Established 2016
Stoke-on-Trent - Staffordshire
www.hayward-ce.co.uk
info@hayward-ce.co.uk
I built and ran an engineering consultancy that generated £1.33 million in fees across ten years.
Almost three-quarters of those fees came from 15 client relationships I personally initiated. An introduction, a conversation or an initial appointment became years of repeat work.
That experience underpins how I help specialist construction, engineering and built-environment businesses develop business: choosing suitable clients, opening conversations, following through and building relationships that lead to further work.
The experience behind the advice
15 client relationships. Almost £1 million in fees.
£1.33 million
Total consultancy fees over ten years
£994,000
Fees from relationships I initiated
£251,000
Highest annual consultancy fees
The right relationship can be worth years of work
The value of winning a client extends well beyond the first appointment.
Three relationships I initiated went on to generate:
Client
Total fees
Years with recorded work
Client A
£505,259
10
Client B
£220,380
6
Client C
£103,143
3
Client names have been omitted.
From making contact to winning work
A separate historical record of my outbound activity tracked 180 target organisations:
Stage
Number
Target organisations
180
Contacts made
80
Meetings, presentations or enquiries
37
Clients won
13
That represents:
just over 7% of target organisations becoming clients
Of the contacts made, 46% progressed to a meeting, presentation or enquiry
35% of that group became clients
The average time from contact to order was 22 weeks.
That delay matters. The conversations that create future work often need to happen while you are busy delivering today’s projects.
My approach reflects that reality: focused prospecting, useful conversations and consistent follow-up, supported by a routine that fits around technical delivery.
I understand the business behind the pipeline
Winning work was part of running my own consultancy. I also had to deliver it, manage capacity and maintain the client relationships that supported the business.
Across ten years, the consultancy worked with 34 client businesses. In its strongest year, it generated £251,000 in fees from eight clients.
I also know how much a business can depend on a small number of valuable relationships. Repeat work brings continuity, but losing a major client can leave a substantial gap.
That is why my work with clients considers the wider business: the work you want, the capacity you have, your reliance on existing accounts and the relationships you need to develop next.
Bringing that experience into your business
I help owners and directors examine how they currently win work, identify what needs attention and put practical improvements into use.
I start by understanding what your business needs. That may mean:
-
Focused consultancy to assess your current approach and agree priorities.
-
Practical training built around your team, target clients and real business-development conversations.
-
Ongoing support to review opportunities, work through obstacles and strengthen execution.
Or a combination of the above.
The aim is to give business development a clear place in how your firm operates—with agreed actions, responsibilities and regular review.
Let’s discuss how your business wins work today—and what you want to improve.
Fee figures exclude VAT and cover 2016–17 to 2025–26, including repeat work. The outbound activity sample is a separate historical record covering 13 clients; the fee analysis includes all 15 relationships I initiated.
These relationships began with making contact.
They developed through technical delivery, trust and further opportunities to work together.
This shapes how I approach client selection:
Who needs your expertise?
What work suits your business?
Where is there scope for repeat appointments?
And can you deliver that work well?
Those questions help focus business-development effort on relationships worth pursuing.