A practical pathway to transforming your important relationships

Our programme is designed to create the basis for a trusted and trusting commercial relationship, where the ambition is to create much greater value together and share more fully in its benefits.

It’s based on proven training, consulting and coaching processes which have delivered huge RoI for the clients involved and helped transform their approach. The foundation of the programme is to:

• Impact the mindset of those involved, so that they review their belief system and intentions, and make positive choices about these in the way they operate
• Train in a new skillset, so that they feel well equipped to have bigger and better conversations, know how to develop a new and exciting vision and do all of this in a rigorous and structured way
• Provide them with a practical toolset  that underpins the Mutual Value approach, including core client documentation, coaching tips and ways of sharing their experiences with others on the programme

This is not a sales method but a way of running a relationship based on better intent, with stages along the way that demonstrate the value being created by whichever party decides to begin.

The 5-step programme

Our Programme has 5 steps which move from design through to living Mutual Value in key relationships. It is delivered in a practical and hands-on way, working both with the leadership and those who are directly client-facing to support them on the journey.

Step 1: defining the value of Mutual Value – workshop

 In a diagnostic and design workshop, the MV team will work with the commercial leadership to identify exactly why the approach is required, which challenges it will meet, and there will be a process to identify the financial value of getting it right.

We believe strongly in quantifying the financial value to the firm of this change. This number will include:

• The financial return from greater opportunities and a more secure relationship
• The value derived from risk reduction if key relationships are transformed through a more aligned and collaborative approach
• Any other return which can be identified eg a higher win rate

If this value is sufficient we will proceed to tailor the programme to your organisation and its proposition. This ensures we are collectively directly addressing the key issues involved and making it completely relevant to the marketplace.

 Step 2: building the Mutual Value Narrative 

Through a proven storybuilding process, we will develop with the leadership team and key account people the Mutual Value Narrative for the organisation. This will set out a clear story of the future:

• identifying and clarifying the value to be co-created with clients
• the behaviours and values which will be in evidence
• the ambition of the organisation as a result of this process
• and the engagement themes which will drive the way the firm will work with the other parties.

These may be clients, suppliers or commercial partners.

Together this represents a clear vision of the commercial proposition of this firm in relation to its key partners, and sets out how it intends to engage with them to create much greater value.

Step 3: instilling the Mutual Value mindset and behaviours

 We typically run a 2-day workshop with the client-facing teams to help them look at the way they work with clients from a new perspective, consider and learn how to develop their communication and behaviours to reflect a Mutual Value philosophy and develop their own version of the Narrative for the work they do.

Within this workshop key ideas are explored, and important training takes place.

• Aligning personal and professional values
• Defining of the components of trust and how to make this central to the relationship
• Understanding the Mutual Value Relationship Agreement and developing the skills to develop it with clients
• Planning how to ensure this is lived through individual transactions
• Developing new techniques and approaches to key conversations and meetings that ensure honest, open, high impact encounters with commercial partners
• Feeling empowered and inspired to engage differently with key partners

We often then run a 1-day follow up workshop with specific account teams to drill down into how this can be best applied to those clients or suppliers, with a practical, commercial discussion connected to what’s actually happening in that account. In this way those teams are fully equipped to engage in a new and exciting way.

Step 4: co-creation of Mutual Value

 This is where the rubber hits the road. We provide coaching and consulting to the teams as they engage with customers, suppliers or partners to co-create Mutual Value. This can be challenging: they are introducing a new approach – often to existing relationships – and suggesting this is defined and articulated as the foundation for future development.

We continue to support them through the process. This is done through regular group calls, the provision of tips and prompts and the facilitation of group discussion so that experiences can be shared and learnings discussed.

We can also work directly with team members as they engage in the Mutual Value process, facilitating client workshops and helping with storytelling, content creation or the drafting of Mutual Value Relationship Agreements.

Step 5: negotiating and living Mutual Value

Our commitment is to ensure that this process is successful. This means meeting the financial target we identify at the start of the project and bringing much greater levels of satisfaction to the key relationships involved.

Just as a wedding is not the marriage, the value in a commercial relationship is delivered on a day to day, month to month basis, not when the Mutual Value Relationship Agreement is concluded.

We therefore continue to support the team as they engage fully in these relationships. This is done through coaching, review sessions and support for the leadership as they develop the wider strategy of Mutual Value. We will provide ongoing facilitation of internal conversations about this process and provide tips and insights to the team.

We can also work directly with team as they engage with clients, acting as independent facilitators of strategy sessions, helping to develop the vision and providing ideas about building on the relationship as external advisers.