Selected work/Case study 01

An enterprise business-development programme, built from the ground up.

A family-owned UK and Pakistan apparel manufacturer set out to win new enterprise accounts in several international markets. I’m building the foundations: who to sell to and in what order, who to reach inside each account, what proof to show them, and the CRM and AI-assisted workflows that keep it moving.

  • International apparel manufacturer
  • London, UK · 2026
  • Download PDF
Collage: a hoodie, a globe with trade routes, cotton, fabric swatches and a container ship
Three ways to work together
  1. 01Business Development | Sales Systems
  2. 02Sales / Marketing / Commercial Engine Build
  3. 03Full Commercial Strategy | Fractional Director
Client
Family-owned apparel manufacturer, UK & Pakistan
Scope
Business development, positioning, CRM and AI-assisted workflows
Period
Live since late 2025
Status
In progress: pipeline being built across priority accounts

01 · What was needed

A growth brief that needed far more than outreach.

  • A defined customer. Which types of buyer most value what the business does best, and in which markets, so that every conversation starts with a likely fit.
  • An order of attack. A long list of possible accounts, scored and ranked so that effort goes first where margin, volume and quality expectations fit.
  • The right people in each account. Brand owners, retailers, agents and sourcing offices buy in different ways. Each needed its own first conversation.
  • Proof a buyer can check. Positioning and collateral that lead with specific product strengths, with claims checked against source documents and localised for each market.
  • One system of record. A CRM where every contact sits under the right account, conversations are logged, and the pipeline can be reported reliably as it grows.

Capability alone doesn’t win the buyer. Out of a thousand capable suppliers, they choose the one that communicates its niche clearly.

Working principle

02 · How I approached it

Evidence first. Then decisions. Then the build. Then the action.

01 · EvidenceWhat we know

Ground every decision in the record, and keep re-testing it

Duty and landed-cost positions, certifications, catalogues, quality records and websites are checked for what can be evidenced. The sales correspondence is reviewed for what buyers actually ask for: a reason to add a supplier, workable order economics, clear terms and proof. Decisions are re-tested as the record grows.

02 · DecisionsWhat is true

Decide who to sell to, in what order, and what can be said

An Ideal Customer Profile (ICP) and segmentation by buyer type and market. Target accounts scored on margin, volume and quality orientation, then ranked. A claims register setting what may be said, with which proof, and what may not. CRM rules: a lead becomes a deal only when the buyer replies, and quiet deals are re-qualified before they are marked lost.

03 · BuildHow it is sold

Build the collateral, and the engine to work it

Six one-page segment sheets: two buyer segments across three regions, each localised for duty, compliance and transit. Decision-maker research and account-specific proposals. Apollo for enrichment and prospecting, feeding the client’s Pipedrive CRM. AI assists with research and first drafts of text; I edit and decide, and facts are checked against source documents before collateral goes out.

04 · Ready for actionWhat the buyer sees

Work the market, and keep the pipeline honest

Segment-specific first contact by LinkedIn and email, tailored briefs to named decision-makers, and proposals where a buyer brief exists, while the CRM is restructured for segmented campaigns. The numbers below measure traction, not revenue.

Where it stands · Oct 2026
  • 1,100+ICP contacts, across nearly 400 organisations
  • 16opportunities generated
  • 6global buyers engaged by direct outreach
  • 3enterprise buyers now in sampling or costing
  • <7 monthsfrom first cold email to test-scenario talks

03 · What was created

Trust isn’t sent. It’s built. So we built the engine.

Enterprise business development isn’t plug and play. The factory had mostly supplied the family’s own wholesale business, or agent-led work. Selling direct to global brands takes familiarity, demonstrated competence and trust. These parts are built to earn it.

How to read the map
Load-bearing. The programme can’t run without it.
Top rule: the method stage each layer serves.
Without it what the business loses if it’s missing.
04 · Ready for action — what the buyer seesClient’s own brand · regional editions
01 Reach02 Qualify03 Compare04 Propose

The proof behind the sheets

First-Contact Messages

LinkedIn + email

A LinkedIn opener, then an email, written to each person’s role and their company’s current moves.

Without itOutreach reads like a mail-merge.

Segment Sheets

6 one-pagers · 3 regions

One page per buyer segment and region, localised for duty, compliance and transit.

Without itOne generic pitch gets half the market wrong.

Evidence Pack

Qualification · on reply

The answer set for a sourcing team: production route, certifications and their scope.

Without itQualification stalls while the buyer waits for answers.

Landed-Cost Briefs

On a live specification

Built to compare cost like for like, once a buyer shares a specification.

Without itThe buyer can’t compare the offer with current supply.

Account Proposals

Per account · live brief

Proposals and decks written for one account: its range, its calendar, its buying route.

Without itEvery buyer gets the same capability deck.

Supplies the argument

03 · Build — how it is soldInternal · behind every buyer touch

Positioning & Messaging

Internal · the argument

Leads with specific product strengths, states pedigree precisely, and sets the copy for each segment.

Without itEvery message falls back on generic capability.

Decision-Maker Research

Per account · per person

Who buys, who influences and who doesn’t source at all, with a brief on each person.

Without itThe pitch reaches the right company and the wrong person.

Apollo + Pipedrive CRM

Enrichment · system of record

Apollo enriches and prospects; the client’s Pipedrive is the system of record, now being restructured.

Without itFollow-up runs on memory, and no one can report the pipeline.

AI-Assisted Workflows

Research · first drafts

Account research and first drafts of text. I edit and decide; facts are checked against source documents.

Without itOne person can’t research, write and follow up at this pace.

Every contact logged

02 · Decisions — what is true · The spineWho, in what order, and what may be said

Ideal Customer Profile & Segmentation

Buyer type × market

Matches the client’s strengths to the types of buyer that value them most, segment by segment and market by market.

Without itEffort spreads across every apparel buyer and lands with few.

Target-Account Prioritisation

Margin · volume · quality

Each target account scored on margin, volume and quality orientation, then ranked.

Without itThe loudest lead gets the time, not the best one.

Claims Register

Claim · proof · status

What may be said, with which proof and in which market, and what may not, from certificates to cost and capacity.

Without itOne overstatement costs the trust the rest of the pitch depends on.

Pipeline Rules

Applied in the CRM rebuild

A lead becomes a deal when the buyer replies. Quiet deals are re-qualified before they’re marked lost. One record per account.

Without itPipeline numbers mean different things to different people.

Evidence before decisions

01 · Evidence — what we know3 records

Correspondence Review

The sales correspondence, reviewed for what buyers asked for, objected to and needed next.

Without itThe pitch answers questions buyers never asked.

Capability & Proof Audit

Catalogues, quality records, certificates and websites checked for what the client can evidence today.

Without itBuyers are asked to take claims on trust.

Market & Trade Research

Duty, tariff, compliance and transit positions for each market, checked against primary sources.

Without itThe cost argument fails the buyer’s own check.

The spine sets every target, segment & claim above

Clients are described anonymously while engagements are live. Named references on request, where clients agree.

Download the case studyPDF · A4 · 2 pages

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