Academy for Business Development

Guiding accounting firms to best practices

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Academy for Business Development is an intensive 18-month program for teaching vital business development skills to new partners and senior managers

Before the recession, agressively waiting for the phone to ring actually worked as a business development strategy.

Times have certainly changed.

Firm leaders are focused now more than ever before on business development efforts, and for good reason. Change is sweeping our profession in the following ways:

Senior partners highly skilled in business development—along with their key client contacts and best referral sources—are retiring in ever-greater numbers.
Business leaders are requesting fewer services as they hunker down to ride out the recession.
Competition for client dollars is intense, bringing a new wave of price cutting.
Escalating client attrition rates mean more and more new work needs to come in the door each year just to hold top line revenue steady.




So what’s your plan of action–short term, as well as into the future? We believe one very wise course of action is to make sure your best future business developers have the opportunity to develop the skills, confidence, and discipline needed to consistently bring high quality new work opportunities into the firm, whether from new or existing clients.


So what makes the Academy for Business Development Unique? Deliberate Design Our sole objective is to ensure your future business developers have the skills, confidence, and discipline required to consistently bring high quality new work into your firm from new and existing clients. The investment per person for the full 18-month program is $9,000 ($7,500 for UAN members). Practical Accountability Knowing that poor follow-through is the number one complaint about almost all programs, we’ve built multiple levels of accountability into the Academy for Business Development. Demonstrated Expertise Our instructors, Graham Wilson and Sam Allred, have significantly impacted the development and growth of hundreds of public accounting firms around the world for nearly two decades.


The Academy for Business Development is an intensive 18-month program designed for new partners and senior managers who show a strong interest in or talent for business development. The program helps participants develop the skills, build the confidence, and achieve the discipline necessary to become great business developers. Business Development Workshops Three 8-hour conferences held in June 2010, January 2011, and June 2011 Face-to-face interactive learning, stimulating group environment, opportunities for networking and connecting Begin at 2:00pm, conclude the next day at noon Produce a Personal Business Development Plan SkillBuilding Forums Interactive 60-minute conference calls, designed to create vital business development skills Broaden knowledge incrementally and consistently over the full 18 months Monthly calls (except March, April) for all participants Personal Business Development Plan Created by each participant to achieve specific business development goals Plan is fine-tuned with new goals for each six-month business development period Accountability Check-In Bi-monthly group conference calls with Academy faculty Participants divided into groups of ten or less Guides Each participant assigned to a guide, a respected stakeholder from within the firm Monthly meetings between guide and participant to assess progress on the Personal Business Development Plan Monthly communication with Managing Partner regarding participant’s progress Guide Training Forums Conference call presentations for guides every six months Led by Academy faculty, highly interactive Managing Partner Check-In Personal phone call with Academy faculty every six months


Little of lasting worth in our personal lives or our work is accomplished without genuine commitment, self-discipline, and consistent follow-through. The Academy’s structured program of practical accountability enables participants to develop and hone these essential traits that lead to business success. Multiple Levels of Accountability Personal Submit Personal Business Development Plan Attend live Business Development Workshops and SkillBuilding Forums Meet monthly with guide Actively participate in bi-monthly Accountability Check-In calls Submit final results of Personal Business Development Plan every six months Meet with Managing Partner every six months to discuss progress Firm Managing Partner assigns experienced stakeholder to act as guide Guide participates in Guide Training Forums every six months Guide meets monthly with participant Academy Monitors and offers feedback on the participant’s Personal Business Development Plan Provides guide training every six months Consults with Managing Partners on participant’s progress every six months


With years of experience providing world class training to our profession, Graham Wilson and Sam Allred are widely acknowledged as master instructors, communicators, and industry experts. Their expertise will help participants create, build, and fine-tune the business development skills so crucial to success. Graham Wilson For nearly two decades, Graham has been acknowledged as one of the accounting profession’s leading facilitators for business development training. He has conducted hundreds of training sessions in the US, Canada, and Europe. Here’s what people have said about Graham: “Graham’s passion for change is contagious.” Jay Sattler, Partner, Blum Shapiro “Since 2003 I have participated in courses taught by Graham that have helped me make positive changes in the discipline needed to consistently develop quality new work.” Eric Wilson, Partner, BDO Canada “Graham consistently holds people accountable for their commitments while maintaining a friendly and professional relationship.” Joe Blice, Partner, Hein & Associates, LLP Sam Allred Sam Allred is a Shareholder with Anderson ZurMuehlen & Co. and Founder and Director of Upstream Academy. He interacts with hundreds of CPA firms around the world each year via professional conferences, partner retreats, conference call presentations and Emerging Leaders Academy. Sam is widely regarded as one of our profession’s top strategic thinkers and is regularly listed as one of IPA’s most recommended consultants.
Ready to register? Click here or call 406-495-1850.