Developing a proactive business development capability across the organisation to fully capitalise on their technical expertise

Like many other consultancies, Analysys Mason has historically grown their business based on the strength of their brand and the very high standard of their deliverables. In addition, a core group of ‘rainmakers’ were responsible for the majority of sales activity.

What did Analysys Mason want to achieve?

To achieve its ambitious global growth targets, Analysys Mason looked to ramp up their proactive business development activities.

The results

At a very early stage, it was obvious from feedback that much of the “fear factor” associated with selling had been removed through the introduction of a common language and structured process which demystified and clarified the habits and behaviours that underpin high performance in sales and account development. A common language has facilitated closer cooperation in winning projects and enabled better management of sales pipelines.

From a tangible financial perspective opportunities, which would previously have been missed, have been added to the pipeline and have then been converted, helping to secure clients and drive the revenues and profitability of the organisation, at a time when many competitors are still adopting a reactive approach to business development are suffering.

“SBR has produced a business development programme that is tailored and relevant to the specific needs of our people, underpinned by a firm grip of our organisational strategy and objectives. Like many professional services and consulting organizations, some of the internal perceptions attached to sales were not constructive.

They have challenged, where necessary, and supported our people from partner level downwards through the development of frameworks, tools and mindsets, taking our people beyond where – in some cases – they would historically have been comfortable to ensure that the right habits are in place to underpin our continued success.

Already in a relatively short period, as a result of some of the methods that have been introduced, we have uncovered and converted new opportunities, increased our sales activity and created a common language with which to discuss and facilitate sales within our business. Wins such as a €300,000 contract and a €200,000 contract could have been lost but were not.”

Fiona Glennon
Board Director

SBR’s approach

SBR was tasked with the project because of our strong track record of working with technical experts in a variety of industry sectors. However, as with all of SBR’s clients, we recognise the necessity to get under the skin of each business that we engage with to; understand the culture, the specific situation and the nuances that can mean the difference between messages that hit home and lead to lasting behavioural change amongst delegates, and those that fall on deaf ears and lead to frustrated executive sponsors of development programmes.

Following our initial consult phase, we made our recommendations and went on to create and deliver 2 parallel programmes – a strategic client development programme that focused on bringing a structure and best practice approach to the development and expansion of existing clients, and a tactical consultative sales programme that provided the tools and frameworks needed to drive the relevant strategy for each client.