The Proactive Marketing and BD Executive

This popular interactive full day digital workshop helps senior marketing and business development assistants and executives move confidently from responsive service provision into more proactive advisory roles. It supports their professional development and personal growth into more managerial, strategic and client-focused arenas.

This intensive workshop expands on the themes in the Practical and Professional Skills for Marketing and BD Assistants workshop and allows more time to explore the issues in depth. It examines strategic marketing/BD approaches and updates tactical marketing knowledge. It provides guidance on how to support junior MBD people and to get closer to fee-earners and clients.  It contains case studies and group exercises which provide ample opportunity to talk to and learn from other participants. Delegates also consider future career options and identify their future learning needs.

Learning outcomes:

1. Understand how marketing, selling and relationship management strategies integrate in a professional services firm
2. Know how to enhance your effectiveness by being more proactive and strategic
3. Plan how to increase your personal brand, impact and effectiveness
4. Work more collaboratively with MBD team members, fee-earners and clients
5. Develop the knowledge, skills and confidence to develop your role and accelerate your career

Topics covered

Orientation
• Aims, agenda and introductions
• Being proactive, confident, challenging and focused
Exercise: MBD fundamentals quiz

Move towards strategic marketing/business development
• BD processes – marketing, selling and client relationship management
• Buying processes and the client journey
• Strategy, segmentation, brand and the marketing mix
• How marketing/BD audits and plans help you to help fee-earners
• Set goals and measure marketing effectiveness (KPIs and ROI)

* 20+ marketing and BD strategic choices (with case studies)

* Practical marketing/BD planning frameworks
Group exercise: Assess and improve tactical marketing and BD activities

Extend tactical marketing knowledge
• The MBD toolbox and campaign competencies
Group exercise: Exploring key techniques in depth
• Digital PR, content marketing, social media and analytics

• Campaign development, thought leadership and brands
• Selling, tendering and new business development processes
• Events, client research, relationship marketing and KAM
• MarTech, automation and AI in professional services firms

Manage marketing/BD programmes
• Crisis management
Group exercise: Managing marketing/BD resources and operations
• Develop effective briefs and manage external suppliers
• Manage and develop junior marketing/BD staff (and resilience)
• Balance priorities – time and project management tips

Work more closely with fee-earners (internal clients)
Group exercise: Relationships with fee-earners
• Develop your personal profile/brand – trust and positive communication
• Deal with ‘difficult’ people – listening and coaching skills

• Assertiveness, persuasion and buy-in

Get closer to clients and referrers (external clients)
• From marketing to business development and relationship management
• The sales and decision-making processes
• Client decision-making, pitching and tendering
• Developing your market, product, and client knowledge

Develop your career
• Marketing and BD skills, competencies and qualifications

* Future skills – AI adoption
• Evolving MBD team structures and career paths
Group exercise: Future career questions

Why PM Forum training?

PM Forum workshops are designed and delivered by qualified and experienced

MBD professionals who:

• – are subject matter experts in strategy, marketing, business development, selling, client relationship management, digital technologies and interpersonal skills who – through ongoing practice – are familiar with the latest developments
• – understand the nature of professional services marketing at large corporate firms and smaller partnerships across law, accountancy, property and consultancy in a variety of client markets
• – have substantial experience working with both senior and junior fee-earners and MBD professionals
• – possess psychology credentials and/or years of experience in learning and development to ensure an optimum learning experience
• – regularly talk to CMOs and management leaders to keep abreast of the emerging needs of their teams

Delegates receive a productive learning experience because:

•  – There is a balance between knowledge transfer and active learning through interactive discussion and group exercises (sessions are not recorded to promote openness)
• – Training is experiential – idea sharing, networking and collaboration are encouraged
• – Progressive – sessions are graded for beginner, intermediate and advanced levels
• – Whilst platform-independent, sessions signpost systems and technologies used most often by professional services firms
• – As well as copies of course materials, delegates receive work sheets and supplementary resources with guidance for further learning (including other PM Forum events) and application
• – Course leaders are experienced coaches who understand and promote career development
• – Certificates of completion are issued for use in Continuing Professional Development (CPD)
• – Dialogue can continue after training through members-only LinkedIn communities
• – Participation is restricted to PM Forum members