Global Business Development Strategy for a Heavy Air-Cargo Operator

Situation

A leading heavy air-cargo operator sought to strengthen its brand reputation and position itself as a global leader in complex cargo transportation. The company recognized that its future growth depended on securing long-term partnerships and preferred supplier agreements with organizations across logistics, aerospace and defense, heavy industries, and energy. However, its business development activities were fragmented across regions, and it lacked a unified sales structure and customer relationship management system. Without greater coordination, the company risked missing opportunities in fast-growing markets and failing to translate its operational capabilities into sustainable commercial advantage.

Solution

We partnered with the client to design a comprehensive global sales infrastructure, customer relationship management framework, and business development strategy. At the outset, we mapped the company’s existing sales organization, highlighting where dispersed teams created inefficiencies. We then developed a project roadmap to establish a single global sales structure supported by a customized CRM platform, giving the company real-time visibility of opportunities and customer interactions across multiple industries and geographies. Our approach also included redesigning the sales methodology and governance model. We standardized account management practices, restructured sales territories, and introduced consistent performance metrics that could be applied across regions. By integrating marketing, bid development, and customer engagement into this framework, we reduced time-to-market for proposals and improved the win rate for strategic accounts. In parallel, we devised a coordinated international marketing and partnership plan that targeted high-value clients, aligned regional teams behind common objectives, and built a pipeline of global contracts.

Results & Benefits

The impact was significant. Within the first seven months, the client closed a major new contract worth £547,000 and converted it into fourteen preferred vendor agreements across EPC and heavy industries. The company secured preferred supplier status with the Australian Defence Force for air charter services, achieved through direct engagement with a top-level delegation. The business development strategy also enabled the client to penetrate new international markets including Turkey, India, China, the UAE, Australia, and Israel by leveraging government trade missions, country-specific initiatives, and diplomatic relationships. Overall, the project delivered 400 percent growth in new business revenue, generating £12.2 million in additional annual turnover. Twenty-one new opportunity pipelines were created, and fourteen strategic partnerships and preferred supplier agreements were secured with leading global organizations. By establishing a unified sales infrastructure, CRM system, and business development process, the company transformed its ability to pursue large-scale opportunities and positioned itself as a trusted global partner in heavy air-cargo transportation.