Mo asks Mike Duffy: Tell me about a business development story that you are particularly proud of.

One of Mike's top business development efforts happened after a major company went under and all the audits they were doing went out for RFP. Instead of going into a presentation around pitching for the audit, Mike and his team just acted like they were starting the audit right then.
The preparation was in understanding their business inside and out, interviewing their people and learning what it’s important in their world, and building the audit in front of the client. This approach led to winning 87% of their pitches.
That story stands out for Mike because it showed him exactly what his team was made of and how they could excel together. He was also able to look back and analyze the reasons for his success, and those bold moves became the basis for much of Mike’s foundation for growth later on.
Covid was a godsend to sales people and professional services. This was the perfect opportunity to figure out how to be creative and add value to people. You could outsell your competition by not being the same and providing a bit more.
Mike was once asked how he has survived in professional services for so long, and his answer was, “Giving away all the credit and taking all the blame.” That’s Mike’s philosophy in a nutshell.
If Mike was forced to admit one of his qualities, it would be being willing to be blunt and honest when the project is going down the wrong path and pulling people back on track.

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