You can of course download a job description from the internet in seconds.
But the real question is: what are CSOs actually doing in today’s market?
We search in this field all the time. In recent months we’ve spoken to a great many CSOs, and not only in industrial goods.
They’re all under pressure: more revenue, lower costs, faster reactions.
Many are throwing themselves into digitalisation, automation and making sales costs more flexible. Plenty of buzzwords.
It sounds good, but cost savings don’t replace top-line growth. That lever is simply too short. Some initiatives are promising; with others, you’ll have to wait and see whether they ever bear fruit. And yes, some people get their fingers burned.
Growth-minded CSOs are different. They think in concrete use cases and aren’t afraid of uncomfortable questions.
- They use lead scoring, service automation and data-driven portfolio management to grow revenue in a targeted way, not just to streamline processes.
- Big market-entry projects with uncertain outcomes have given way to “internationalisation light”.
- They prioritise digital business models and online sales.
- Tariff policy is making supply chains to the end customer more regional. Alongside classic tariffs, non-tariff barriers such as licensing requirements or due diligence and sustainability rules are becoming more important.
- CSOs build these requirements into product planning and sales strategy early, so as not to put market access at risk.
- They ask questions that reach deep into product development and corporate strategy.
The good CSOs are no longer the chief field salesperson or the administrator of the sales force. They’re becoming strategic advisers to the CEO and the investors, actively engaging with the CFO too, and they don’t shy away from taking a critical look at the efficiency of their own organisation.
What are you seeing among CSOs around you right now?
Which strategies work, and which don’t?
