Client Assessment Framework

Project Hypothesis

By adapting concepts from business qualification frameworks (BAMT, MEDDIC) and personality typing systems like Myers-Briggs this project explores whether client problem /solution behaviors follow discernible patterns that can help identify and prioritise potential clients and allocate appropriate team resources.

The Problem

Investing significant time with prospective clients that don't convert into long-term business is a prevalent challenge in many B2B and consultancy-driven industries. This issue not only drains valuable resources but can also impact team morale and strategic focus.

Understanding the Core Issue

1. High Cost of Time
2. Misaligned Expectations
3. Lack of Structured Qualification
4. Inefficient Sales Process
5. Data Gaps

Strategies to Address the Challenge

1. Implement Lead Qualification Frameworks
2. Tiered Engagement Model
3. Set Clear ROI Metrics
4. Offer Paid Discovery Phases
5. Utilize CRM and Pipeline Analytics

Potential Solution

This project advances the development of a structured qualification process to pre-screen access to leadership and reduce time spent on non-converting prospects, thereby improving efficiency and focusing efforts on high-potential opportunities. We're investigating the potential of a client assessment framework that incorporates BANT, and MEDDIC lead qualification frameworks and four key dimensions that may be indicative of prospective client behavior patterns:

1. Internal vs External Expertise Orientation

How clients view the source of expertise needed to define their current problems and solutions:

• Internal: Believes their organization possesses most necessary expertise
• External: Values outside perspective and specialized knowledge

2. Sensing vs Intuition Information Processing

How clients take in and process information about their problems:

• Sensing: Focuses on concrete details, precedents, and practical applications
• Intuition: Emphasizes patterns, possibilities, and broader implications

3. Thinking vs Feeling Decision-Making

How clients approach decision-making:

• Thinking: Prioritizes logic, data, and objective metrics
• Feeling: Values consensus, stakeholder impact, and organizational harmony

4. Judging vs Perceiving Approach

How clients deal with the external world:

• Judging: Prefers clear structure, defined outcomes, and minimal changes
• Perceiving: Values flexibility, exploration, and adaptation during the process

Assessment Tools

This repository contains three key components:

1. Questionnaire: A 40-question assessment (10 questions per dimension) that business development team members and prospective clients can complete
2. Excel Template: A scoring spreadsheet that calculates dimension scores and identifies client types
3. Interactive Visualization: A dashboard for exploring client profiles and risk assessments

Research Approach

This framework is currently in an experimental phase. The proposed research methodology includes:

Phase 1: Retrospective Analysis

• Apply the questionnaire to past and present clients (from memory)
• Test inter-rater reliability among team members
• Identify patterns in successful vs. unsuccessful client engagements

Phase 2: Prospective Testing

• Implement the questionnaire with new prospects
• Track outcomes against predictions
• Refine and validate the model

Phase 3: Statistical Validation

• Analyze correlation between type classifications and business outcomes
• Identify the most predictive questions and dimensions
• Develop a refined, evidence-based framework

How to Contribute

As engineering and scientific professionals, your critical input is essential to this experimental approach. We welcome your contributions:

1. Methodology Feedback: Suggest improvements to the assessment design
2. Statistical Analysis: Help develop robust validation approaches
3. Question Refinement: Identify more effective questions for each dimension
4. Case Studies: Contribute experiences with different client types

To provide feedback or suggestions:

1. Open an Issue
2. Submit a Pull Request with your proposed changes
3. Discuss in the Discussions section

Using This Repository

For Team Members

1. Review the questionnaire and scoring methodology
2. Download the Excel template for scoring assessments
3. Use the visualization dashboard to explore client profiles

For Testing

1. Apply the questionnaire to past clients you've worked with
2. Score their responses using the Excel template
3. Document patterns you observe in the Issues section

Project Status

This project is currently in the initial research and validation phase. All tools and methodologies are subject to refinement based on empirical findings.

License

This project is licensed under the MIT License - see the LICENSE file for details.