Differentiation from competitors
The challenge
Operating as independent service silos
Our approach
Large businesses with multiple departments and many technical disciplines need to be smart with their marketing and business development activities. We help our clients move away from being transactional providers of single services and move towards becoming the trusted advisor or the ‘solutions architect’.
We bring together groups of people from different disciplines and get them to share what their market proposition is, with a view to identifying new opportunities.
It’s not enough to say, “Yes we do all this and we’re really good at it.” The way to differentiate yourself from competitors, is to say, “We understand your world and the issues and challenges you face. And we can apply all our disciplines to help you achieve your overall goals faster, more efficiently, and more profitably.”
Turning the listening up to 11!
Now more than ever in Business Development, we need to listen to our clients to gain the insight that will help provide competitive advantage and close the deal.
Try our Espresso Shot Learning – Our 30 min live webinar to give your team the key points and latest thinking in Business Development and Client Relationship Management.
From our blog
Working together for better KAM: harness the power of collaboration
Collaboration is a word used more in business now than at any other time in our careers. Management teams use it when they want their organisations to break down so called ‘silos’ and employees use it when they need the help of others to achieve their objectives.
The challenge
Lack of ability or experience leading a ‘client-centric’ business
Our approach
We work with people to recognise what it really means to be client-centric. To really understand your client’s world, the way they like to work, their unique issues and challenges. It’s all about client intimacy, and it’s how you will become a trusted advisor. We use the metaphor of an iceberg. Above the waterline is the information that’s easy to know because it’s in the public domain or it’s what the client is telling you. But the 80-90% that sits under the surface is the why, the context, the inside information. Taking the time to find these things out – without going into delivery mode or ‘selling mode’ too soon – is how you become truly client centric.
Questas’s Gary Williams says:
“Those that go deep beneath the surface will find that when they put their proposal in, it’s a perfect fit. They’ve understood the inside information like budgetary issues, internal politics, timing and so on. They make themselves really easy to buy. That’s what being client-centric does.”
From our blog
Seven steps for a successful first business meeting
Ensure that your first meeting with a potential client is as effective as possible. Follow these steps to success.
