whole.
As a result, clients gain immediate value through key behavioral insights that reveal how their actions impact deal outcomes. But lasting growth requires more than insight. That’s why The Maker Group’s approach goes beyond one-off training to focus on long-term behavior change through ongoing reinforcement—building sustained commercial capability.
Paul Voisard, PMP, MBA, PartnerLike a one-stop shop, The Maker Group offers a complete capability-building framework.
By uniting commercial skills, behavioral science, and real-world application into an integrated approach, the company stands tall in a sea of sameness. It doesn't focus solely on sales—it works equally with procurement and supply chain functions, helping both sides become more commercially capable and behaviorally aware.
“More than just teaching techniques, our goal is to transform how organizations think, act, and trade,” says Paul Voisard, PMP, MBA, partner. “We understand that the key to commercial success is not just what’s visible in the room, but what’s actually happening beneath the surface.
The Maker Group’s clients are large multinational organizations, primarily in the Fortune 500 or 1000. While it also supports mid-market companies, the nature of its work requires a certain scale—typically those with established sales or learning and development functions. In these environments, the company makes a significant impact by helping businesses shift from reactive to proactive.
This transition begins with a deep understanding of the client through stakeholder interviews and diagnostics. From there, The Maker Group builds tailored solutions that address commercial challenges, whether in sales, procurement, or both. Training is delivered through blended modalities, including in-person, virtual, self-led, and gamified learning journeys—all reinforced with practical tools to embed the learning.
At the core of every program is experiential learning: hands-on, interactive, and engaging. Avoiding “death by PowerPoint,” The Maker Group uses a teach-do-learn model, followed by activities, casework, and real-time feedback. Regardless of the focus—sales, negotiation, or planning—each program is built around the 70-20-10 principle: 70 percent of learning happens on the job, 20 percent through coaching, and only 10 percent in formal sessions.
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More than just teaching techniques, our goal is to transform how organizations think, act and trade
As a result, clients gain immediate value through key behavioral insights that reveal how their actions impact deal outcomes. But lasting growth requires more than insight. That’s why The Maker Group’s approach goes beyond one-off training to focus on long-term behavior change through ongoing reinforcement—building sustained commercial capability.
This commitment to lasting impact was illustrated in a partnership with a global consumer packaged goods firm. The Maker Group transformed the client’s sales organization from the ground up, shifting from a brand-first to a category-first approach. Traditionally, companies lead with why their brands deserve more shelf space, but retailers mostly care about the performance of the entire category—not just one brand.
The Maker Group guided the client to focus on the category’s challenges and opportunities rather than simply pushing product, positioning them as strategic partners—not merely sellers. The result was powerful: a shift from incremental to exponential growth, underpinned by stronger retailer relationships.
It’s a testament to The Maker Group’s client-centric approach. Renowned for being flexible, responsive, and easy to work with, the company earns trust as a reliable partner. Unlike rigid consultancies with an “our way or the highway” mindset, The Maker Group adapts to client needs, making collaboration smooth and effective.
Today, The Maker Group sets the standard in commercial consulting by combining practical learning with a behavior-driven approach, holistically redefining the way business is done. By making the invisible visible, it equips organizations to move from guesswork to precision, from transactional to strategic, and from incremental results to exponential growth.
The Commercial Capability Gap Behind Stalled Revenue Growth
Big sales teams do not often lose their power because their products are not good. What happens is that revenue stops growing when the people in charge of sales go into meetings with retailers or buyers without being well prepared. This becomes a problem in large companies where people in different parts of the world do things differently and the people in charge of accounts have to make things up as they go along. The companies that help with sales skills are now being judged on whether they can change how people do their jobs every day rather than just giving them fancy training sessions.
The people in charge of finding companies to help with sales skills are now looking for companies that can show them how to deal with life situations. They do not want to hear about ideas that do not work in the real world especially when prices are going up retailers are getting bigger and profits are getting smaller. The people in charge of buying want their teams to be able to guess what the other side will do before they even start talking. The leaders of the sales teams want their people to be able to figure out what is going on with the customers of just giving them the same old presentations that they have already heard from other companies.
This has made people look at companies that can do more than just give advice. They can also help people develop their skills. It is important for these companies to be involved in the world so they can keep their training programs connected to what is actually happening. The best companies are the ones that're close to their clients and can understand what is going on with their accounts how they are changing and where things are going wrong. This helps them make training programs that're more relevant and realistic.
Another thing that sets companies apart is how they design their programs. A lot of sales training still just involves someone talking to a group. Then not following up with them after they go back to work.. People forget things quickly when they are busy with customers trying to guess what will happen next and dealing with reports they have to fill out. The buyers like companies that spread out their training over months with lots of chances to practice and get feedback. What happens after the initial training is often more important than the training itself.
It has also become clear that being aware of how people behave is a part of making sales teams better. What happens in meetings can often. Break a deal. Things like talking too much giving away too much information not paying attention to how the other person is reacting or getting defensive when things get tough. Companies that can help people see these patterns and change their behavior tend to do than companies that just focus on theories or slide shows.
The Maker Group is a company that is doing things in a way that matches what the buyers are looking for. They help with sales skills, negotiation training, planning and advice on world sales projects. They focus on helping people change their behavior over time than just giving them a one time training session. Their programs are hands on. They talk to the stakeholders to make sure they are on the right track. They also keep their training programs connected to what's happening in the real world, which helps them stay relevant. For the people in charge of finding companies to help with sales skills this makes The Maker Group a good choice, for companies that want to get better at negotiating and planning their sales strategies.
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