WELCOME TO THE
Customer Development Program
Enhancing client relationships from proposal to repeat business
A 9-month learning journey that strengthens communication and client-management capabilities through:
- Monthly content drops
- Interactive exercises
- Progressive skill-building
- Measurable improvement checkpoints
Ready to start your journey? Signup for CDP now.
Overview
PROVEN IMPACT
The Philadelphia Press Customer Development Program (CDP) is a structured learning and performance system designed to elevate how teams communicate with clients, improving trust, satisfaction, retention, and long-term relationship value. Built in partnership with university communication experts and refined through delivery to industry organizations, the CDP transforms everyday interactions into confident, strategic client engagement.
Feedback from prior cohorts highlights significant improvements in:
- KPIs: less escalation, high on-time deliverables, high customer surveys
- Commercial Outcomes: higher proposal win rates and increased repeat engagements
- Delivery: stronger verbal and nonverbal communication
- Information Distillation: clearer explanation of complex processes
- Visual Representation: more concise and effective slide design
- Virtual Meeting Management: stronger facilitation and clarity
Program Components
Education
Participants receive chapters adapted from accredited business communication and public-speaking courses, customized with industry-specific case studies and examples.
The program includes
- 156+ pages of expert content
- Meeting preparation worksheets
- Monthly reference guides
Practice
Recognition
Engagement
Bite-sized, self-paced monthly modules make participation consistent and sustainable across teams and time zones.
Feedback
Measurement
Organizations often focus on what is communicated, deliverables, processes, proposals, yet long-term success is driven by how teams communicate.
CDP builds the mindset, habits, and skills needed to strengthen client confidence, reduce escalations, and improve overall business performance.
Featured Modules
WELCOME
Introduction
Module 1
Audience Analysis
Module 2
Planning & Organizing
Module 3
Managing Apprehension
Module 4
Making Teams Work
Module 5
Communicating Leadership
Module 6
Making Connections
Module 7
Client Management
Module 8
Virtual Meetings
Module 9
Pitching & Negotiating
Technology-Enabled Learning
The program leverages the Acclaim™ platform, an enterprise-ready, secure system that supports recording, uploading, feedback workflows, notifications, and participant tracking.
- HTTPS/SSL + secure content delivery
- Browser/device agnostic
- SSO and LMS integrations
- Automated reminders
- Comprehensive reporting
Optional Add-On: Motivation & Engagement Insights
The MotiveX tool provides validated assessments to uncover motivational drivers across individuals and teams—enhancing culture, manager effectiveness, and performance alignment.
Meet Your Instructors
Ian Doyle
Ian Doyle is the founder of Philadelphia Press and co-creator of the Customer Development Program.
With a background spanning publishing, manufacturing, operations, and business development, Ian has spent his career helping organizations identify opportunities, refine strategy, and build sustainable growth systems. His work combines practical execution with customer-centered thinking, drawing from years of experience leading teams, negotiating partnerships, and developing creative business solutions.
Through Philadelphia Press, Ian has worked closely with educators, institutions, and business leaders to create programs and resources focused on innovation, communication, and real-world implementation.
Ian holds a Bachelor of Arts in Political Science from the University of California, Santa Barbara.
Kathleen Mandziuk
Kathleen Mandziuk, MPH, RN, is the co-founder of Philadelphia Press, founder of Athena Innovations, and co-creator of the Customer Development Program.
With more than 25 years of experience spanning healthcare innovation, digital transformation, clinical research, and strategic growth, Kathleen has led initiatives focused on turning complex challenges into practical, scalable solutions. Her background combines executive leadership, operational strategy, and customer-centered innovation across healthcare, higher education, and technology sectors.
As a nurse, epidemiologist, and innovation strategist, Kathleen brings a unique perspective that bridges human-centered thinking with real-world execution.
Tom Wright
Thomas Wright is an instructor for the Customer Development Program, bringing decades of experience in leadership, operations, business development, and organizational strategy.
Throughout his career, Tom has worked across multiple industries helping organizations strengthen communication, improve operational effectiveness, and develop practical solutions to complex business challenges. His background combines hands-on leadership with a strong focus on customer engagement, strategic growth, and team development.
As an instructor, Tom brings a real-world perspective grounded in experience, helping students translate customer development principles into actionable strategies they can apply within their own organizations and ventures.
The Customer Development Program is a practical, self-paced communication training experience designed to help professionals strengthen relationships, improve collaboration, and drive measurable business results. Developed with corporate executives and university professors, CDP focuses on the real-world communication skills that directly impact leadership effectiveness, team performance, revenue generation, and organizational success.
Through a structured series of short book chapters, mini online modules, interactive assessments, preparation worksheets, and expert feedback, participants learn how to communicate with greater clarity, confidence, and influence across a variety of professional settings. The program emphasizes immediate application and has been proven to help individuals and teams reduce escalations, improve alignment, strengthen client confidence, and enhance overall business performance.
CDP covers core business communication training areas, including:
- Audience analysis
- Planning and organization
- Managing apprehension
- Team communication
- Communication leadership
- Client management
- Pitching and negotiation
- Relationship building
- Strategic business communication
The program is ideal for project management teams, customer success groups, sales and account management teams, consultants, client-facing subject matter experts (SMEs), and emerging leaders seeking to improve overall communication performance.
Whether implemented for individual professional development or large corporate cohorts, CDP helps organizations create stronger communication cultures that lead to better execution, higher-performing teams, improved client experiences, and stronger business outcomes. As organizations continue to navigate increasingly complex and fast-paced environments, communication becomes more than a soft skill — it becomes a competitive advantage.
CDP: Custom Development Progam
The Customer Development Program (CDP) is a 9-month learning journey designed to elevate how client-facing professionals communicate, build trust, and grow lasting relationships, from first proposal to repeat business. Developed with university communication experts and refined through real industry delivery, CDP covers 10 progressive modules including audience analysis, client management, virtual meetings, and pitching. Monthly content drops, expert coaching, and skills-based practice make learning sustainable and measurable. Previous cohorts report higher proposal win rates, improved customer satisfaction, and fewer escalations. Because how you communicate is just as important as what you deliver.