Lead Seekers Australia Pty Ltd and its group of companies has been providing

high quality contact centre services since 2004 and is wholly Australian owned
and operated.
This report gives a strategic direction for the future of the company. This report
will also table both consolidation of accounts and growth of business.
1. Confirm organisational vision and mission:
The current organisations Mission Statement is as follows;
To be the leader in the outsourced call centre industry by delivering a competitive
advantage to each and every client every time.

1.1
Check with stakeholders that organisational vision and mission
are still held to be current and supportive.
Lead Seekers Australia Pty Ltd has a sole directorship however part of its culture
refers to all employees being Key Stakeholders. The company was founded and
continues with a democratic style leadership. Senior and Middle Management are
the Key Stakeholder representatives in this organisation.
Over the past eight (8) weeks strategic planning meetings have occurred weekly
including both onsite
and offsite discussions. It was found that the previous
mission statement was no longer adequate nor suitable.
1.2 Make any changes or refinements to vision or mission statement
as required
The key Stakeholders presented a number of suggested Mission Statements based
on their experiences in the company and descriptions on what the company actually
does. A compilation of these based the foundation of the new Mission Statement.
The Key Stakeholders have voted on the new mission to be as follows;
We Seek You Sell. We Provide Quality, Pay-Per-Lead Sales Opportunities to any
Business-to-Business Sales Organization regardless of their Marketing Budget.
Our focus is on building rapport and starting relationships on a positive note and
always with a plug and play experience.
This mission statement suited the current values of the organization along a more
relevant description of the core business.

1.3 Review or develop organisational values to support the vision

and mission statement.
Reviews have been made of the Culture Statement and it was found that it
supported the new mission statement adequately.
Of the 14 Points of Culture in the Culture Statement each represented the new
Mission Statement well. Starting with the first, Commitment (to the vision and
mission) followed by Ownership and Integrity. Each play a vital role in delivering
and living by the Mission.
Refer to Appendix A Culture Statement v1.0
1.4 Gain support for strategic planning process from all relevant
stakeholders.
Successful Strategic Plans involve stakeholders and gain stakeholders support.
Strategic plan development requires consideration of values and priorities; the plan
reflects views and opinions shared by all those involved in the process. This plans
included all parties and departments required in the strategic planning process.
Processes have been developed to involve Senior Managers and Heads of
Departments.
As many companies differ in size and description there are many formulas for
required Key Stake Holders. In the case of Lead Seekers Australia Pty Ltd the Key
Stakeholders included; The Director, Operations Manager, Business Development
Manager, Effective Performance Manager, IT Manager, Database Administrator and
Staff Managers.
The introduction of The Strategic Planning process to the Key Stakeholders included
a series of scenarios which possibly could impact the future of the business and the
minimal performance required for each department to keep afloat. Each
Department was instructed to prepare a strategy to overcome the scenario and
include KRAs, KPIs and Report on the processes required to report and monitor the
success of the strategy.
It was very interesting to see the plans form. It was more interesting to see how
each Department was dependant on the other Communication was the Key not
only verbal but via Email Updates and intranet usage. The exercise was a success
to gain support and commitment to the Strategic Planning Process.
Each were also to prepare input to the Mission Statement,
There are no other Key Stakeholders as the company has no debt nor partnerships
(strategic nor financial).

1 Analyse the internal and external environment

2.1 Determine information requirements and undertake or commission
research to deliver relevant information.
By using the Porters Five Forces Worksheet (www.mindtools.com/rs/porter) the
Strategic Meetings uncovered Lead Seekers Australias current situation in the
market.
Supplier Power They were able to assess how easy it is for suppliers to
drive up prices. It was identified that there is an abundance of suppliers to
Lead Seekers in the way of Telecommunications and Recruitment (the two
largest expenses) however not many quality suppliers of the services Lead
Seekers provided.
Buyer Power - They were able to assess how easy it is for buyers to drive
prices down. Currently Lead Seekers has a large number of buyers however
seem to be dictated by one major Corporate Customer which does absorb time
and energy from the business. It was identified that this was not a secure
environment and a new strategy was required which included a more eggs,
more basket approach. There is very little cost for smaller customers to
change suppliers however a much larger cost to Corporate Campaigns. These
are Powerful Buyers.
Competitive Rivalry There are a number of competitors in this industry
however not many have a good reputation nor the capability of continuously
delivering quality services. It has been identified that despite the perception of
quality of service the customer returns over and over. This identifies both
Strength and Weakness, If quality is not a large requirement for returning
customers almost any competitor could enter this niche market.
Threat of Substitution Fortunately there has been no substitute for Direct
Marketing since its inception the late 1960s. The major threat is no longer
outsourcing this requirement. Lead Seekers is currently faced with this exact
scenario with its largest Corporate Account. The Strategic Plan is suggested to
spread resources more evenly in the case that this occurs. The only other
possible Threat is Legislative with the Do Not Call Register Act 2006. If this
would extend to all businesses then Outbound Lead Generation from
Business to Business would fail.
Threat of New Entry Threat of new entry is unlikely to affect this business.
The cost of doing business is not something that could be matched short term
without the competitor spending unreasonable amounts of time and money.

Lead Seekers has collected information that no other company has foreseen to
be important to date. This means that they only have to target 80,000
prospects every two years verse 600,000 prospects every two years for its
competitors. It has been calculated that Lead Seekers expenses can run at
13% of its competitor using this data.
2.2 Analyse political, economic, social and technological
developments in a global context
The Federal Do Not Call Register Act 2006 (DNCR) and the Privacy Act 1988
are the main Legislative requirements that could affect the business, followed
by Industrial Relations.
The social impact of Telemarketing calls is becoming alarmingly high. It has
been the companys experience that The Do Not Call Register is quite one
sided and on the side of the person receiving the call even when they are not
entitled to be on the Register. Currently there is no enforced penalty for a
Business to be on the register despite clear guidelines that state they cannot
be on it. If a Marketing Company contacts this business and it complains the
complaint still stands.
The ACMA (Australian Communications and Media Authority) who runs the
DNCR have the stance that Even though the Company has broken the law
doesnt give the right to another Company to break the law. More than 30%
of businesses are currently on the DNCR (these statistics have been collected
by washing transactions provided by the DNCR and washed against DBOR
Data Base of Records which is owned by Lead Seekers Australia Pty Ltd).
Google have released SIP phones in the United States boasting free calls from
phones. If exchanges in Australia were to be made SIP capable a large part of
Lead Seekers business would disappear as the need for Lead Generation in a
free market would diminish.
The strategic direction has included severe diversity change including Internet
Marketing and Web Design.
2.3 Seek advice from appropriate experts wherever necessary
The company has engaged their accountant to forecast best case and worst
case scenarios based on the change to the Strategy and possible loss of the
Corporate Campaign. Statements indicate that the company can remain afloat
for a short time (months) with the loss of the Corporate Campaign and without
an increase of the smaller campaigns.
It is his recommendation to increase turnover immediately with smaller
campaigns whilst culling expenses where possible. Turnaround of staff must be
completed quicker avoiding any loss of wages.

2.4 Identify and consider strengths and weaknesses of existing and

potential competitors alike.
The only true competitor is the internal competitor of the clients. Many
companies believe that they can do a better job however they simply dont
have the time. They eventually make time based on Budgets.
Some of the strengths of an internal Lead Generation team
(Competitor) include;
Receipt of immediate feedback and quality improvements can be made very
quickly.
Wage expenses can be reduced by identifying poor employees on a quality
level early in the piece.
Never wait for invoices to be paid. Cash Flow should not inhibit growth of the
team or technology.
Access to latest product training and sales methodology
Immediate trust and integrity with a team member attitude across the
organisation

Some of the weaknesses of an internal Lead Generation team

(Competitor) include;
Creation of a new business or division including management and
infrastructure
Constant Recruitment of individuals displaying specific rare personality traits.
Not their core business leaving possible gaps in skill sets.
No access to previous contacts made to National Database other than previous
appointments set. The internal team would have to generate a pipeline from
start which would take approximately two years to generate the same level of
activity using Lead Seekers.
2.5 Analyse the organisation's strengths, weaknesses, opportunities
and threats.
The below SWOT Analysis has been completed during one of the first Strategic
meetings held by Lead Seekers Australia Pty Ltd

Strengths

Weaknesses

Structure
Reputation
Quality Control
Guaranties Replacement Policy

Reception
Conversion
Inconsistent Staff Training
Staff Discipline

Pay Per Lead

Flexibility of Services
excessive
Certification of Staff
DBOR
Longevity
Business Supervision
Price competitive
Staff

Invalid Appointment Rate

Timeline of Campaigns

Opportunities

Threats

Telstra Lead Generation Policies

Easy Product/Service to Promote
Three)
Corporate Customers

Inconsistent Induction Process

Dialler Knowledge
Small to Medium

DNCR
Mergers (Vodafone and
Space (Office)
Inadequate Processes

Strengths:
Currently Lead Seekers offers a quality service with guaranties on a Pay-PerLead Platform. No other Lead Generation firm offers this type of service with a
competitive price and no setup fees. Quality control has been stepped up over
the years as Management have been educated with the workarounds
Telemarketers and Sales Consultants generate.
The employees are certified with an accreditation which has promoted a
fantastic culture and longevity in the team.
The CRM Platform (DBOR) has been designed and developed internally and is
flexible to our needs. It has not been purchased of the shelf which gives Lead
Seekers an edge over other companies who are constantly having to outsource
programming at a cost or having to make do with issues. The data contained
in DBOR equates to all major carriers combining their databases into one.

Weaknesses:
Due to its infancy and massive immediate growth certain processes have been
passed by. Many roles in the past have crossed over to other roles when the
need has arisen. Currently reception is unmanned until recently all new

clients were referral-based and were offered a mobile number to call. Due to
new advertising strategies the incoming number is used frequently and has
required the reception to be manned.
The same crossover can explain the lack of supervision on the smaller
campaigns and the inconsistencies in training, induction processes and staff
discipline.
The conversion weakness is one that may never be improved which is very
dangerous. As Lead Seekers has no control over the Lead once it has been
delivered it is at the mercy of the Sales Consultant. Despite all quality
measures Invalid Leads are still identified. The first thing a Sales Consultant
blames for not making a Sale is the lead.
Customers will also change their minds leaving no one at fault however they
will infrequently advise the Sales Consultant of this and suggest no
appointment has been made. It is only for Lead Seekers recording process that
the integrity remains high with the Senior Managers of the Companies they do
business with. At times recordings will be provided of the phone call to ensure
the appointment was solid when it left Lead Seekers.

Opportunities:
Lead Seekers major clients competitor is currently experience issues with the
ACMA and the DNCR. They have worked with Lead Seekers previously and is
aware of the success they have had not only in the industry but with dealings
with the ACMA regarding the exact issues they are facing. They have put a
complete stop to all outbound Telephone Sales and Lead Generation other than
that done through Lead Seekers. There is an opportunity to seize a Corporate
Campaign to run in conjunction to the existing Telecommunications Corporate
Campaign.
The Products and Services Lead Seekers provide it is quite simple to bring new
clients on board. There is an opportunity to replace the corporate campaign
quite quickly with Small to Medium Business Campaigns.
As the company is still young it has not had the opportunity to market to other
Industry Corporate Prospects which offers many new business opportunities
across multiple industries. Contacts are currently being made with these
potential customers.

Ours of Operation are currently 9am to 5pm leaving a window to expand

through evening hours and overseas campaigns.
Threats
The ACMA are constantly reviewing the DNCR policy. At any time all
businesses could be placed on the DNCR which would literally close the Core
Business of Lead Seekers. It appears to be a huge threat however it is unlikely
that the ACMA would have the power to authorise such a move as the
Economic and Social Impact of employment loss alone would raise issues for
other Government Departments and many Corporate Entities.
The Merger between Vodafone and Three is a significant Threat to the
organisation as Vodafone currently outsource to Lead Seekers and equate to
more than 60% of the companys revenue. Three currently have this process
internally and proclaim to be successful at the process.
Office space has been absorbed through the introduction of Management and
Corporate Structure. Expansion is limited and it would be difficult to have more
than one Corporate Campaign at one time.
SWOT Summary
It appears that the major issue is related to staff performance. The Strengths
and Opportunities are available however cannot be maximised due to time
frames not being met due to Performance. This has given clear understanding
of where the strategic plan needs to commence.

2.6 Consider co-operative ventures that are supported by risk and

cost benefit analyses, are consistent with the organisational vision,
mission and values, and provide for due diligence.
Lead Seekers Australia has a joint venture with Faraway Tree Enterprises which
is an RTO company trading as Lead Seekers College. Through relevant
training, new and old employees are trained adequately and are recognised
nationally with an AQTF Certificate.
There is no risk as long as the company values and mission is adhered to and
the cost benefit is in Lead Seekers favour as Government funding assists with
Growth and Development of the employees. It is also a great selling point for
new prospects as they feel the employees working on their campaigns are
trained adequately.

2.7 Check that analysis of internal and external environment is

consistent with the perspectives of other informed people.
All of the Key Stakeholders are informed and the analysis of internal and
external environment is consistent with their perspectives. All hands appear to
be on deck and each department is working toward goal congruence and
toward the new strategies being recommended.
The Business Development Team has a priority focus on new business.
The Effective Performance Management Team are focused on driving KPIs
The Operations Department are monitoring the processes of these two
segments of the business and then reporting it to the Director.

1 Write strategic plan.

3.1 Document relevant research and background for inclusion in the strategic
plan
Prior to the Strategic Planning Meeting each Department was required to
generate reports on their Department. They were also to be presented at the
first Strategic Meeting.
These reports included;
Business Development Department
Campaign Turnovers

Profit and Loss on Campaigns

Campaign Completion Time Line
Number of New Business Acquisition Each Month
Percentage of New Business Acquisition Each Month
Number of Existing Business Retention Each Month
Percentage of Existing Business Retention Each Month
Number of New Industry Business Acquisition Each Month
Percentage of New Industry Business Acquisition Each Month
Number of Existing Industry Business Retention Each Month
Percentage of Existing Industry Business Retention Each Month
Current Targets and KPIs for each Team Member
Target Markets
Number of Client Invalid Appointments
Percentage of Client Invalid Appointments
Cost of Client Invalid Appointments
(Client Invalid means the appointment passed internal quality measures
however fell over in the hands of the client)
Effective Performance Management Department
Number of Staff
Number of Staff Turnover
Percentage of Staff Turnover
Performance of Staff (Based on KPIs)
Percentage of Staff Meeting KPIs
Percentage of Staff Not Meeting KPIs
Current Targets and KPIs for each Team Member
Profit and Loss on Each Staff Member based on Wages
Time line between Staff Commencement and KPIs being met
Number of Staff Invalid Appointments
Percentage of Staff Invalid Appointments
Cost of Staff Invalid Appointments
(Staff Invalid means the appointment did not pass internal quality measures
and was not sent to the client)
Operations Manager
Company Profit and Loss Including Staff Wages and all Company Expenses
Number of Campaigns required to generate a profit (with the corporate client)
Number of Campaigns required to generate a profit (without the corporate
client)
Current Targets and KPIs for each Manager
Forecast of required Campaigns and Staff over the next quarter
A copy of the Current Mission Statement and a brief description of relevance
Current Job Descriptions
Historic Performance

3.2 Formulate strategic objectives and strategies needed for the

future.
As a group each Department and their Reports were analysed. They were
analysed to identify current financial position and future financial position if
nothing changed. It was found that without the Corporate Campaign Lead
Seekers would barely cover the costs of operation.
Staff performance and capabilities were analysed and found that performance
had decreased over the past 12 months. The SWOT analysis identified that the
business has many Strengths however the staff performance is a major
Weakness which contributed to the majority of the weaknesses identified. Poor
Selection, Poor Training or Poor Supervision are the major factors for staff not
meeting expected KPIs. It was decided that a Staff Manager would be
appointed to ensure these three things were consistent.
Target Markets were analysed and group discussion was formed around the
viability of expanding these markets. Currently Lead Seekers is predominately
in the Telecommunications industry. Many vertical markets were identified and
targets were set for the Business Development Team to achieve in these new
markets.
Business Development required more activity however the slow completion of
campaigns inhibited the growth of this department. The department was
spending excess time dealing with unhappy clients then generating new ones.
Operating Hours were discussed and found that there is a large opportunity for
growth. It was found that the Mission would not be adhered to if work was
done outside of Business Hours unless overseas. The task of investigating the
viability of overseas markets has been passed onto the Business Development
Manager for review.
Current processes were scrutinized and found that they were inadequate. It
was identified that more contact with the staff was required on a daily basis.
3.3 Detail each strategy with an assigned priority, a timeframe,
responsible parties and measurable performance indicators.
The existing business plan was adequate however processes required to make
the plan efficient and profitable were lacking.
It was identified that staff performance was definitely the major issue which
stemmed into other issues. KPIs were always set however were not enforced
at the level of them being useful.
Due to the major Corporate Campaigns contract expiring within Three (3)
months all Strategies had to be rolled out immediately. The number one
priority was relative to the staff performance issue. A staff manager had

already been appointed and many issues had already been resolved by the end
of the strategic meetings.
KPIs had been revisited based on a total running cost and a cost per seat had
been identified. Each Employee was targeted on revenue based on the per
seat value. More frequent One-On-Ones were to be completed and more
tangible action plans were to be submitted for each employee. If action plans
were not adhered to Warning Processes were to be commenced. Discipline and
Accountabilities were to become a priority. These processes have been
developed to assist in adhering to the Culture Statement however with a more
stern approach.
Four weeks was the time frame expected for each employee to be met with
and Action Plans delivered. Action Plans were to be weekly with an incremental
increase to performance for those not meeting the revenue per seat required.
The Business Development Team has been set KPIs with a change of process
when delivering the Sales Message. Each client should be left with the
expectation that the campaign would commence within seven (7) days as
opposed to 48 hours. Contact is to be made on a daily basis to discuss the
activity on the campaign or lack of activity. This is to increase the level of
communication and not leave the client to imagine the worst. This would be
implemented immediately.
A set percentage of Retention was decided upon along with Acquisition in both
Existing Industries and New Industries. KPIs and backwards plans were
delivered to each member of the Business Development Team these were
based on the reports provided in the first strategic meeting however were not
limited to them. Each team member is required to report on a daily basis for
the first 4 weeks and then weekly if all plans are adhered to. The same
process of Effective Performance Management is to be delivered to this team if
targets are not met i.e. Warning Process.
Additional training as been scheduled for all Departments to ensure all parties
are adequately trained and capable of meeting the required/desired targets
and time frames. Responsibility and Accountability is now clearly defined for
all roles in the business.
3.4 Circulate strategic plan for comment, support and
endorsement
A Summary of the discussions and agreements have been forwarded to all Key
Stakeholders and they are to be delivered to each employee by their direct
manager.
Buy in was created based on the seriousness of situation and it was obvious to the
team that the changes needed to occur or there may not be a business in the
future. Due to the group Strategy Sessions each Key Stakeholder was informed on a
daily basis with all discussions.

Very little circulation was required in this situation. Each Department Head have
committed to complete their tasks and fulfil their part in the strategic movement.
Each Head of Department has worked closely with the Operations Manager rewriting
their Job Description and endorsing their KPIs as achievable.

2 Implement Strategic Plan

4.1 Communicate strategic plan to all relevant parties
All Key Stakeholders attended the strategic meetings. Each Head of Departments
will deliver the by-products of the strategy to their Team Managers by way of KPIs,
new target markets and any changes in processes that are relevant. The updated
Mission Statement will be delivered to all staff both in a Group Meeting and in the
New Company Handbook.
4.2 Brief people with a specific role in relation to strategies

4.3 Use performance indicators to monitor progress in implementing

plan
Utilising Profit and Loss and Staff Activity, Lead Seekers is able to monitor the
implementation based on the financials. These reports are actual and directly from
MYOB.
In addition, each department is to report all activity to the Operations Manager on a
weekly basis which indicate the changes being made i.e. Backwards Plans being
adhered to, Number of Meetings with Staff.
DBOR provides reports on Business Development and Campaign Management.
Invoicing is also completed by the Operations Manager. Even though reports are
provided, the validity of the reports is easily checked based on how many new
employees/new campaigns are processed through MYOB on a daily basis.
A soft-copy of the backwards plans that are provided to employees are also emailed
to the Operations Manager to ensure the numbers match the reports provided by
the Effective Performance Manager.
4.4 Make necessary refinements to plan
With all Strategic or Forward Plans refinements may be required to the plans. If Key
Staff are not meeting the required KPIs they may be terminated and a recruitment

process may need to be added for senior employees. Prior to termination all
statistics should be analysed to ensure the targets set have been achievable.
If Target Markets are not fruitful secondary Target Markets may need to be
identified. Price increases may be required if the process takes longer to implement
then planned.
4.5 Evaluate achievement of objectives at agreed milestones
It would be my recommendation that reviews be made at the four (4) week, eight
(8) week and twelve (12) week milestones. In my opinion the most significant
movement should be noticed at the eight week mark as all processes should be
close to completion by the fourth week and in full swing by the eighth week.
More reviews should be completed at the 6 month mark followed by every 12
months.
4.6 Review effectiveness of plan and consider methods for
improving strategic planning processes
This particular plan has been forced by environmental issues. It would be fair to say
that with more time the planning process may have been more effective.
The outcome of this strategy will be a great indicator of effectiveness of the plan
and the process as the business may require downsizing if the outcome is not
successful.
The strategic planning process would have benefited by a less urgent scenario and
for future plans it will be considered over time.
A record of suggestions (either staff related or business related) would be beneficial
as ideas come and go and generally by the time strategies are reviewed they are
seldom remembered.