CASE STUDY: How market research focused business development strategy and efforts

Narrowing client focus for increased business development impact

The Challenge

A regional office of a global architecture firm set out to expand its healthcare market presence across six states. Though well-established in a few urban hubs, the firm needed a plan to pursue clients beyond its current office footprint. With over 800 unique hospitals identified in the region, they faced a common challenge: too much data, not enough direction. Their goal was to identify the best-aligned, high-ROI opportunities to justify near-term business development investment.

Our Approach

Dragonfly conducted an initial scan of the healthcare landscape across the six-state region, surfacing more than 800 facilities. Recognizing that this pool was too broad to act on, we facilitated a focused workshop with the client to:

• Define what an “ideal client” looked like (by location, program size, service alignment, etc.)

• Prioritize based on where the firm could deliver distinct value

• Filter the initial list down to 70 high-potential targets for first-round research

Each of the 70 institutions was evaluated for alignment, recent activity, and accessibility. From this, 18 were selected for in-depth analysis. This included a review of organizational structures, capital plans, project funding, active consultants, and strategic partnerships—factors critical to anticipating project likelihood and timeline.

The Results

A clear path forward. The client received:

• Detailed profiles of 12 target clients with strong near- and long-term potential

• Research robust enough to directly inform a business development strategy

• Actionable insights that allowed BD and marketing teams to build tailored capture plans

By moving from market overwhelm to strategic clarity, the firm was able to focus its business development strategy and energy where it would count most—and gain a head start in a competitive, saturated region.