Finding your form

What’s getting in the way of growth?

Many clients face one or more of these challenges – often rooted in a single issue: the lack of a strategic approach to winning business .

1

Lack of
Strategic Focus

Leaders are stuck in the weeds, reacting rather than leading. Growth isn’t strategic – it’s opportunistic. There’s no clear ambition, no shared direction and little understanding of the competitive landscape.
2

Weak
Internal Capability

Businesses are often too reliant on overworked leaders and under-resourced teams. Capability gaps, poor training, and lack of scalable processes result in burnout and missed opportunities.
3

Inconsistent Success
Winning Work

Without a strategy or internal engine, the business struggles to win consistently. There’s no playbook for shaping opportunities or writing compelling proposals. Too much is rushed, undercooked or just not competitive.

The good news?

Once we address the root cause, everything shifts – from clarity, to capability, to contract wins.

It’s time to Build the Engine. Get out of the weeds, take control, and create a high-performing business that wins, grows, and thrives.

Stop Reacting. Start Building.

Test your
performance levels

This free health check provides you with tailored insights into how you and your team are performing and how you can improve.

It takes less than two minutes.

Dara Lawlor

Developing clear approaches to the complex issues

My name is Dara Lawlor. I’m a business consultant and executive coach. I work with B2B organisations of all sizes – from dynamic SMEs to large enterprises – helping them position themselves to win major contracts. By becoming more focused, capable and competitive some clients have scaled significantly. Others have gone on to sell. All have built stronger, more resilient businesses.

For me, private business is the true engine of the economy and the key to a nation’s vitality.

My ambition is to support their leaders as they build the confident and nimble organisations our countries need.

I’m a keen sportsman, and the lessons I’ve learned from participating in numerous triathlons inform my approach to supporting my clients so that they are fit to win.

Dara Lawlor
Dara Lawlor

SPECIAL REPORT

Download the PDF Guide

The Keys to the Kingdom

The Keys to the Kingdom is a method for determining whether or not you are on track to winning or retaining a large contract.

THE APPROACH

ORBiTAR

When I work with SME leaders and their business development teams I use this six-phase performance approach:

1

OUTCOME

What do you want?

A clear view on why you are in business, who you are doing it for, and who you want to do it with will focus your efforts.
2

REALITY

What’s going on under the hood?

A comprehensive diagnosis of your entire business development operation will show you where you have gaps and how to fill them.
3

BUILD

Nothing succeeds or endures without solid foundations

Have you a compelling value proposition, along with a great business development team and effective proposal process?
4

TUNE

Each opportunity is different

Have you calibrated your approach so that you are in tune with your prospect?
5

ACTION

It’s Showtime!

The foundation and calibration work won’t count for anything if you aren’t able to perform on the day. Do you have a solid proposal development process?
6

REVIEW

Win, lose or draw, always carry out a review

A comprehensive review of your proposal, product, process and people helps you improve for the next opportunity.

Like a bicycle chain each phase is linked and reinforces the others

Having completed the health check you will now know which areas require more attention.

THE OFFER

This programme sets a strategy and builds the solid foundations you need so that you can win the right kind of business that supports your company’s growth.

PLAN

What do you want? Where are you right now?

The Strategic Pathfinder

The Strategic Pathfinder is a series of workshops that will leave you and your team crystal clear on your business development objectives, as well as what you’ll need to do and the support you’ll need in order to achieve them.

Business Development Healthcheck

The Business Development Healthcheck examines how you are performing across an entire commercial cycle and identifies where you have problems as well as what needs improving.

BUILD

Build your foundations so that you are ready to compete

Training

Boost Your Bids

Boost Your Bids is a programme that develops your peoples’ skillsets so that they can increase their win rates. The work focuses on improving performance across each phase of the commercial cycle.

Words That Win

A lot of business communication is weighed down by complexity and can be difficult to understand. It stalls progress, results in lost opportunities, and causes confusion. Words That Win is a writing workshop that teaches you how to write clearly and with impact.

Value Proposition Sprint

The Value Proposition Sprint is a series of workshops designed to identify, develop and document the sales and marketing assets required for you to stand out and make an impact in the eyes of a prospect.

Coaching

Eyes on the Horizon

Eyes on the Horizon is a one-to-one coaching programme that moves your focus from tactical operations to strategy. It frees you from the coalface so that you have the time, energy and support to grow your business.

Team Coaching

This team coaching programme clarifies the team’s remit and goal, improves coordination and collaboration, builds the skill to make powerful offers and creates a strategy that wins.

GROW

Grow your business by excelling and winning in the competition cycle

Seal the Deal

Seal the Deal is a programme focused on winning a particular contract. Through coaching and workshops it refines the work from the Plan and Build phases and develops a powerful response to a request for proposal or a proactive offer to a problem identified.

Testimonials

It’s been a pleasure working with Dara.  Simply put, he showed us how it’s done.  His expertise in articulating what value we can deliver relevant to the opportunity we are pitching for has undoubtedly been the catalyst for us securing those all-important wins.  Working with Dara has resulted in a bucketload of new contracts and partnerships being created.  All round, he just gets it and is a fantastic partner to have.

Olivia Breene, Head of Business Development and Marketing
AVCOM

Dara has helped us win a number of lucrative high-profile contracts, and as a result we have grown our business. Being new to tendering I was initially overwhelmed by all that was involved. Dara was patient and supportive as he guided me through the process. I could not have done it without him. I highly recommend him. He’s a complete professional and will help you succeed.

Stephen Murphy, Head of Service Delivery
Circet Ireland & UK

I’ve been working with Dara for over eight years.  During this time he has helped me win numerous public and private sector contracts, paving the way for the takeover of IWM by EnviroChemie in 2020.

Conor O’Donovan, Managing Director
IWM

Since I started working with Dara I’ve begun to win contracts.  He has improved the quality of my proposals considerably, ensuring that they resonate with the relevant buyers.  His knowledge of the public and private sector procurement markets has made it much easier for me to make good decisions on what and, more importantly, what not to bid for. It’s been money very well spent.

Mary Power, Managing Director
Media365

Business Development Resources

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Dara Lawlor - April 11, 2025
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