Brook Corporate Development is excited to announce the appointment of Dom Brook as our new Managing Director. We have asked Dom to share his experience and his visions for the future of his company, as well as this industry.
Q. How has your career journey led you to your new role with Brook Consulting?
My working life started right after university in the Banking Recruitment industry, where I worked as a Tier 1 supplier for a number of banks. Since my first day, my career challenged me to develop all my key skills. Recruitment is a very challenging industry that really develops resilience, as no two days are the same. From there, I worked for Remploy for over 5 years as well as various European Social Fund projects, taking care of the contact and developing and managing contracts across the region.
Nevertheless, I have always had the vision to join the family business, Brook Corporate Developments. After a short experience with Reed working on the Royal Mail Contract, I joined my family’s business in September 2019. I was quickly thrown into the deep end to manage funding and client relationships, developing my experience over 18 months until I became Managing Director in April 2021.
Q. Tell us about an accomplishment that shaped your career.
I had a great manager at Remploy who helped develop my career from Advisor to Operations Manager within 5 years. This was a great accomplishment that has shaped my career as it gave me a great foundation to understanding the “ins and outs” of funded projects and how to get the most out of teams running said contacts.
Q. What are you most proud of in your career so far?
Not only finally joining the family business in 2019, but I also became Managing Director in 18 months: this is certainly my proudest career moment to date. I have not just made an ambition become reality; I also got the chance to help local businesses achieve their ambitions thanks to our team of associate consultants.
Q. What do you value most about Brook Corporate Development culture and vision?
At Brook Corporate Development, we love to support local businesses achieve their ambitions. We put this at the heart of our culture in supporting the client first and operating with their interest first. This is what drives our relationships. We have the vision to become the “go-to” consultancy and training provider for business improvement & growth projects across Yorkshire.
Q. What motivates you to support businesses with their strategic growth?
We love seeing businesses develop, improve, grow, and succeed. It is great to see businesses achieve their ambitions. Seeing the business have a high impact on the local economy and watch their business transform motivates not just me, but all the consultants in our team.
Q. What is the biggest challenge that your industry is facing today?
For many SME businesses, costs associated with a consultancy can be a challenge and barrier to instructing. We ensure our delivery is aligned to the funding available to ensure we are aware of local procurement to help guide the business through the application process as mitigating the costs.
Consultancy also has had a major challenge over the last 12 months due to the COVID pandemic. Not only were businesses “tightening their belt” with associate costs, but also delivering consultancy on site due to Health & Safety Restrictions of seeing multiple businesses. While digital meetings did exist, we are hands-on consultants hat gets their hands dirty! Nothing can replace face to face/on site presence when it comes to implementation.
Q. What makes Brook Corporate approach to business development stand out?
We are local people working with local businesses. We understand the challenges faced by most SME businesses in our local area and see our delivery as an extension of their operation rather than external consultancy. We embed into day-to-day operations and become part of the furniture.
This makes continuity of work an easy conversation to have, as we are not only highly effective in our delivery but businesses who work with us see us as their business. At the end of the day, it is all about relationship building and creating a foundation to deliver on.
Q. What would you recommend to organisations looking for the best business improvement consultancy services?
We always recommend seeing the consultant you are thinking about working with to ensure they are a fit for your business as well as having the credentials to deliver the intervention needed. We see it far too often that consultants are a perfect fit on paper, but relationships break down due to culture clashes.
Part of our role at Brook Corporate Developments is not only to match the business with the right experience but also ensure that personalities are aligned. Remember, a consultant should be an extension of your operation and be able to operate in your business as an employee should.
Q. How important is sales and leadership training for organisations facing the challenges of the post-pandemic market?
Businesses have been through the gauntlet during COVID, and it is vital that they have the appropriate level of leadership capabilities within their teams to lead and communicate through a transition of change. The way we lead and communicate has changed for many over the last 12 months and businesses need to adapt quickly. Communication is a vital part of any business, even more so when more and more businesses are operating remotely.
Sales is also a vital component to consider post-pandemic. For many, their customer base has changed, and they need to revisit their strategy to ensure they are attracting the right customer in the first instance. Once this has been established, businesses then need the skills to convert. For many businesses post-pandemic, the volume of prospect clients is still not at the levels seen pre-pandemic so by attracting the right customer in the first instance, clients are more engaged through the sales cycle without relying on volume. For this reason, sales and marketing training can be life-changing for many businesses.
Brook Corporate Developments is not only about providing the skills to communicate effectively, but we focus on process and engagement strategies by ensuing pre-engagement takes customers engagement from reactive to proactive.
Looking for Business Consultancy Services in Yorkshire and the North of England?
If you want to learn more about Brook Corporate Development consultancy services across the north of England or find out all the best opportunities to help your business grow, get in touch today!
