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. I led 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.