The Spanish Chamber of Commerce in Germany Holds a Business Forum on Commercial Transformation in Munich

This Tuesday, February 24, the Chamber held a business meeting in collaboration with IESE Business School at its Munich campus under the title Sales Transformation: Rethinking Go-to-Market Strategies for Growth. The event brought together nearly 70 professionals interested in analyzing the current challenges of sales transformation in an increasingly competitive and digitalized environment, with a focus on the German market.

The session began with a masterclass delivered by Julián Villanueva, Professor of Marketing at IESE Business School. During his presentation, Villanueva introduced a comprehensive commercial transformation model structured in three key phases. First, defining the commercial strategy, understood as the part of the corporate strategy that integrates marketing and sales, determining how the company competes, positions itself, and generates sustainable growth. Second, organizational design, focused on decisions related to resource allocation, sales team structure, and the proper alignment of responsibilities and incentives with strategic objectives. Finally, the implementation phase, which involves adjusting internal policies, processes, and systems to ensure the effective execution of the new commercial model.

As a practical roadmap for organizations, the professor proposed moving from identifying the drivers of transformation, through restructuring the sales organization, to adapting the infrastructures that support marketing and sales teams—thus offering a structured and actionable framework to successfully navigate a commercial transformation process.

Artificial Intelligence and Cultural Differences

The event continued with a roundtable moderated by Professor Villanueva himself, featuring Gonzalo Perez, Head of Investments at Wayra Germany; Martin Welz, Country Manager at Newline Interactive Deutschland; and Vince Berbegal, International Expansion Manager at Actiu.

During the discussion, participants analyzed the signals indicating the need for deep commercial transformation, as well as the most common mistakes when aligning incentives with strategic objectives—especially when short-term priorities prevail. They also addressed the impact of artificial intelligence and automation on sales processes, sharing experiences regarding their practical application and the challenges involved in implementation. Finally, the importance of understanding the specific characteristics of the German market and consumer was highlighted in order to design effective and sustainable Go-to-Market strategies.

The Chamber would especially like to thank IESE Business School for its collaboration, as well as Wayra Germany, Actiu, and Newline Interactive Deutschland for their contribution to the success of the event. We also extend our gratitude to all attendees for their active participation and for helping to strengthen the Spanish-German business network.