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BUSINESS DEVELOPMENT
| Step | Business context | Example of actions | |
|---|---|---|---|
S | Spot | Identify potential clients who would benefit from your services. | Use market research, networking events, and social media analysis. Identify decision makers. |
A | Assess | Evaluate the needs, interests, and compatibility of the identified clients with your business. | Perform background research, need, value and risk analyses based on points of contact, client surveys, and open-source information. |
D | Develop | Build a relationship with the identified potential clients. | Engage in person at an event, show genuine curiosity and attention, send personalized emails, connect via LinkedIn, arrange introductory meetings, follow up. |
R | Recruit | Persuade the potential client to formalize the relationship and become a client. | Present tailored proposals and potential Return on Investment, utilize negotiation strategies, and draft contracts with appropriate legal support. |
A | Handle | Manage the relationship, addressing any concerns or objections that arise. | Implement regular check-ins and feedback loops using CRM systems. Foster transparency and candid conversations. |
T | Terminate | Evaluate periodically the value and risk of the partnership to decide whether to continue, modify, or end it if it is unprofitable or poses a significant risk. | Conduct performance reviews and satisfaction surveys, develop exit strategies, and maintain clear communication channels. |
WHY IT MATTERS
Using a clear process like SADRAT supports systematic and effective client relationship management.
It provides structure, reduces oversight, enhances decision making, and fosters strong, sustainable relationships.
Implementing this process successfully requires developing skills that can be leveraged for other purposes within one’s business, including interpersonal skills, situational awareness, internal and external communication, risk analysis, organization, planning, and monitoring.
WHAT TO DO
Determine whether to progress in the SADRAT process based on regular estimations or measures of value and risk. Be mindful of your biases and the possibility that the client may not always be truthful.
Consider long-term gratification: do not expect quick payoffs. Building high-value client relationships is a gradual process that requires patience and sustained effort.
Prioritize interpersonal over strictly transactional interactions. Building genuine relationships with clients fosters trust and loyalty, leading to more fruitful and enduring partnerships.
NOTES
SADRAT are the six steps of the Agent Recruitment Cycle (ARC) aiming at finding agents who will meet national intelligence information needs.
Client versus customer: Clients typically have ongoing, personalized interactions that often involve advisory or specialized services, while customers generally engage in more transactional, purchase-based interactions.
BIBLIOGRAPHY
Burkett, R. (2013). An alternative framework for agent recruitment: From MICE to RASCLS. Studies in Intelligence, 57(1), 7.
Dehlinger, K. W. (2020). Espionage in the digital age: How technology is impacting the recruitment and handling of spies. Thesis
Bustamante, A. (2022). EverydaySpy HUMINT Marketing Model. Everydayspy.com.
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