This case study details the delivery and measured outcomes of the Relational Excellence Program (REP) with a mid-sized consulting engineering firm.

All participant details have been anonymised.

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Relatus was engaged to build the business development and client relationship capability of 13 emerging leaders, Associates and future Principals, whose technical skills were strong but whose relational confidence, networking strategy and commercial presence needed deliberate development.​​

Technical excellence. A gap in relational confidence.

The firm's Associates and future Principals were technically strong but largely relied on senior leaders to manage client relationships and business development. As they stepped into greater responsibility, the gap between their technical capability and their relational confidence was becoming a risk to growth.

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Participants included emerging leaders who were:

• Project-focused with limited time for proactive relationship building

• Geographically spread across multiple offices

• Experienced in technical delivery but without formal business development training

• Transitioning into roles requiring greater client presence and influence

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What our pre-program diagnostic data revealed:

• Accidental networkers. The majority described their networking style as accidental. Connections happened by chance rather than intention.

• No preparation. Most participants spent zero time preparing for networking events or client interactions before the program began.

• Reactive follow-up. Most reconnected with contacts only when they needed something, or stayed in touch irregularly with no rhythm or strategy.

• Contacts, not connections. Most reached out to their network only occasionally and reactively, rarely turning introductions into meaningful professional relationships.

• EI applied inconsistently. Most reported applying emotional intelligence only sometimes, without clear intention in client-facing situations.

Six months. Five half-days. Over 120 embedded actions.

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The Relational Excellence Program combines two proven Relatus pathways, the Relationship Networking Program (RNP) and the Relational Selling Program (RSP), into a single integrated six-month capability journey.

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Delivered by three specialist facilitators across Emotional Intelligence, relational strategy and commercial capability, the program was structured to embed lasting behavioural change rather than deliver a one-off training event.

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Program inclusions:

• Kick-off session and pre-program diagnostics with individual KPIs established

• 5 half-day face-to-face workshops delivered over 6 months

• 3 specialist facilitators covering EI, relational strategy and commercial skills

• Over 120 individual embedded actions via an interactive microlearning app, completed between sessions

• Genos 180 Emotional Intelligence Sales Assessment with individual coaching call and development report

• Post-program diagnostics and KPI evaluation

• Certificate of Completion

Learning transfer, not just learning delivery.

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Between each workshop, participants completed structured actions via the microlearning app, tracking their own progress against the relational KPIs established at the start of the program.

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Over 120 individual actions were completed across the cohort during the six months. The app enabled real-time tracking of engagement, actions completed and participant commentary, providing both accountability for participants and visibility for the organisation.

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Participants developed personalised touch-point plans to sustain relationship activity beyond the program. A group chat created space to share progress, troubleshoot challenges and reinforce strategies in a peer-supported environment.

13 participants completed the program over the six months. As part of this, each was provided with an Emotional Intelligence Report assessed by 105 raters. This provided a robust multi-rater data set to inform individual development and track change over time.

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Engagement on the micro-learning app was exceptional, with an 83% overall completion rate across the cohort. 8 of the 13 participants completed over 90% of their actions, with two achieving 100% completion.

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Activity on the app across the six months:

1,144 actions completed
270 shares
373 likes
57 comments

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This level of engagement significantly outperforms industry norms for blended learning programs and reflects a genuine commitment from participants to apply the learning between sessions, not just during them.

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Participants rated the program 4 out of 5 for likelihood to recommend to others.

"The program helped me recognise and define the strengths and weaknesses of my existing skillset, and how I could strategise in strengthening my network."

"I definitely developed more networking skills, which I believe will translate into better connections with clients and ultimately more work for my team."

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"The emotional intelligence piece was the most valuable for me. It showed me where I need to improve and reinforced the areas where I am strong."

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"It was explained in relatable ways and it was good to stop and think about how to be more focused in interactions."

"I am being more proactive with clients to try and win more work. Coffee catch-ups and follow-ups are now on my radar."

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"I approach meetings with a be the host mentality and have started to map out my network and work towards a plan."

Customied per client - see below for pre and post results of this program