Client-Focused Sales Process Helps Firm Generate $2.3 Million in Revenue

Suzanne Bates knew her leadership development firm needed to brace itself in 2008 when one of her large, multi-national clients—a customer close to signing a significant deal for 2009—suddenly canceled.

"All signs were that this was a go—we were just waiting for a signature—and suddenly they pulled the plug," says Bates, founder and chief executive of Wellesley, Massachusetts-based Bates Communications. "We realized we were in for a significant bump. A couple of our other clients also cut their coaching budgets by 100%. Business we thought was assured simply went away."

Executive leader coaching, which had been a highly sought-after privilege for executives on their way to the top, was among the things companies cut when the economy became unstable. As the recession took hold, Bates knew she had to change if her firm were going to survive.

The firm looked beyond its usual list of client companies for organizations that needed its services. But the thing that helped it the most and allowed it to rebound quickly once the economy turned around was a stronger focus on current clients and developing deeper relationships with them.

Read the full case study to learn what Bates Communications did to retain those clients and come out of the recession stronger than when they went into it.