The going got tough; the tough got tougher.
When the bottom drops out of the property market, property advisers are hard-pressed to defend their fees. Competitive pitches become even more competitive. Working with the partners of a property firm, I converted their new business pitch strategy from firm-centred to client-centred.
Result: their conversion rate increased from 50 to 80 per cent, with no need for fee-slashing.
Media turn-off.
A food business was about to be publicly named and shamed by the Food Standards Agency for giving incorrect information about the fat content on its product labels. They were preparing for the worst kind of media attention, and considering how they could possibly justify having lied to the consumer. I helped them demonstrate that the labelling was a regrettable error, but not a deliberate attempt to mislead.
Result: zero media attention.