Proactive Business DevelopmentTips and techniques to deliver more work by

winning more business, differentiating yourself

from your competitors and building

your consulting practice

Today I will go through:

• The importance of focus

• How to build your pipeline

• How to increase repeat work

• How to gain referral

opportunities

• How to engage your team

around business

development

The importance of

FOCUS

What does it

mean to you?

Understanding our industry – the most

important criteria for hiring a service provider

“Focus on demonstrating our capability”

• Effective planning and

prioritisation

• Educate not sell

• The Top 10/10/10

client management

approach

• Growth – Leads and

opportunities

• Repeat work and

referrals

What’s needed?

You can’t hit a target

you can’t see

Marketing & Brand

Client Satisfaction

90 Day Focus – link to your pillars

90 Day Goal

Key Focus Areas

Building our business

Member Experience (LH)

Website (Sales) (NW)

Build our pipeline (KW)

Speaking Engagements (SE)

EasyconsultContent (KW)

easygovernmentLaunch (JN)

• Reduce sales conversion time

• Win more work

• Deliver more to current clients

• Build a healthy and sustainable

practice

• Become, and remain, a trusted

expert in our chosen industries

and services

Why the importance of focus?

Educate Not Sell

• Client – WIFM (What’s in it for me)?

• Listen to the client

• Keep it relevant

• Demonstrate capability

• Demonstrate culture

• Value adds

• Educate through personal interaction

not marketing

Educate Not Sell – Adding Value

• Templates, training,

presentations, breakfasts

• Take solutions to clients,

don’t sell

• Thought leadership –

through papers, blogs and

other social media platforms

• Value adds

• Be proactive!

The Consulting CycleMarketing &

Branding Awareness

Interest

Sale

Scope &

Proposal

DeliverSatisfaction

Build

relationship

Refer

Educate

Rebuy

Trusted Advisor

Marketing and BD activities

PHASE MARKETING BUSINESS DEVELOPMENT + CONSULTING

Branding Differentiation

Website

Sponsorship

Networking

Contacts (CRM)

Educating Conferences

Breakfasts

Webinars

Training

Key Pursuits + Touch-points

Educate don’t sell

Pro-active solutions

Blogs

Proposal Templates (Clausebank) Leads + opportunities (CRM)

Deliver Templates (Clausebank)

Style Guide

Networking (CRM)

Speak the kind truth

Genuine concern

Build

Relationship

Free stuff (Clausebank)

Social Media

Knowledge transfer

Providing constant value (touch points)

Social Media

Top 10 Client Management Approach

• Fortnightly client management

meetings with the team

• Client management actions with

timeframes and responsibilities

• Identify opportunities

• Get internal alignment

and commitment:

Who / What / When?

• Educate our clients

TOP 10 EXISTING CLIENTS

Company Owner Industry

Company

Company

Company

Company

Company

Company

Company

Company

Company

Company

TOP 10 CLIENT MANAGEMENT

TOP 10 ‘TO GROW’ CLIENTS STRATEGIC PROSPECTS

Deliver well and aligned Growing our Service Lines Future Focus

Company Owner Industry

Company

Company

Company

Company

Company

Company

Company

Company

Company

Company

Company Owner Industry

Company

Company

Company

Company

Company

Company

Company

Company

Company

Company

GOVERNMENT

TOP 10 CLIENTS BY INDUSTRY

INFRASTRUCTURE RESOURCES

Previous work Know us well Would use us again

Potential for work Relationship needs work Need to test further

Haven’t done work Tested go/ no-go

Unexplored territory Have no idea we have this capability Need the introduction

Company (Owner)CC

LTC

PG

C&P

OPI

Company (Owner)CC

LTC

PG

C&P

OPI

Company (Owner)CC

LTC

PG

C&P

OPI

Hunting Lions vs. Chasing Mice?

Client Management Actions – Our focus for

the next fortnight

Action Who When

Client

Management

Meeting –

Sample Agenda

Growing existing clients

• Existing clients = your biggest asset

• Prioritise delivering to existing

clients

• Demonstrate you value them

• Reduce the marketing – focus on

the relationship

• Be present through regular

communication

• Build on the trust and credibility –

continue to deliver your best work

Building emerging clients

• Trust = Speed

• Referrals through existing clients

• Regular BD meetings and value adds

• Educating not selling – thought

leadership

• Leveraging industry associations,

partnerships and sponsorships

• Asking if they need assistance in other

areas

• Take into account client feedback

• Improve and tailor your offering to

meet expectations

• 1%ers – less is more but build up over

time

Focussing on future strategic prospects

• Social media and thought leadership

• Focus on key industries and clients

• Look ahead for future events /dates

• Networking through industry associations,

partnerships and sponsorships

• Speaking engagements, conferences

• Research the client – every client is different

• Engage the client – get them talking and

build trust

• Under-promise and over-deliver

• Incentives

Build your pipeline and backlog through

repeat work and referrals

• Leverage existing clients

• Do your best work, but

under-promise and over-deliver

• Which clients are your business

advocates and evangelists?

• Leverage the trust you have built

• Client surveys – can anyone else

benefit from your services?

• Enlist your staff

• Incentives for repeat work or referrals

Engaging your entire business – are we all clear on our key BD

messages and how do we ensure we are aligned?

Being a

chameleon

and not showing

our true colours

makes it

impossible to

build genuine

connections

You can’t be everything to everyone!

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