The First Documented Workflow in the Frm's History
A high-performing BD team at a PE-backed staffing firm was generating strong revenue entirely through personal relationships and manual effort. Leadership had no visibility into how their process worked, where time was being lost, or where automation could unlock capacity. They were preparing for growth with no operational documentation to grow from.
13
Pain points identified and prioritized
5 BD
workflow stages documented end-to-end
~80%
Reduction in manual labor scoped
2 Weeks
From zero documentation to full scope outlined
THE SITUATION
90% of leads sourced through personal relationships with no documented process for replication or scale. The BD team was spending hours daily on manual LinkedIn scanning, CRM data entry required manual effort despite an integration tool being in place, and leadership had no visibility into clinical trial progression, competitor activity, or funding events as demand signals.
What the firm was dealing with:
— No documented production workflow for any BD stage
— ~80% of LinkedIn-to-CRM data transfer done manually
— No visibility into market signals for demand forecasting
— BD process entirely dependent on individual relationships with no replication path
THE APPROACH
1. Discovery workshop facilitation
Structured working session with the BD team to walk the complete lead-to-placement workflow end-to-end. Captured current-state process across lead discovery, data entry, qualification, outreach, and relationship management.
2. Process documentation
Translated workshop outputs into a full current-state process flow — every step, tool, time investment, and manual workaround across the BD lifecycle documented for the first time.
3. Pain point analysis
Categorized and prioritized 13 identified pain points across four areas with severity ratings and gap-type classifications to guide solution sequencing.
PHASE 1 COMPLETE · PHASE 2 UNDERWAY
Before
No documented production workflow — BD process existed only in the team's heads
No automation evaluation framework — no documented basis for tech spend decisions
Pricing verification and CRM entry entirely manual with no accountability structure
Leadership blind to where time was going or where the biggest gaps were
After
Full current-state process map — first documented workflow in the firm's history
13 pain points identified, categorized, and prioritized by severity and gap type
Quantified hidden time loss — by manual CRM entry and LinkedIn scanning
Prioritized action roadmap — high-severity items flagged for immediate automation evaluation
Clear investment framework — leadership now has a documented basis for evaluating tech spend
Running your BD process from memory?
"You can't improve what you can't see. The first step is always making the invisible visible."
— Nicki Klutts, Marlowe StrategiesMORE RESULTS
2 weeks → 3 days onboarding
BD Process Discovery
13 pain points, PE-backed firm
SEO Systems Enablement