Executive Search
Case Study

Type: retained executive search
Title: Vice President of Business Development
Role: national affiliate expansion, portfolio growth
Location: Minneapolis, MN
Client: Professional Services Firm
Collaboration: CEO
Completed by: Deare executive search team

Company Profile
Founded over 20 years ago, this privately-owned professional services firm represents an expansive portfolio of premier franchise investments through a large network of affiliated consultants across the country. The company has grown to become one of the largest of its kind in the country and recognition from within the franchising industry has dramatically increased service demand. This tailwind is an opportunity to accelerate expansion of the national consultant network and franchisor relationships and has created the need for a VP of Business Development to lead national growth.

Key Selection Criteria
– 10+ years of retail executive experience, in the areas of research, strategy, competitive analysis, and management of related tactical programs and projects
– Deep understanding of retail operations from a field and corporate perspective
– 5+ years of successful sales and client relationship management experience, with emphasis on new business development
– Demonstrated executive-level strategic selling skills, working collaboratively with clients and constituents in a win-win context
– High integrity business professional capable of managing, planning, organizing, problem-solving
– Executive communications skills
– Data-driven decision maker with exceptional critical thinking and assessment skills
– Driven action-taker committed to delivering outstanding performance through complex, critical growth initiatives
– 4-year college degree
– MBA is a plus

Challenge
The CEO perceived the greatest challenge to be finding someone with the unique combination of knowledge, skills and experience needed for success in the role. Essentially, he needed an executive caliber retail professional with the acumen of a business analyst, the planning skills of a project manager, the consultative touch of a private equity advisor, the gravitas of a banker, the integrity of a tax accountant, the communications skills of a TED presenter, the relationship skills of a wedding planner, and the business development strategy prowess of a Chief Sales Officer.

Solution
The CEO made contact with Rick Deare and set up a meeting to discuss the unique role and nuanced requirements. As a recognized expert and consummate leader in the franchising industry, the CEO’s depth of knowledge provided the raw information needed to fully define the role, primary responsibilities, success measures, opportunity prospectus, selection criteria, and more.

Deare developed a position specification along with an executive profile. Deare also put together a “Search Key” (a tool from Deare’s branded PinPoint search methodology toolbox) helps identify optimal sourcing channels and prospective candidate targets. The CEO immediately retained the search.

Result
The combination of requirements and attributes did not present an obstacle or delay. The CEO’s deep expertise informed every aspect of our pre-launch search process. The resulting synthesis provided an immediately practical search focus. We quickly identified a candidate with broad retail experience, including tactical field-level and corporate-level strategic roles. The alignment of experience, skill sets, acumen and attributes was outstanding.

The CEO made an exceptional hire.