The Client
One of the Big Four global professional services firms in Saudi Arabia. The main service lines are Audit, Business and Transaction Advisory Services.
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The Challenges |
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Speak First worked with the recently appointed Business Development Director, responsible for supporting the sales, marketing and client relationship management. This dedicated role was established as part of a global strategy on new business development, and to counter the increasing competition from non-consulting companies locally. Some stretching targets had been set with the aims of growing revenue through new business and building long-term business opportunities. There was also recognition that this strategy required internal buy-in, because it would involve developing relationships with other senior staff’s clients.
The requirements were to develop skills and strategy in the areas of:
- Setting up and establishing a business development function internally
- Sales, Marketing and Client Relationship Management
A required output was an integrated plan to present internally to build credibility for and buy-in to the role. A second goal was to develop the necessary skills of the director to achieve the objectives of this new function.
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The Solution
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Speak First proposed a four-day programme which was a combination of 1:1 training and coaching. The client worked with four coaches at different times on sales, relationship management, marketing and processes. The overall programme was topped and tailed by taking a strategic overview and then integrating all elements into one plan. Our challenge was to make sure we addressed the client’s different levels of knowledge, skills and experience in each area. Each coach had to build on what had happened previously to help him find practical ways to integrate all the areas. Our team leader played a key role to ensure that this appeared seamless.
We used a range of tools, processes, coaching, and skills practice for each area and then supported the client to create his plan. Key to his success was in ‘selling’ the plan to internal stakeholders and our design included an opportunity to practise and refine the communication of his plan prior to delivering it.
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The Outcomes
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For the client the main benefits of the programme were:
- improved stakeholder relationships and executive buy in to Business Development function and plan
- the ability to influence laterally and across the region
- the creation and presentation of a market-driven Sales Management plan
“It put everything in a context so that I now understand the difference between, say, client relationships and marketing, as well as how to integrate them.”
Five months later our client:
- was on track with stretching targets
- was able to manage boundaries and relationships with internal stakeholders
- has gained recognition internally that he offers a valid, separate function
- achieved greater accuracy and targeted decision-making ie, knowing who to pursue and for how long
- had greater confidence and credibility in the role
Overall our client feedback has been very positive. He has achieved proactive positioning of the Business Development function within the firm in his office – despite a tough market.
“This is in no small part due to implementing what I learnt on the programme”.
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