Generated: 2026-02-15 | Updated: 2026-02-16
Data Sources: 747 meetings, 5,862 email threads, 390 deals, 809 leads, $4.2M closed revenue, $1.5M lost revenue
Governance: ZTAG Pathways Ownership & Authority Framework
| Assumption | Verdict | Evidence |
|---|---|---|
| Playmaker flywheel works | ✅ VALIDATED | City of Lancaster: Quan delivers → Jorge immediately asks for summer training → wants case study collaboration |
| Procurement is THE bottleneck | ✅ VALIDATED | 44% of failures are timing/approval delays. Not price. Not product. |
| Warmth/relationship selling differentiates | ✅ VALIDATED | Kristin's emoji approach, Carmee's "no pressure" follow-ups create loyalty |
| Two hemispheres exist | ✅ VALIDATED | Institutional (schools) and Professional (GameTruck) behave completely differently |
| Network Multipliers are gold | ✅ VALIDATED | Derrick Wesby (BACR): 7+ units, organic expansion, low-friction reorders |
| Assumption | Verdict | Reality |
|---|---|---|
| "Belief architecture during sale" | ❌ WRONG | Nobody says "I'm a Playmaker" during procurement. Identity forms POST-purchase, not during. |
| Sales cycles implied as weeks | ❌ WRONG | Actual: 3-9 months. Victoria Morris took 9 months and STILL hasn't closed. |
| Tiered pricing will help | ⚠️ PARTIAL | Price isn't the blocker—internal approval is. Tiering won't fix VP approval delays. |
| Distributor/reseller model | ❌ WRONG | Team consensus Dec-Feb: "leaning away from distributor network." Direct only. |
| Playmaker Developer scaling | ⚠️ UNTESTED | Concept is sound but no evidence yet that non-Steve trainers can replicate quality |
| "Sales execution" framing | ❌ WRONG | Pathways Governance reframes: This is pathway stewardship, not sales. ZTAG sells itself. |
| Blind Spot | Reality | Impact |
|---|---|---|
| 94% meeting stall rate | Only 1 of 185 Kris meetings closed | Sales process is broken, not sales volume |
| 41 deals stuck 6+ months | $473K rotting in pipeline | Forecast is fiction |
| School districts = lowest conversion | Primary target has worst close rate | Market positioning may be wrong |
| Champions can't close | VP approval is opaque, slow, political | Need VP-ready materials |
| Contact loss kills deals | Champions leave, relationship restarts | No account continuity plan |
The data screams this: People WANT to buy. They love the product. They engage enthusiastically. Then they hit internal bureaucracy and die.
The fix isn't better marketing. It's helping champions WIN internal battles.
The Pathways framework codifies this insight into operating rules:
| Pathway | CMO Priority | Close Rate Prediction | Action |
|---|---|---|---|
| 1. Grant-Funded School | HIGH | Medium (VP approval delays) | Grant language + VP materials |
| 2. 3rd-Party After-School | MEDIUM | Low (501c3 + supervision verification) | Strict eligibility, don't over-invest |
| 3. City/Municipal | HIGH | Medium (procurement bureaucracy) | TIPS certification, vendor forms |
| 4. Camps | MEDIUM | High (simpler decisions) | Quick qualification |
| 5. Operator Partnership | LOW | N/A (exposure, not sale) | Only for budget-blocked |
| 6. Pilot Program | LOW | Low (complex, Kris-owned) | Don't overuse |
| 7. Professional/Operators | MEDIUM | High (revenue-focused buyers) | Kris handles proposed terms |
The CMO strategy was right: VP-ready materials and grant alignment matter most for Pathways 1 (Grant-Funded School) and 3 (City/Municipal). These are high-volume pathways with approval bottlenecks.
Pathway 2 (3rd-Party After-School) has a non-negotiable filter: If for-profit in any way → Professional pricing only. This eliminates debate and wasted time on non-compliant leads.
| CMO Problem | Pathways Solution |
|---|---|
| 94% meeting stall rate | Don't quote before implicit "yes" |
| Quoting without qualification | Carmee routes/filters BEFORE quote |
| Distributor pursuit | No pathway for distributors. STOP. |
| Unclear escalation | Decision table: Carmee closes 1-5, Kris owns 6-7 |
| Kristin overloaded | Kristin only for district rollout strategy, not transactional |
| Unsupervised use requests | Guiding principle: rental/drop-off → STOP |
Theme: Stop the Bleeding
Pipeline Triage ($750K overdue):
| Action | Target | Owner |
|---|---|---|
| Triage 55 overdue deals | 100% reviewed by Feb 28 | Carmee |
| Close/revive/nurture buckets | Clear decision on each | Kris + Carmee |
| Remove dead deals from forecast | Honest pipeline | Charlie |
Immediate Closes ($123K due Feb 28):
| Deal | Amount | Action |
|---|---|---|
| IGNITE | $29,100 | Get PO this week |
| Panama-Buena Vista USD | $19,400 | Get PO this week |
| Donaldson Farms | $17,500 | Follow up on quote |
| San Diego ISD | $10,630 | Follow up on quote |
| Others | $46K | Qualify or close |
Support Queue (7 waiting):
DO NOT DO:
Theme: Fix the Close Rate
VP-Ready Arsenal (Critical Missing Pieces):
| Deliverable | Purpose | Due |
|---|---|---|
| 1-Page Executive Summary | Help champions sell to VP | April 15 |
| Grant Alignment Guide (ELOP/Title I/ASES) | Unlock funding conversations | April 30 |
| 3 Testimonial Quotes | Social proof for skeptical VPs | May 15 |
| ROI Calculator | Budget justification | May 30 |
Qualification Gate (Now Codified in Pathways):
The Pathways Governance formalizes qualification:
| Question | Maps To |
|---|---|
| Organization type? | Pathway 1-7 classification |
| Funding source? | EDU vs Professional pricing |
| 501(c)(3) verified? | Pathway 2 eligibility |
| Supervised use? | Go/No-Go decision |
| Who approves? | VP materials needed? |
| Timeline? | Urgency classification |
Carmee's Authority:
If answers are vague → Carmee does not quote. This is now policy, not suggestion.
Pipeline Hygiene Protocol:
Weekly (15 min):
1. Deals closing this week → direct action
2. 30+ days overdue → outreach or reclassify
3. 90+ days overdue → close lost or explicit revival
Metrics by June 30:
Theme: Post-Sale Playmaker Conversion
The Pivot: Identity formation happens AFTER purchase, not during sale.
Post-Sale Journey (New):
| Touchpoint | Timing | Content |
|---|---|---|
| Delivery + Setup | Day 0 | Quan personal note where possible |
| Training | Week 1 | Steve certification call |
| First Success | Week 2-4 | "How did first session go?" check-in |
| 30-Day Call | Day 30 | Testimonial ask, case study offer |
| Playmaker Welcome | Day 45 | Community invitation, badge |
| 90-Day Review | Day 90 | "What's next?" expansion conversation |
Playmaker Certification (Formalized):
Network Multiplier Program (Derrick Wesby model):
| Criterion | Benefit |
|---|---|
| 3+ units purchased | Dedicated account manager |
| Active in community | Volume pricing tier |
| Willing to share story | Case study feature |
| Expands to new sites | Priority shipping |
Metrics by September 30:
Theme: Scale What Works
If close rate improved:
If close rate didn't improve:
Conference Strategy:
| Event | Investment | Expected ROI |
|---|---|---|
| SHAPE America (March 2027) | High | Primary lead source, build on premier partnership |
| JCCASAC | SKIP | Market doesn't want group play (per Kris assessment) |
| Regional PE conferences | Medium | Test 2-3 based on Q3 learnings |
Annual Review:
Evidence: City of Lancaster, Vaughn Charter School
"Thank you again for taking the time to train us today... it was clear how much thought, creativity, and intention went into the design of ZTAG."
Action: Keep Quan doing delivery + training for strategic accounts. This IS the Playmaker creation moment.
Evidence: BACR (Derrick Wesby) - 7+ units, no selling needed
Action: Identify all accounts with 3+ units. Proactive outreach: "Which sites are next?"
Evidence: Ben Delgado (Vaughn Charter) - closed because of June 30 fiscal year end + Summer Olympics theme
Action: Always find the forcing function. No deadline = low priority.
Evidence: Team consensus Dec-Feb: distributors create support stress, don't provide quality
"We basically just say no... ZTAG is here to support people directly."
Action: No resellers, no commission, no middlemen. Period.
Evidence: City of Lancaster stalled until ZTAG got TIPS vendor contract
Action: Maintain certifications. Lead with "We're on TIPS/Sourcewell" for government accounts.
Evidence: 94% of meetings stall. Many quotes sent to people without budget authority.
Action: Qualification gate BEFORE quote. No exceptions.
Evidence: HOKALI, Action Distribution stress, "commission seeker" inquiries
Pathways Codification: No pathway exists for distributors. They don't fit Pathways 1-7.
Action: Process ends. Use the response template:
"ZTAG works directly with each site to ensure the best experience. We're happy to connect with your individual schools/sites directly."
Evidence: School districts have 28 lost deals ($362K), lowest conversion rate
Action: Shift focus to:
Evidence: 8+ follow-ups to Victoria Morris with no progress
Action: After 3 follow-ups with no response → move to quarterly check-in. Stop burning cycles.
Evidence: Kris on JCCASAC: "No units were sold... I'm not sure they actually want [group play]."
Action: Skip markets that don't align with cooperative play model.
What Happened:
What We Missed:
The Fix:
What Worked:
The Pattern:
Deadline + Use Case + Decision Maker = Close
Steven Hanna (Dec 17):
"We're probably going to be leaning away from a distributor network... they have not provided a level of support that we do as a company."
Quan Gan (Feb 5):
"We even have outside people saying, hey, can I resell this and get commission? We basically just say no."
This is settled policy. Don't revisit.
| Metric | Current | Target | Why |
|---|---|---|---|
| Qualification calls with budget authority confirmed | ? | 80%+ | Stops bad quotes |
| Support tickets customer-waiting | 7 | <3 | Customer experience |
| Deals reviewed in weekly pipeline | ? | 100% | Pipeline hygiene |
| Metric | Current | Target | Why |
|---|---|---|---|
| Close rate (quote → PO) | ~6% | 15%+ | Efficiency |
| Average quote-to-PO days | ? | <60 | Velocity |
| Playmakers certified | ~400 | 600 | Network growth |
| Testimonials collected | ? | 3/month | Social proof |
| Metric | Current | Target | Why |
|---|---|---|---|
| Revenue closed | $4.2M lifetime | +$500K/quarter | Growth |
| Network Multiplier accounts | ? | 10 | Efficiency |
| Referral rate (existing → new) | ? | 20%+ | Flywheel health |
| Activity | % of Sales Time | Rationale |
|---|---|---|
| Existing customer expansion | 40% | Network Multipliers, highest close rate |
| Warm referrals from Playmakers | 30% | Pre-qualified, belief already exists |
| Qualified new leads | 20% | Only those with confirmed budget + timeline |
| Cold outreach | 10% | Minimal, for strategic accounts only |
| Outcome | Target |
|---|---|
| Revenue closed (2026) | $1.5M+ |
| Close rate (quote → PO) | 15%+ |
| Certified Playmakers | 600+ |
| Network Multiplier accounts | 10+ |
| Pipeline accuracy (forecast vs. actual) | 80%+ |
| Support tickets >48hr | 0 |
If we do ONE thing in 2026, it's this:
Help champions win internal battles.
Every VP-ready document, every grant alignment guide, every ROI calculator—it's all in service of this. The product sells itself when kids play it. The bottleneck is getting to "yes" inside bureaucracies.
Fix that, and everything else follows.
| Master Plan Claim | Data Validation | Adjustment Needed |
|---|---|---|
| "ZTAG is building a movement" | ✅ Playmaker flywheel works | Focus on POST-sale identity, not during |
| "Two hemispheres" | ✅ Institutional and Professional differ | Institutional harder than expected |
| "Playmaker Developer replication" | ⚠️ Untested | Don't scale before proving |
| "Sculley infrastructure first" | ❌ Wrong sequence | VP materials first, tiering later |
| "Distributor channel" | ❌ Team rejected | Direct only |
| Competitor | ZTAG Position | Validation |
|---|---|---|
| Lü Interactive ($21K) | Lower cost, portable | Confirmed advantage |
| PLT4M (subscription) | Physical activity > screens | Differentiated |
| Gopher Sport (equipment) | Technology layer | Complementary, not competitive |
| Persona | Observed Behavior | Strategy Fit |
|---|---|---|
| Network Multiplier | Low-friction reorders | ✅ Double down |
| Internal Connector | Cross-department champion | ✅ Give VP materials |
| Overwhelmed Champion | Wants it, can't close | ✅ Help them win |
| Budget-Constrained | Funding disappears | ⚠️ Graceful pause, easy return |
| Distributor | Wants to be middleman | ❌ Redirect to direct |
The Pathways Governance fundamentally reframes the CMO approach:
| Old Framing | New Framing |
|---|---|
| "Close more deals" | "Route to correct pathway" |
| "Overcome objections" | "Filter non-compliant leads" |
| "Sales execution" | "Pathway stewardship" |
| "Push for the sale" | "ZTAG sells itself" |
| "Follow up relentlessly" | "If no pathway, process ends" |
The Pathways Governance enables the AI automation assessment:
| Task | Pathway Mapping | AI Suitability |
|---|---|---|
| Pathway Classification | Email → Pathway 1-7 | ✅ 95% automatable |
| Eligibility Verification | 501(c)(3), supervision | ✅ 85% automatable |
| Quote Generation | Pathway → EDU/Professional | ✅ 95% automatable |
| Template Customization | Funding packet fill-in | ✅ 80% automatable |
| First Contact | Relationship building | ❌ Human only |
| Judgment Calls | Strategic exceptions | ❌ Human only |
| Kristin Handoff | District strategy | ❌ Human only |
Expected impact: 60-70% of Carmee's pathway work automated, freeing her for relationship building and judgment calls.
March 12, 2026 - Carmee's 6-month review
This strategy will be reviewed monthly against actual results.
Generated: 2026-02-15 | Updated: 2026-02-16
CMO Analysis by Claude, calibrated against ZTAG operational data + Pathways Governance