Advanced Business Acumen Course

Who is the course for?

Senior people within the agency who are keen to improve their practical business skills and gain a better understanding of how clients operate.

What are the benefits?

• Understand value drivers and how you can benefit from them.
• Get to grips with the financial dynamics and internal decision-making processes of client companies.
• Be better at interpreting your client’s business strategy and understand how to service your client company’s needs.
• Learn how to identify, grow and measure value opportunities.
• An optional MIPA assignment based on the content of the course will merit successful individuals with 1 MIPA Star.

Content

1. Overview and objectives

• Do you really know who your clients are?
• Understanding your mindset.
• Explore what commercial decision-making is.

2. Understanding client companies

• What drives your client companies?
• Who owns the business: Public versus private companies
• What do shareholders want?
• What is shareholder value?

3. The language of business finance

• Understanding the principles of Financial Accounts (without the numbers!)
• How to spot the key value drivers.
• How to communicate the long-term benefits of marketing and advertising.

4. Business Information

• Identifying the current critical business issues facing your client.
• How to readily access information about your client.
• Short-cuts for high-speed research.

5. Measuring shareholder value

• How to put a number on the value you create for your client.
• Tools and techniques for valuing the future.

6. Putting it all into practice

• Being entrepreneurial – spotting value-generating opportunities.
• Being proactive – selling value creation opportunities.
• Winning the pitch – what makes the difference.

The sessions will include case studies and breakout sessions.  So that you can fully participate in the course, you will be required to undertake a small amount of pre-work.

Where possible we will use actual client companies for some of the case studies.

Course dates

This course is running in person at the IPA on Wednesday 13 September 2023. 

Your tutor

Rachel Murphy

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