Fixed Scope · Fixed Price · 90 Days
A Sea Trial is a turnkey, fixed-price, 90-day engagement built around one visible problem or opportunity you already know you have. Pilot coordinates the right senior fractional executive and, when useful, a specialized Trusted Partner. You get a real, measured result, and we both decide what should come next, with no commitment either way after day 90.
Why We Built This
Our longest-standing clients call us the moment something matters: a unique opportunity, a project at risk, a big decision, or a failure that cannot happen twice. Decades of trust established that we are worth the call. A Sea Trial makes that same value available to a leader we have not worked with for years yet. Pilot makes the experience turnkey, bringing the right fractional leadership and Trusted Partner capability together around one visible problem or significant opportunity. You get a measured result, we both learn what working together is like, and we identify possible next steps from evidence. There is no commitment for either party after day 90. All Sea Trials are Pilot projects: same standard, same team, same outcome responsibility.
The Nine Sea Trials
Every Sea Trial is fixed price, fixed scope, and delivered turnkey by Pilot. It is a low-risk way to create momentum, vet the service, and identify sensible next steps from a real 90-day result. No pressure and no commitment for either party after day 90.
Sea Trial 1
Buyer trigger
A project or reorganization already underway, or just announced, that is at real risk of stalling.
What you get in 90 days
The change survives its first real test, without you personally forcing it through.
Delivered in partnership with Prosci, the global leader in research-based change management.
See the ninety-day scopeSea Trial 2
Buyer trigger
A piece of equipment or area you already worry about.
What you get in 90 days
A predicted failure, caught and prevented, with the decision trail that got you there.
Available with trusted partner Infinite Uptime. First month of the ongoing subscription is included.
See the ninety-day scopeSea Trial 3
Buyer trigger
A process still running on paper, Excel, or tribal knowledge, where the result depends on who is on shift.
What you get in 90 days
That process brought under real control: a defined standard, a measured gap closed, and a performance number moved and held. Not just made visible.
Alpha Software-supported delivery is available subject to final materials. First month of the ongoing subscription is included.
See the ninety-day scopeSea Trial 4
Buyer trigger
A leadership team that works hard but isn't making or managing optimal decisions, particularly under pressure.
What you get in 90 days
One recurring high-stakes decision framework, demonstrably faster and more consistent, that the team can repeat without you.
Led by Mark A. Coudray, Pilot fractional partner.
See the ninety-day scopeSea Trial 5
Buyer trigger
A major capital project, a new market, a change in how you operate, or a return to operations after a shutdown.
What you get in 90 days
A validated go or no-go the board can rely on, before the capital moves or the priorities shift.
Delivered directly by Pilot Advisors.
See the ninety-day scopeSea Trial 6
Buyer trigger
Something significant already went wrong, and it cannot happen again.
What you get in 90 days
The real root cause identifies, validated, the fix already underway, and the leadership accountability that keeps it from recurring.
Delivered directly by Pilot Advisors.
See the ninety-day scopeSea Trial 7
Buyer trigger
Leadership senses the culture has drifted from what it used to be, isn't what it should be, or has never been tangible.
What you get in 90 days
A verified clear culture and a read on the cultural gap, and a senior team already holding a small number of new, observable behaviors.
Delivered directly by Pilot Advisors.
See the ninety-day scopeSea Trial 8
Buyer trigger
A leadership team buried in daily work, with too many initiatives moving slowly and roles, priorities, or culture living mostly in people's heads.
What you get in 90 days
Clear operating priorities, defined ownership, and a practical leadership cadence that moves the most important work forward without relying on constant intervention.
Delivered directly by Pilot Advisors.
See the ninety-day scopeSea Trial 9
Buyer trigger
A leader and their team want to understand themselves and each other more deeply, build trust, and become more effective together.
What you get in 90 days
A leader and team with clearer self-awareness, stronger trust, and observable effectiveness gains, plus a clear read on whether the same approach is right for the rest of the company.
Individual leadership personality profiles delivered in partnership with PDP Global; group development delivered directly by Pilot Advisors.
See the ninety-day scopeSea Trial Investment
Your price is based on annual company revenue, so you can identify the investment before the first conversation. Each fee covers Pilot Advisors' work for one defined 90-day Sea Trial.
| Client annual revenue | Sea Trial price |
|---|---|
| Under $25 million | $12,500 |
| $25 million to $75 million | $22,500 |
| $75 million to $250 million | $35,000 |
| $250 million to $750 million | $55,000 |
| Above $750 million | Quoted to scope |
Add $2,500 for each location beyond the first only when the Sea Trial actually works in that location.
Travel cost is estimated in advance, capped in the agreement, and billed without markup.
Any partner subscription or hardware is quoted separately from Pilot's fee, so the cost of the work and the technology remain clear.
Half is due on signature and half on day 45. Both invoices are due on receipt.
Pricing Rationale
You will notice nothing here is priced by the hour, the day or the week. Thirty years in, we see in three days what takes most people three weeks. Under a day rate, every year we get better at this you would pay us less for the same result.
You are buying a defined set of outcomes over a fixed term at a fixed price. How often we are in your plant is our problem to solve, not your saving to capture.
At a $50 million company, the profit left in the last two points of operating performance runs to one and a half to three and a half million dollars a year. A Sea Trial at that size is $22,500.
Trusted Partners
Trusted Partners extend the value our senior partners and fractional executives can bring when specialized technology, assessment, or methodology is appropriate. Pilot coordinates the work as one turnkey engagement, so the client has one clear path from scope to measured result. We do not sell software or certifications. We make sure a leadership team actually runs on whatever it already owns, or is about to buy.
Infinite Uptime. Predictive asset intelligence. Results its customers publish include 36,108 hours of unplanned downtime saved across 139 plants at JSW Steel and 3x ROI within 12 months at Vedanta Group.
Alpha Software. No-code frontline workflow and inspection tooling. Its customers report an 80 percent gain in field productivity after replacing paper work orders at GBS Enterprises.
PDP Global. Leadership and personality assessment tools used to build self-awareness, communication, and team effectiveness.
Prosci. Research-based change management methodology, tools, and training. Pilot coordinates Prosci-based delivery so change is adopted and sustained, not just announced.
Results published by each partner. Shown here as evidence the technology performs, not as a Pilot Advisors client outcome.
How a Sea Trial Works
One system, one team, one thing you already know needs to change.
A short call confirms fit and sets the fixed price and the 90-day plan.
We coordinate the right Pilot fractional executive and any specialized Trusted Partner needed, so you have one clear path through the work.
A result you can see and touch, a shared view of possible next steps, and zero obligation for either party to continue.
Start with Andrew to identify the right Pilot and Trusted Partner capabilities. No pitch. No pressure. Just clarity on fit and the path forward.
See the ninety-day scopeOr reach out directly: Guidance@pilotadvisors.com