Commercial Director
Commercial Director for technology businesses
I am Justin Taylor. I provide commercial leadership to technology businesses, on a fractional, interim or advisory basis, with 25+ years across technology, enterprise software, SaaS, product, pre-sales, consulting and delivery.
Most technology businesses do not have a commercial problem in one place. The technology works, the market is real, but the proposition, the sales approach and the commercial process do not line up. That is the work I do.
What a Commercial Director actually does
A Commercial Director owns the answer to a small set of hard questions: where to focus, what to sell, who to sell it to, how to win and what has to change as the business grows.
It is a wider role than sales. It joins the proposition, pricing, go-to-market, sales and pre-sales, partners and commercial process into one plan the leadership team can act on.
When businesses bring me in
- Growth has flattened and nobody agrees on why.
- The product is strong but the proposition is hard to explain.
- Deals stall late, or discounting has become the default.
- A new product or market needs a commercial plan, not just a launch.
- A permanent commercial hire is not the right step yet.
- An investor or board wants an independent commercial view.
Fractional Commercial Director
A set number of days each month, typically two to eight, working alongside the founder or leadership team. Senior commercial experience and practical leadership, without the cost or commitment of a permanent executive appointment.
This is the right shape when you need consistent commercial ownership and momentum rather than a one-off piece of advice.
Interim Commercial Director
Sometimes you need capability now: a gap to cover, a period of growth or transformation, or a defined outcome to deliver. I can step into the role for a defined period, typically three to twelve months, and work directly with your team.
Interim work is hands-on. I do not just recommend; where needed I shape propositions, develop opportunities and lead bids alongside the people who have to keep doing it afterwards.
Commercial strategy in practice
- Proposition and positioning: what you sell and why it is worth buying.
- Market and opportunity focus: where the winnable revenue actually is.
- Go-to-market: how the proposition reaches the right buyers.
- Sales and pre-sales: how deals are qualified, shaped and won.
- Commercial process and pricing: making good outcomes repeatable.
- Capability: the people, process and technology needed to scale.
The experience behind the role
My background spans enterprise software, SaaS, ERP, cloud and digital transformation, in commercial, pre-sales and leadership roles. That includes 18 months as part of the leadership team at Capita's CIBS software business, leading the commercial growth strategy and proposition ahead of its sale to Advanced (AdvT) alongside four other non-core Capita software businesses, in a transaction valued at approximately £44m.
I am independent. I am not tied to a vendor, product or implementation partner, so the focus stays on what is right for the business.
Let’s talk it through.
If you are weighing up fractional, interim or a permanent commercial hire, a conversation is the fastest way to work out which one you actually need. Tell me where things are getting stuck and I will tell you honestly what I would do about it.