Business Development Training

Friedman & Partners offers the following business development workshops aimed at principals, project managers and other technical professionals:

“10 Keys to Institutionalizing a Business Development Culture”

Inculcating a strong business development (BD) culture in your firm makes great business sense- it can prove to be an important differentiator and can influence the firm's project delivery, hiring and recruiting, and career development processes. However, how should firm leaders undertake this challenge? Moreover, how can staff contribute to the BD process in a way that's consistent with their BD acumen and interests? Through industry anecdotes and case studies, workshop participants will be able to help shape a BD culture unique to their firm's vision and target markets. In this workshop, we address these topics and others:

The importance of a strategic plan, as well as a marketing/BD plan
Strategies for how marketing/BD professionals can enlist the support of their own internal clients
How to demystify BD and several misperceptions that need to be debunked
The economics behind inculcating a strong BD culture
The vital role of training and coaching
How to carve out contributions for everyone
Institutionalizing BD into the project delivery process
Potential organizational impediments to avoid
Strategies for establishing accountability
The importance of recognizing and rewarding results

“The Power of ‘We’: Involving Technical Professionals in Business Development”

One of the biggest challenges that A/E/C firms face is how best to involve PMs and project architects/engineers in business development. The value of doing so is irrefutable. But being successful requires careful thought, planning, and in many cases, training. Through industry anecdotes, lessons learned, case studies, and breakout exercises, the topics we address include:

The psychology of business development
Avenues for getting technical staff involved in marketing/business development
How to incorporate marketing/business development into day-to-day project management
Specific strategies and tools for lead identification and conversion

“Maximizing Your Business Development Return-on-Investment”

Many A/E/C and environmental consulting firm professionals are overwhelmed at the thought of having to conduct business development on top of project responsibilities, staff mentoring and other key functions. In this interactive workshop, participants will learn which business development strategies and tactics yield the biggest “bang for the buck” so that the time one invests in business development will have the biggest payoff. Through industry anecdotes, lessons learned, case studies, and breakout exercises, we address these topics and others:

The distinction between marketing and business development and how they work in synergy
How to strengthen relationships with existing clients and how to probe for unmet needs
How PMs can use market research to become more effective at business development
Strategies for closing the sale
Strategies for maximizing one’s efficiency when conducting business development

Following the delivery of these workshops, we are often asked to provide targeted business development coaching and consulting to a select group of workshop participants.

"I thought your seminar was fantastic. It’s nice to hear an expert demystify business development so it does not seem like such an insurmountable task."Marc Demaree, P.E., President, Summit Geotechnical Consultants

"I enjoyed your insights and fresh perspective on how marketing, business development, and operations are intimately linked. Your practical knowledge and ideas on how to get more business development success from existing staff and resources really reinvigorated me!"Patty Cook, Regional Leader, Northern California, Jones & Stokes