Business Focus

Business Focus involves participants in developing a sales area by deciding how to allocate time to prospecting for new customers, selling to existing customers and researching the market while servicing customer initiated requests. Before deciding how to allocate effort, participants must decide their objectives in terms of which customer group and product type to concentrate on and the relative importance of income growth, profitability and business risk. Then they must decide how to meet these objectives by targeting their sales effort. Hence the simulation provides a means of emphasising the need for financial success, time management and focus in selling.

Lasting as little as four hours its duration makes it suitable as part of a training course, at a sales meeting or as a feature of a sales conference.

The simulation is designed to be used by sales people; new sales management and functional specialists who need to know about customer development and sales objectives.

Designed in 2000 for Barclays Bank, Business Focus incorporates our latest design paradigms).

KEY LEARNING

MANAGE A PORTFOLIO OF CUSTOMERS & PRODUCTS

With the Classic and Progressive versions, teams take over a business unit that is selling three types of product to four groups of customers. With the Progressive version, the range of products expands to five and this is the situation at the start of the Complete version.

Each product/customer segment differs in terms of potential and the current situation. Some will need to be developed, others harvested and others protected. So each offer different opportunities for growth, income and profit and involve different risks.

IDENTIFY AND DEVELOP BUSINESS OPPORTUNITIES

During the simulation participants must identify opportunities through timely research. Then, based on this, they must grow the customer base through prospecting for new customers and grow sales to existing customers through directing selling effort towards specific customer groups and individual products.

ENSURE BUSINESS SUCCESS

Participants must grow their customer base, total income and profit while maintaining a presence in all market sectors and ensuring each product and customer group contributes to success. To help assess this contribution, the simulation produces reports highlighting the differences between customer groups and products. Reports that can form the basis of discussion on the participants own customer/product information needs and measures of success.

MAKE EFFECTIVE USE OF TIME

Through out the simulation, participants must balance the effort they decide to expend on prospecting, selling and researching and the time available for servicing customers. However, as the simulation progresses, this balance changes as the prospective customer base is penetrated, as existing customers are penetrated and as new products are introduced. So, throughout the simulation, participants must continuously reassess how they expend effort in the most effective way.

MAKE EFFICIENT USE OF TIME

Although teams allocate effort to prospecting, selling and research they must also allow time to respond to customer initiated requests for servicing. If too little time is allocated, they will lose customers. If too much time is allowed, then there will be idle time. Besides forecasting the amount of time to allocate to servicing existing customers, teams must ensure that they do not waste time prospecting and selling where there is little or no opportunity for growing the client base and income. Also, they must balance their need for market information with the effort taken to research the market (effort that otherwise could be used for selling, prospecting or servicing).

TEAM WORKING

With participants working in small teams, they have the opportunity to share experience and knowledge, present and promote different viewpoints and develop their "people" skills. Also, optionally, at the end of the simulation, participants can be asked to produce a formal sales presentation covering their strategies, the current and future situation, how they allocated effort and learning

DOCUMENTATION

Documentation is provided separately for the UK and US Versions MS Word format and comprises:

A Participants' Manual that provides, for the participants. a description of the simulation, a description of their task and how to use the software.

The Background Notes describe the simulation for the trainer and may be used as a handout to the participants at the end of the simulation.

The Record Sheets are optional and are provided to allow teams to share key results as the simulation progresses.

Using the Simulator provides, for the trainer (and computer support staff), information about installing the simulation and the use of the software.

Running the Simulation provides, for the trainer, information about running the simulation.

Briefing is a MS Power Point briefing explaining the simulation to the participants. (You may find it useful if you review this before reading the briefs.)

	UK Versions	US Versions
Participants' Manual
Background Notes
Sample Results
Using the Simulator
Running the Simulation
Briefing

SIMULATOR DOWNLOAD

This is provided to allow you to download an evaluation version of Business Focus. Before you do this you must have two blank formatted floppy discs available (labeled Disc 1 and Disc 2). Also be advised that the Cab files will take some time to down load.

The table below shows the files to download, their description, size and the floppy disc to save to. Once all files are downloaded, place Disc 1 in your floppy drive. Click Start and then Run and enter A:\setup.exe. The program should then install.

Most recent update: 23/06/05
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Phone & Fax +44 (0)20 7537 2982 E-mail jeremyhall@simulations.co.uk