Everyone loves the demo, and the deals still do not close.
The product gets positive feedback, but enthusiasm isn’t translating into customers. Is the problem really sales execution, or something more fundamental?
Strategic advisory for ConTech & AEC software
The obvious moveisn’t always the right one.
Your product is only part of the picture. Who buys it, how it fits into design and construction workflows, and the advantages established vendors have all shape your options.
I’m Carlos Cordeiro, and I’ve spent 19 years working in design and construction, followed by 7 years in product and portfolio strategy at Graphisoft and Nemetschek. I bring that experience to help you work through the choices ahead.
Let’s talk45-minute introductory conversation, without commitment.
Your situation
Does any of this sound familiar?
You’re competing against a larger software vendor.
They have established customer relationships, a familiar brand, and the ability to bundle products. Where can you realistically win against them, and when might a partnership make more sense?
You’re considering selling your company, or someone wants to buy it.
Whether you’re exploring a sale or responding to an approach, what makes your company attractive to a strategic buyer, and what would an acquisition mean for its future?
The market looks promising, but how much of it can you actually win?
A large market doesn’t automatically mean a large opportunity for your company. How many customers genuinely need your solution, are ready to adopt it, and are willing to pay? Before committing to expansion, it pays to test those assumptions.
Why Carlos
You know your business.I understand the industry you’re selling into.
A strategic decision that looks good on paper can look very different when you consider who controls the budget, how teams actually work, and what established software vendors are likely to do next.
I bring experience of how this industry works to help you understand your options and the trade-offs involved.
More about CarlosReaching a new buyer beyond architecture.
At Graphisoft, a software company best known for serving architects, I was responsible for developing the strategy to reach engineering buyers the company had not previously engaged.
Architects often prioritized flexibility and creativity, while engineers placed greater emphasis on accuracy and professional liability.
With my background in design and construction, I developed the value proposition around those engineering priorities and multidisciplinary workflows, then worked with the international partner network to bring it to market.
Portfolio strategyThree products. Three different decisions.
Following a merger, I led an assessment of three software products, reviewing customer fit, financial viability, and portfolio overlap.
My recommendations were to continue one, consolidate another, and discontinue the third.
All three recommendations were adopted.
Working together
Let’s get to the heart of the decision.
The primary engagement
Focused Strategic Assessment
When you’re facing an important strategic question, you don’t necessarily need a lengthy consulting project. You need to understand your options and what the evidence says about them.
We start by defining the question that needs answering. I review the available customer, market, and competitor evidence and, where useful and agreed, speak with customers or prospects. Then I work through the findings, uncertainties, and trade-offs to develop recommendations.
Within a focused engagement, typically three to four weeks, you’ll receive concise written findings, an assessment of your options and trade-offs, and recommendations where the evidence supports them, followed by a working session to discuss the way forward.
The goal is to help you make an informed decision, not leave you with another long report or slide deck that nobody uses.Other ways to work together
Not every situation calls for a one-off assessment. If ongoing advice or more hands-on strategic leadership is a better fit, we can discuss that too.
Ongoing Strategic Advisory
An experienced outside perspective when you need it. Regular conversations, honest challenge, and support as new strategic decisions come up.
Fractional Strategic Leadership
When strategic priorities need dedicated leadership, I work alongside your leadership team, taking responsibility for agreed priorities, coordinating execution, and helping keep decisions moving into action.
Know where you stand before the next move.
A self-service view of your strategy across six dimensions. A useful starting point, not a prerequisite to working together.
Explore The Datum Base Case · Monthly publicationA perspective on the industry, not another news feed.
Monthly views on ConTech and AEC software and the decisions shaping the market.
Read Base CaseStart a conversation
Have a decision you’re working through?
Tell me a little about what’s going on. We can have a straightforward conversation about your situation, whether my experience could help, and what working together might look like.
Let’s talk
45-minute introductory conversation, without commitment.