What can you do to help make sure your star recruits don’t misfire?
Hiring talented lateral recruits is only the beginning. Learn why onboarding, integration and business development support are critical to helping star performers achieve long-term success.
First, apologies for the sporting references in this edition of BD Tips Wednesday.
Last weekend marked the end of the English Premier League season 2025-2026 and, surprisingly or unsurprisingly depending on your loyalties, West Ham United were one of the three teams relegated.
What caught my attention though wasn’t the result. It was the economics behind the result.
According to recent reporting (including in the Financial Times), since 2021 West Ham’s net transfer spend has exceeded £318 million. That places them among Europe’s biggest net transfer spenders during this period — despite selling their star player Declan Rice to cross town rivals Arsenal for a sizeable fee.
Think about that for a moment.
A club with a 62,000-seat stadium, one of the strongest supporter bases in England, and transfer spending north of £300 million in less than five years has been relegated from the world’s richest football competition.
Meanwhile, a club with a significantly smaller budget — AFC Bournemouth — came within touching distance of qualifying for European Championship League football.
How does this happen?
You would think the answer has to be down to a combination of two things: (2) Bad lateral recruitment; and/or (2) Bad management (on which point, several managers of West Ham have been released from their contract over the past two years).
And that got me thinking about professional services firms. Because law firms, accounting firms and other professional services firms have been on a similar gouge of lateral recruiting – often offering sizeable guaranteed incomes (in Australia the guaranteed amounts have been as high as $7M but overseas these numbers have been swamped), with no guarantee of income being given (i.e., results).
So what can you do to help make sure your star recruits don’t misfire?
The first 12 months matter more than the recruitment process
Most firms spend enormous amounts of time and money on recruitment, followed by almost no time onboarding and integrating the lateral into the team. A strong onboarding plan for senior lateral hires should answer practical questions such as:
What skill gap is this lateral plugging?
Who are the internal relationship builders?
Which partners are responsible for introductions?
Which existing clients create the best cross-selling opportunities?
What support will business development be providing and is there an integration plan in place?
How will momentum be measured in the first 90, 180 and 365 days?
How will success be measured?
What internal blockers might slow momentum?
Because if a senior lateral sits waiting for work to emerge organically, momentum disappears quickly. Confidence drops. Relationships with clients you are hoping to bring over will stall.
And eventually both sides will quietly admit: “This hasn’t worked.”
Beware the transfer fee mentality
Football clubs often assume expensive recruits will automatically change results. Professional services firms often think the same way.
Higher salary + Better title + Big Press Release = Problem solved.
Except growth rarely works like that. Because a lateral hire is not a growth strategy; it is part of a firm-wide growth strategy for previously identified shortfall areas.
In fact, pay the lateral too much and the existing partners might delight in seeing them fail.
The better question
When a star recruit underperforms, firms often ask:
“Did we hire the wrong person?”
When more often than not the better question is:
“Did we give the person the right conditions and support to succeed?”
Because occasionally the issue is not the lateral recruit but the support system around them.
West Ham will probably spend next season asking how so much investment delivered so little return. To avoid having to ask the same question, professional services firms should be asking themselves what due diligence have we done to ensure this lateral integrates with our firm and what support structure are we putting in place to help them achieve success?
And the answer to that will not come from the recruitment agent. It’ll come from the business development person you have in the room when you first discuss the need to hire the lateral…
Takeaway
Star performers rarely succeed alone. The rainmaker with the enviable client list will have exceptional internal support, strong cross-referral pathways, a trusted delivery team, or simply a brand that opened doors more easily.
If you hire the star individual, without the rest of the support structure, even exceptional people will struggle.
Need Help With Your Business Development?
Get in touch if you want to talk about any of this. We also offer a very affordable BD Audit and Training package.
Do You Know When Your Client’s End Of Financial Year Is?
Clients buy services according to internal budgets, planning cycles and financial pressures. Understanding these buying windows can significantly improve the timing and effectiveness of your business development efforts.
If you are in the UK, you’ve probably just gone through your End of Financial Year process. If you’re in Australia, this process is likely to be kicking off now. And if you’re in the US, you have a way to go before you need to start worrying about this process.
If you’re now thinking: “What in the world has this go to do with business development?” then this BD Tips Wednesday post is for you!
Understanding When Clients Actually Buy Services
There’s a myth in professional services that business development is about always being “on.” Always networking. Always pitching. Always following up.
The reality is, the market doesn’t buy that way. Clients don’t procure legal, consulting or advisory services on a smooth, continuous timeline. They buy in bursts, shaped by their immediate needs, internal budgets, reporting cycles and pressure points.
If you’re not aware and aligned with those needs and timelines, then you are missing a trick in your business development arsenal.
The Financial Year as a Buying System
For most businesses, the financial year doesn’t just represent an accounting construct, it acts as a budget decision-making framework. Budgets are set. Spend is allocated. Priorities are locked in. And, importantly, approvals become easier if the expense is “budgeted for”.
For your business development planning, this typically creates four distinct buying windows:
1. Pre-Budget Planning
This is where future work is shaped. Clients are identifying risks, scoping projects and building the internal case for spend in the next financial year. Legal risk reviews, panel planning, major projects and advisory support often originate here; even if procurement happens later.
Firms that engage at this stage aren’t “selling.” They’re helping define the problem.
That distinction matters. If you’re involved early, you influence scope, pricing expectations and delivery model before the work is formalised.
2. New Budget Activation
This is one of the most active buying periods. Budgets have reset. There’s fresh capacity to spend. Internal stakeholders are under pressure to execute on newly approved initiatives.
This is when:
Panels are utilised
External advisors are engaged
Projects move from concept to action
If you’re not visible at the start of the financial year, you’re often competing for leftovers later.
3. Mid-Year Adjustment
Everyone knows that feeling when reality sets in. Revenue isn’t were it was forecast to be. Projects stall because everyone is “too busy”. And those hard fought for budgets get reallocated to other projects.
This is the Mid-Year Adjustment, where responsive, relationship-driven rainmakers win work. Clients aren’t always running formal procurement processes here. They’re solving problems quickly. Known trusted advisors have significant insight advantage.
4. End-of-Year Pressure
Two competing forces collide:
“Use it or lose it” spend: Some teams rush to deploy remaining budget before year-end
Budget tightening: Others freeze discretionary spend in preparation for the next cycle
This creates a highly uneven market. Opportunities exist, but they’re often tactical rather than strategic. Firms that rely solely on this period to do their business development tend to experience inconsistent pipelines.
Why This Matters for Your Business Development Strategy
Most business development activity is poorly timed. Firms push hardest when they have capacity, they focus on what they sell, not when the clients are actually ready to buy.
That’s why you’ll see:
Strong credentials ignored
Late-stage pitches lost on price
Capability statements that don’t land
Not because your offer is necessarily weak. It might not even be because the client doesn’t need what your selling. But because you have misaligned your sell with the client’s buying cycle.
Understanding what your client’s financial year calendar is shifts your approach here from reactive to strategic.
Takeaway
Clients don’t wake up and decide to buy services randomly. They buy when their internal environment allows them to.
If your business development strategy doesn’t reflect that reality, you’ll always feel like you’re chasing work.
Need Help With Your Business Development?
Get in touch if you want to talk about any of this. We also offer a very affordable BD Audit and Training package.
How Your Gardening Skills Can Help Develop Your Business Development Skills
Successful business development has more in common with gardening than selling. Explore why patience, cultivation, focus and long-term thinking are essential ingredients for sustainable growth.
Business development is often described as a funnel-game:
✔️ More meetings
✔️ More networking events
✔️ More LinkedIn posts
✔️ More proposals
And, hopefully, more prospects fall-out of the bottom of the funnel.
But, as anyone who has built a sustainable client-base (rainmaker) will be able to tell you: Business development isn’t about speed and taking short-cuts, it’s about cultivation.
So, for this BD Tips Wednesday post, I’m looking at why, if you want to become that rainmaker, you need to start in your garden!
1. You Can’t Force Growth
When you’re gardening and plant a seed, you don’t dig the seed up every morning to see if it has grown a little overnight. You:
prepare the soil
water consistently
ensure it gets sufficient sunlight.
And then you wait.
Oddly enough, business development works exactly the same way. You
meet someone (at an event)
follow up thoughtfully
share useful insights
stay visible
But, in the same way as you cannot force a seed to grow, you cannot force trust. You cannot demand that a prospect give you an instruction just because you paid for the coffee that morning.
Lawyers who struggle with business development often try to force an issue that is naturally incremental. Just like gardening, business development requires the ingredient of "patience".
2. Soil Quality Matters More Than Seed Volume
In gardening, poor soil produces weak plants. In business development, poor foundations produce weak relationships.
If you:
Deliver inconsistent service
Fail to communicate clearly
Bill unpredictably
Overpromise and underdeliver
No amount of buying coffees will fix it. The best rainmakers understand that retention and reputation are the soil to successful business development.
3. Weeds Compete for Nutrients
As every garden attracts weeds, every unstructured business development strategy will get bogged down in the weeds.
Weeds in business development tend to look like:
Networking without purpose
Coffee meetings with no strategic alignment
Clients who drain margin and energy
Chasing tenders you should have declined
If you don’t remove what competes for nutrients, your best opportunities will starve.
The most effective rainmakers are ruthless about focus. They know which sectors matter. They know which relationships compound. They say “no” more often than "yes".
4. Seasons Exist
No garden produces all year-round at the same intensity.
There are planting seasons.
There are growth seasons.
There are harvest seasons.
Wait, isn’t that a great summary of business development?
There are periods where you invest heavily in visibility.
There are periods where you nurture active opportunities.
And there are seasons when work flows because of seeds planted [sometimes] years earlier.
Rainmakers know: If you only plant when you are hungry, you will starve.
5. Diversity Strengthens the Ecosystem
A monoculture garden is fragile. One pest will wipe it out.
Similarly, a business development strategy built on one:
key client
referrer
sector
government panel
is exposed.
In the legal services world - particularly if you operate with tender-based clients (like fin services or government) - over-reliance on a single revenue source is a huge structural risk!
Resilient business developers cultivate:
Multiple referral channels
Cross-sector relationships
A mix of recurring retainer and project work
Different pricing models
6. Growth Is Often Invisible
I’ve worked in business development for over 30 years. The one thing I have learnt is this:
‘Roots grow before shoots appear’.
In business development, credibility grows long before instructions arrive!
Need Help With Your Business Development?
Get in touch if you want to talk about any of this. We also offer a very affordable BD Audit and Training package.
Having Strong Project Management Skills Will Enhance Your Business Development Performance
Rainmakers treat business development as a disciplined process, not a series of random activities. Discover how project management skills can improve pipeline management, pricing confidence and client trust.
Strong business development performance is deeply linked to strong project management capabilities.
The above statement makes it sound like Smithy has finally lost the plot! So for this BD Tips Wednesday post, let me elaborate...
Business development is a process
In the world of busy professionals, business development is often a reactionary relationship-led process. You go to networking events, write the odd legal update, talk to referrals, etc. But rainmakers don't see it like that. To them, winning work consistently, pricing it confidently and delivering it profitably are not intuitive actions; rainmakers apply structure, discipline and repeatable processes to their business development.
To rainmakers, every business development opportunity follows a recognised workflow process:
✔️ Identifying the opportunity
✔️ Qualifying the client and scope
✔️ Developing the solution and value proposition
✔️ Preparing the proposal or pitch
✔️ Managing stakeholders and decision-makers
✔️ Closing, onboarding, and transitioning to delivery
This is not ad hoc, but a multi-step process that involves risk, resources, timelines and decisions.
Project management skills make business development repeatable and scalable
Strong project management capability teaches you how to:
Break complex opportunities into clear decision stages, making earlier and more confident go / no-go calls
Define scope and assumptions upfront, reducing pricing anxiety and preventing margin erosion before a matter even starts
Allocate time and resources deliberately, so business development effort is spent on the right opportunities, not the loudest ones
Set milestones, responsibilities, and decision points, keeping momentum through long sales cycles and multiple stakeholders
These skills shift business development from hopeful activity to intentional pipeline management, allowing you to scale beyond a handful of opportunistic pursuits without sacrificing quality, margin, or sanity.
Clients buy trust and confidence, not just capability
In-house counsel, management teams and procurement are not just assessing your lawyers' legal expertise, they also assess how well the work will be managed. Here, lawyers with strong project management capabilities can more clearly explain:
How the matter will be structured
How communication will work
How changes and scope creep will be handled
How timelines and responsibilities will be controlled
In turn, this builds the client's trust and confidence and becomes a differentiator between you and your competitors.
Process creates better business development assets
When business development and delivery are both process-driven, lawyers generate better inputs for future growth.
Well-managed engagements produce:
Clear outcomes linked to original objectives
Evidence of value delivered
Consistent language for case studies and proposals
Business development becomes cumulative. Each project strengthens the next pursuit, rather than every opportunity starting from scratch.
Takeaway
Strong business development performance is deeply linked to strong project management capability because it:
Turns business development into a disciplined, repeatable process rather than a series of ad-hoc, relationship-driven activities
Improves scoping, pricing confidence and risk control early, before margin is lost and expectations drift
Builds client trust and continuity from pitch to delivery, positioning you as a safe, commercial, and well-managed choice
Need Help With Your Business Development?
Get in touch if you want to talk about any of this. We also offer a very affordable BD Audit and Training package.
Borrowed Business Development Wisdom From Japan
Some of the most powerful business development lessons come from simple concepts. Explore Japanese principles such as Kaizen, Shoshin, Ikigai, Nemawashi and Oubaitori and learn how they can improve your business development efforts.
Over the summer holidays here in Australia I read a business related article that clumped together a number of different Japanese business concepts. I found the article refreshing and interesting, and thought I would share some of these concepts with you for this BD Tips Wednesday post.
Kaizen – Continuous improvement
Most business development plans fail because they aim for transformation instead of progress. In short, central to your business development plan this year should not be the need to get a new CRM, a new pitch deck or a new LinkedIn strategy.
What you do need is Kaizen, to get 1% better:
One better client conversation
One better follow-up habit
One better question in a pitch
Small improvements, done consistently, compound quickly.
Shoshin – Beginner’s mind
One of the biggest risks for experienced professionals is to make assumptions. In business development terms, these include assuming you know:
What the client wants
How they buy
Why they chose you last time
Approach each business development opportunity and conversation with the curiosity of a beginner's mind, not certainty of an old hand.
Ask more. Talk less. Listen harder.
Ikigai – Your reason for being
If your business development activity feels forced, there’s usually a misalignment in what you are trying to achieve and they way you are going about it.
In such a case, ask yourself:
Why this type of work?
Why these clients?
Why you?
When your business development activity aligns with what you’re good at, what you enjoy, what the market values, and what clients genuinely need momentum follows naturally.
Nemawashi – Preparing the ground
New business is very rarely won in the meeting. Its won doing the groundwork done before a proposal or meeting is ever requested.
If you’re going in cold and relying on the pitch alone to win you work, the chances are you’re already too late! The deal has already been done.
Oubaitori – Don’t compare
Stop watching competitors so closely that you lose confidence in your own positioning.
You don’t need to be cheaper.
You don’t need to be louder.
You don’t need to be a copy.
Focus on being distinct.
Takeaway
I don't profess to be an expert in Japanese business concepts - far from it in fact, but business development is about:
deliberate
consistency
with intent
In my view, these Japanese business concepts sum this up perfectly!
Need Help With Your Business Development?
Get in touch if you want to talk about any of this. We also offer a very affordable BD Audit and Training package.
Business Development Requires That You Be Informed
Successful business development starts with awareness. Understanding your clients, industry trends, competitors and market changes allows you to have more relevant conversations and identify opportunities before others do.
Most professionals think business development is about actions: send an email here, post on LinkedIn there, attend a few events every now and then. But the truth is, while these are crucial components of your business development strategy, they are not what dictates "success".
To be successful at business development you need a different superpower: Awareness. Because to grow your pipeline, you first need to be informed.
So for this BD Tips Wednesday post I thought I would do a whistle-stop tour of what it means to be aware and informed, and how this will help supercharge your business development efforts.
Know Your Clients Deeply
Being informed begins with understanding the people you serve. This means staying close to what’s happening in their world; not just their business, but their industry pressures, upcoming projects, regulatory changes and emerging challenges.
When you walk into a conversation with your client already aware of what’s going on in their world, you don’t need to “sell.” You simply connect what you offer to what they already care about.
This transforms your communication. Instead of generic check-ins, you send timely insights. Instead of hoping they remember you, you demonstrate relevance.
Informed advisers stand out because they see change before their clients do and help them navigate it.
Know Your Market and What’s Changing
Great business development stems from understanding the economic landscape. Industries shift. Procurement rules tighten. Competitors innovate. Technology reshapes expectations. Clients explore new models of buying and engagement.
When you pay attention to these signals, your business development efforts naturally become more strategic. You frame conversations differently. You position your offers more confidently. You anticipate needs before they are expressed.
In an environment where clients value foresight, simply being informed elevates your value.
Clarity Leads to Better Decisions
When you’re informed, everything becomes easier: choosing which opportunities to pursue, saying no to the wrong ones, prioritising the conversations that matter and directing your time toward the highest-value actions.
You start to make fewer reactive decisions and more proactive ones.
Crucially, your business development efforts stop being chaotic and start to become more strategic and focussed.
Being Informed Makes You More Valuable
Clients gravitate to people who help them see what’s ahead. When you consistently bring insight - market awareness, early warnings, relevant trends - you become more than a service provider. You become a trusted guide.
Informed professionals open more doors, build stronger relationships and convert opportunities with less friction.
Know the Signals Before They Become Opportunities
Being informed is ultimately about spotting the subtle cues others miss:
the promotion of a key instructor,
an organisational reshuffle,
the shift in a client’s internal and external language,
sudden silence where there used to be momentum.
These small signals often appear long before a formal opportunity does. When you learn to notice them, you place yourself ahead of the curve.
Most business development success isn’t won in the big moments; it’s won by noticing the quiet ones that nobody else is paying attention to!
Takeaway: The Bottom Line
You don’t need to simply “do more” business development. You need to know more so the actions you take are smart, timely and aligned with opportunity.
As my first partner said to me:
Read the financial press every day and pay attention to what’s going on in your clients’ world.
Because in business development, the professional who stays informed is the one who stays in demand.
Further Reading
Need Help With Your Business Development?
Get in touch if you want to talk about any of this. We also offer a very affordable BD Audit and Training package.
How Dependencies Limit Your Business Development Efforts (and How to Overcome Them)
Many business development initiatives fail because they rely on people, systems or clients to take action first. Learn how to identify and remove dependencies that limit growth.
In over 25 years of working with professionals, a reoccurring theme that stalls most of their business development efforts is not of their own doing – it’s relying on dependencies.
So, for this BD Tips Wednesday post I thought I would do a whistle stop tour of what dependencies are in business development, and how you can overcome these.
What Is A Dependency?
If you’ve ever studied project management theory and techniques, you’ll know that a dependency refers to:
“a relationship between two tasks, activities or deliverables where one relies on the completion, initiation or progress of another.”
Simply, a dependency means something must happen before something else can happen.
Now, what on earth does this have to do with business development?
Well, let’s take a simple example:
How often have you heard a partner say to another partner they'll happily introduce them to their client and then do nothing about it for months on end? Bet it’s more times than you’ve had hot dinners! And that is called a 'dependency' – when one partner is reliant on another partner to do something.
3 Types of Dependencies
In essence there are three types of dependencies that are likely narrowing your growth trajectory and leaving your business development efforts exposed to disruption. These are:
People dependencies: The aforementioned reliance on others to assist you achieve your business development goals. They get busy, forget to introduce you to their contacts and you miss your business development goals. Your business development is not reliant on your efforts, but the efforts of others.
Systems dependencies: This is an all too common one in professional services, where you rely on an outdated CRM to provide you with answers! More often than not, the partners don’t trust the CRM or simply don’t want to share sensitive client information and so don’t update the CRM with staff movements, promotions etc. In no time at all, the CRM is virtually useless. If you then need to rely on that same CRM system to enable your business development goals, you have a problem.
Client dependencies: This is probably the most unrecognised one – where you need the client to actually do something for your business development goal to be achieved. An example here: your contact at the client isn’t the decision maker but promises to put you in touch with the decision maker. This never happens and you are reluctant to push the issue because you are afraid of upsetting the client. But, at the end of the day, your business development goal still isn’t being achieved!
The Hidden Cost of Dependencies
The hidden cost of dependencies can be summed up as:
Stalled momentum in your business development efforts
Reduced motivation to do business development
Lower engagement in the business development process
This is particularly prevalent with lateral hires. At the onset there is a lot of excitement around the onboarding of the lateral hire. The lateral hire is very excited because they have been promised the world. But that world is reliant on dependencies. And those who need to deliver don’t. In no time, the lateral hire is frustrated with the whole business development process and culture and starts looking around for a new home. And your firm has just had a very expensive lesson (although most firms don’t learn and just go through the loop time and time again!).
You Can Only Control What You Can Control
To break free of dependencies, you need to remember that you can only control what you can control. To achieve this, you need to:
Take control of the process – own it, don’t wait for others. Map your network of dependencies. List those people who are roadblocks and then either avoid them or find a way of working with them where you control the narrative, not them!
Take control of the relationships. Build the relationship independent of any dependency involvement.
Take control of the rhythm. Create consistent routines (monthly pursuit reviews, pipeline health checks, relationship audits). Routine equals habits. Habits result in success. Get back to boring to go forward.
Take control of the systems. Keep your business development skills, templates and client insights in shared systems, not in people’s heads.
Takeaway
Business development thrives on systems, not superheroes. When you identify and dismantle your dependencies, you free yourself from fragility and create a business development engine that is consistent, collective and compounding.
Need Help With Your Business Development?
Get in touch if you want to talk about any of this. We also offer a very affordable BD Audit and Training package.
What An Accountable BD System Looks Like
Successful business development is built on accountability, focus and consistency. Learn the five questions every professional services firm should answer to create a sustainable BD system.
Business development is not something that is done in isolation, in a window of time. It’s a functional, day-to-day, activity that survives on accountability. What matters is not what is necessarily written down on a piece of paper at a partner conference (although these are important); but the repeatable, visible actions that you take ownership of every day of the year.
In this BD Tips Wednesday post I outline what an ‘Accountable BD System Looks Like’ so you can put this next to that glossy Business Plan that’s holding up your screen monitor.
Five everyday questions
An accountable Business Development system consistently asks - and answers - these five questions:
Who am I targeting?
What do I offer?
How do I engage?
Who is responsible?
How do I measure success?
Now, let’s break this down in to what this looks like in practice.
1. Who am I targeting?
The starting point for any accountable Business Development system is focus. You can’t pursue every opportunity, every client and every sector at once. A clear segmentation model helps identify where your best opportunities live.
That might mean:
Defining your Top 20 existing clients by potential growth or alignment with firm strategy.
Creating a Top 10 target list of new prospects within priority industries.
Mapping your relationship strength and white-space potential for each key account.
This focus shifts you from “reactive chasing” to “proactive account management.” The goal isn’t more names in a spreadsheet, it’s fewer, better relationships managed more deliberately.
Here is the issue though: While it is important that you have a firmwide plan to guide the future direction of the firm; it is critical that you have an individual business development plan that maps out your personal growth journey.
2. What do I offer?
Business Development isn’t just about finding opportunities, it’s about making it easy for clients to say yes. That means having crystal-clear value propositions and pricing models that reflect what your clients and targets truly value.
An accountable Business Development system ensures these are:
Visible: documented, accessible, and easy to articulate.
Evolving: reviewed and refreshed at least annually.
Aligned: with your clients’ problems and procurement realities.
When you and your team knows exactly what you are selling, and why it matters, Business Development becomes a consistent and trusted process.
3. How do I engage?
Most lawyers don’t suffer from lack of ideas, but from a lack of focus. They start strong, then fade once they get busy on a matter. Then the matter will finish and they process will start all over again. Because there’s no system forcing regular contact, reflection and follow-through, this quickly becomes a Business Development death spiral.
An accountable Business Development system on the other hand operates on a calendar of intentional engagement:
Quarterly client-review meetings to uncover new needs and cement relationships.
Monthly marketing or LinkedIn campaigns showcasing expertise and staying visible.
Annual thought-leadership series (whitepapers, webinars, or industry reports) that open doors with prospects.
This rhythm turns “sporadic Business Development” into a habit. Everyone knows what’s happening, when and how it ties back to the your practice growth goals.
4. Who is responsible?
Even the best system fails without ownership. Accountability is where most Business Development frameworks fall apart, because it’s easy to confuse “shared responsibility” with no responsibility.
Accountability also means celebrating inputs, not just outcomes. You can’t control when a client buys, but you can control how often you show up, share insights, or follow up.
5. How do I measure success?
Finally, an accountable Business Development system has simple, meaningful metrics that tell you whether the system is working.
The key is to measure both activity and impact:
Input Metrics (Leading Indicators):
Number of client meetings or reviews held
Proposals submitted
Campaigns executed
New relationships initiated
Output Metrics (Lagging Indicators):
Pipeline value and conversion rates
Client NPS or satisfaction scores
Revenue growth by key account
ROI on proposals (value of wins ÷ cost of bids)
Don’t chase complexity, chase clarity. A handful of metrics, consistently reviewed, beats a dashboard of noise.
Takeaway
When you answer these five questions consistently, you move from ad hoc to accountable.
An accountable Business Development system gives you three enduring advantages:
Clarity: everyone knows what success looks like.
Rhythm: activity is planned, not sporadic.
Ownership: accountability is built in, not bolted on.
When those three things are in place, Business Development stops being an activity and becomes a capability.
And that’s where true competitive advantage begins.
Need Help With Your Business Development?
Get in touch if you want to talk about any of this. We also offer a very affordable BD Audit and Training package.
4 Tips On Breaking Out Of The Worker Bee Mentality
Moving from technical expert to business owner requires a shift in mindset. Discover four practical ways professionals can become more entrepreneurial and growth-focused.
Prior to setting up GSJ Consulting, I had been a ‘worker’ for over 35 years. Everyday I had gone to work and accounted for every minute of my working day. The degree of success or failure of my endeavours was not so much in the results I produced (after all, how can these be calculated in the long game of business development?), but in the inputs and relationships I formed.
Then I set up on my own. And I realised, being “busy” every day wasn’t actually a good thing. So for this BD Tips Wednesday post I thought I would draw on my own failings to give 4 tips on how to move from being a worker lawyer to an entrepreneurial partner.
Think Like a Business Owner, Not an Employee
The first tip sounds all to obvious: You need to start thinking like a business owner and not an employee. Every day you need to ask yourself:
What market are we really in?
Where is client demand heading?
What would make us indispensable to our clients’ growth?
Instead of waiting for instructions, you need to start finding them!
Learn to Read A P&L
One of things I found odd when I was in private practice is how few equity partners knew what firm money was being spent on. The standout partners were those with the commercial literacy to know how their clients and their own firm makes a profit.
In short, if you want a seat at the table you need to speak both legal and financial jargon. That means knowing:
Client profitability vs. revenue.
Cost of your service delivery.
The difference between activity/utilisation (busy) and productivity (profitable).
Build Teams
Create ecosystems. Treat juniors with respect.
An entrepreneurial partner delegates early and empowers others. They build self-sufficient teams who can run matters while they focus on growth, mentoring and strategy (and even go on holiday!).
True leverage isn’t about freeing up your time; it’s about multiplying your impact!
Stop Waiting for Permission
Last but not least: Stop waiting for permission to do something. No one appoints you the Big Cheese: you decide you want to be the Big Cheese and act like it.
Stop waiting for the title, the business card or the partner vote. Start behaving like the kind of partner the firm can’t afford to lose.
Need Help With Your Business Development?
Get in touch if you want to talk about any of this. We also offer a very affordable BD Audit and Training package.
C.R.E.A.M
Strong communication drives stronger business development outcomes. Learn how the C.R.E.A.M. framework helps professionals improve clarity, relevance, engagement, actionability and message delivery.
If you have been following my BD Tips Wednesday posts for any length of time, you’ll know by now that I like a good acronym and helpful toolbox. For this BD Tips Wednesday post I thought I would share with you the C.R.E.A.M acronym; which represent the five essential pillars that will help elevate your business development communications.
1. Clarity: Say it simply, or don’t say it at all
Clarity is the foundation block of effective communication. If your audience has to re-read or reinterpret your message, you’ve already lost them.
Clear communication with your client / target audience removes friction. It gets straight to the point, distils complexity and eliminates jargon.
Whether you’re drafting a tender response, building a pricing narrative, or writing a LinkedIn post, focus on the single idea that matters most and express it in a way that anyone can understand without context.
When people understand you quickly, they trust you faster.
2. Relevance: Make your message about them, not you
Relevance determines whether your audience cares. Tailor your message to their needs, challenges, pressures and priorities.
If you are writing for procurement, this means aligning your response with evaluation criteria.
If you are writing about pricing, this means demonstrating value based on their definition of value, not yours.
If it’s a marketing product you are writing, this means framing your communication around what your audience is trying to achieve.
When your message feels personalised and grounded in your client’s reality, you immediately increase engagement and reduce resistance.
3. Engagement: Invite interaction, not silence
These days great communication is not a broadcast: it’s a two-way exchange.
Engagement means crafting messages that encourage feedback, conversation and connection. Ask questions. Share insights. Offer prompts. Create opportunities for your audience to interact with you or your brand.
This approach applies equally to social media posts, sales conversations, stakeholder updates and client onboarding.
Importantly, engagement deepens relationships and signals that you value dialogue, not just distribution.
4. Actionable: Tell them exactly what to do next
Every message should have a purpose and that purpose should translate into a clear next step. Do you want them to download something? Book a call? Review a proposal? Click a link? Approve a scope? Provide feedback?
Make the action explicit.
Actionability is where communication converts into outcomes. Without a clear call to action, your message becomes passive; it informs, but it doesn’t move anyone or anything forward.
Strong communicators eliminate ambiguity and give their audience a simple, achievable next step.
5. Medium: Deliver your message where it will work best
The right message delivered through the wrong medium loses impact. Choose the communication channel that aligns with your audience’s behaviour and preferences.
Social media drives awareness.
Email drives detail.
Video drives emotion.
In-person drives trust.
Tenders demand structure.
Pricing conversations demand nuance.
Don’t just focus on what you say, be intentional about where and how you say it. The medium shapes the message.
Takeaway
Whether you’re communicating with clients, stakeholders, procurement panels, or your own internal team, the way you craft and deliver your message determines whether it lands, sticks and drives action.
Always remember, strong communication builds trust, accelerates decisions and creates momentum in business development, pricing and tendering.
Need Help With Your Business Development?
Get in touch if you want to talk about any of this. We also offer a very affordable BD Audit and Training package.
Do Metrics Actually Matter In Measuring Your Business Development Efforts?
Metrics can provide clarity, accountability and insight into the effectiveness of your business development efforts. However, focusing on the wrong metrics can create false confidence and distract from meaningful growth.
Often on LinkedIn I come across a post or poll asking whether or not metrics really matter in measuring the success of your business development efforts? So, for this BD Tips Wednesday post I thought I would chime in with my 5 cents worth!
Why Metrics Matter
Metrics matter because:
1. They Bring Clarity To Effort
Business development is 'busy': lunches here; pitches there; LinkedIn posts on the run; client calls day and night.
Without metrics, it’s hard to know which efforts are moving the needle. Tracking inputs like client meetings, proposals submitted or introductions made helps you see where your effort is going and whether it aligns with your strategic priorities.
2. They Build Accountability
Professional services often rely on “rainmakers” to drive growth. Metrics democratise business development by showing that it’s not just about natural talent. With agreed KPIs, every partner, consultant, senior associate or business development manager can demonstrate contribution, even if their style differs.
Accountability becomes shared, rather than concentrated.
3. They Link Your Business Development Efforts To Outcomes
The ultimate goal of business development is profitable, sustainable growth.
Outcome metrics: new matters won, revenue from new clients, retention rates, create a direct link between activity and results. This helps you prove the ROI of your business development activities and justify the investment you are putting into your BD efforts.
The Limits of Metrics
Metrics, however, are not a silver bullet. Over-reliance on numbers can distort behaviour.
Activity ≠ Impact: Someone who attends 20 networking events but builds no trust has ticked boxes without creating value.
Short-term bias: Metrics tied too closely to revenue may discourage long-term relationship building.
False comfort: Firms may hit metrics (number of pitches, LinkedIn posts) but still miss the bigger picture: Are we winning the right clients, at the right price on the right terms?
Metrics That Actually Matter
To avoid these pitfalls, you need to develop a balanced framework of what "success" looks like, including:
Input Metrics (Effort & Pipeline)
Output Metrics (Impact & Results)
Outcome Metrics (Strategic Alignment)
This tiered approach will help stop you from fixating on vanity metrics and instead focuses on sustainable growth.
Balancing Art and Science
Fundamentally, business development is about trust and human connection. These are really hard - if not impossible - to measure. But while I would be the first to acknowledge that metrics won’t replace relationships; they can reveal whether relationships are deepening, broadening and delivering value.
Takeaway
So, to the question: Do metrics matter for business development?
Hopefully you can agree "yes"; but only if you are tracking the right metrics and not just metrics for metrics sake!
Need Help With Your Business Development?
Get in touch if you want to talk about any of this. We also offer a very affordable BD Audit and Training package.
Why You Need Engaged Mentors to Help with Your Business Development Strategy
An engaged mentor provides accountability, guidance and access to valuable networks. Learn why mentorship can accelerate your business development success.
Business development isn’t about chasing new opportunities, it’s about: building habits (showing up); sharpening strategy; and developing the confidence to execute consistently. While blog posts (like this one), books, workshops and training programs can give you frameworks, the real accelerant often comes from having the right mentor by your side. However, not just any mentor but an engaged one - someone who is invested in your growth, challenges your thinking and celebrates your wins with you!
For this BD Tips Wednesday post I'll run through a high-level overview of 'Why You Need Engaged Mentors to Help with Your Business Development Strategy'.
Mentorship vs. Engagement
Plenty of professionals have “mentors” who are mentors in name only: senior figures who may offer occasional advice over a coffee catch-up every 3 to 6 months. That’s helpful, but engagement is the difference between passive support and active partnership.
An engaged mentor is someone who:
Understands your business development goals and context.
Provides constructive feedback tailored to your situation.
Holds you accountable to follow through on your commitments.
Shares networks, introductions and insights to open new doors.
This level of involvement can turn sporadic progress into a deliberate growth trajectory.
Why Engaged Mentors Matter For Your Business Development Strategy
1. Clarify the Noise
Business development can be overwhelming. Should you double down on client meetings, invest in thought leadership or pursue all those tenders you are seeing advertised?
An engaged mentor helps you cut through all this noise; helping you to refine your focus and set realistic, impactful priorities.
2. Confidence And Accountability
It’s easy to let Business Development slip when billable work or internal pressures take over. Engaged mentors keep you accountable to the actions you’ve committed to, whether that’s making five new introductions a month, submitting tenders or carving out time to publish a thought leadership piece.
Your engaged mentor will remind you that consistency, not intensity, drives results.
3. Access To Experience And Networks
Engaged mentors bring lived experience: the mistakes they’ve made, the strategies that worked and the people they know.
In business development, access to networks and “social proof” can open doors that cold outreach never will.
4. A Safe Space To Test Ideas
Not every Business Development idea is ready to roll out to a client. Engaged mentors create a safe space for testing, brainstorming, and challenging assumptions. They help you refine ideas before you put them into market, reducing risk and increasing effectiveness.
5. Long-Term Growth Mindset
Business Development isn’t about quick wins, it’s about building a sustainable pipeline. Engaged mentors keep you thinking long-term: client retention; cross-serving; up-selling; and building reputation. They ensure you don’t just win work today, but build the habits and strategy to keep winning tomorrow.
What Makes a Good Engaged Mentor?
Accessibility: They make time, not excuses.
Relevance: They’ve navigated similar markets, clients or industries.
Challenge: They don’t just affirm, they push you to improve.
Investment: They want to see you succeed, not just tick a box.
The best mentor-mentee relationships are reciprocal: you bring energy, commitment and openness to learn, while they bring perspective, guidance and advocacy.
The Bottom Line
An engaged mentor is not a luxury, it’s a competitive advantage.
In a world where professional services are seeing more and more competition, the firms and individuals who stand out are those who invest in strategic, consistent and well-supported Business Development efforts. With the right mentors, you’ll not only accelerate your growth but also avoid the blind spots and missteps that slow so many others down.
Need Help With Your Business Development?
Get in touch if you want to talk about any of this. We also offer a very affordable BD Audit and Training package.
Not All Competitors Are Obvious. Some Are Hiding In Plain Sight
Most professionals think competitors are the firms across the street. In reality, clients, internal teams, emerging technologies and alternative providers may pose a greater threat to your market position.
Ask a professional who they think their competitors are, and more likely than not they'll give you the name of a person working at the same type of firm they are working at, doing the same type of work they are doing, at roughly the same price they are charging.
The difference between the two is almost zero. Hence why they are seen as competitors.
But Direct Competitors is just one of the 5 types of competitor you are likely to see everyday. So for this BD Tips Wednesday post I thought I would provide a high-level overview of the five different types of competitors you face.
1. Clients
"What, how can my client be a competitor?"
I'm here to tell you that the biggest threat to your practice comes from inside your client’s own organisation. Many are bringing work in-house: building internal legal, strategy, risk, or procurement teams that reduce reliance on external firms. This shift is particularly relevant when clients feel they can do the work more cheaply, quickly, or with more control.
2. Internal
"What, how can my partners be a competitor?"
In most professional firms, internal competition is real. Different partners, practice areas or office locations all pursue the same client opportunities. If you’re not aligned internally - not integrated financially , if teams operate in silos or fail to collaborate then you face the very real risk of losing work to your own colleagues, or confusing the client altogether.
3. Emerging
This is the fast-moving, disruptive category. Think AI tools, self-service platforms, or outsourced providers that offer faster, cheaper or more scalable solutions.
These competitors often come from outside your traditional industry, but they’re changing client expectations. If clients can get a task done more efficiently elsewhere, they’ll switch, even if it means rethinking long-standing relationships.
4. Indirect
Indirect competitors solve the same client problems, but through a different model or lens. For example, instead of engaging a law firm, a client might choose to use an Alternative Legal Service Provider (ALSP), or a technology platform that automates compliance.
Indirect competitors may not be as visible to you. Even when they are visible, they are often dismissed out of hand. But the indirect competitor segment is the fastest growing competitor segment and are currently eroding your share of wallet without you even knowing it!
5. Direct Competitors
These are your classic competitors, the most obvious group of competitor. As I stated at the start, they are typically firms that offer the same services, to the same clients, at the same price-point. You see them in tender processes, on legal or consulting panels, or mentioned in conversations with your clients.
They’re easy to identify and often the benchmark for pricing, marketing and your business development strategy.
And, they are the least of your worries as they also are unknowingly facing the challenges of four other competitor types!
Wrapping it up
Competition today is more than just the firm across the street. It’s anyone, or anything, that takes budget, attention or loyalty away from your offering.
By broadening your view of the competitive landscape, you can respond more strategically and build offerings that truly stand out.
So next time don’t just ask: “Who’s our competition?”,
Instead ask:
“Who else is solving our client’s problems and how can we do it better?”
Need Help With Your Business Development?
Get in touch if you want to talk about any of this. We also offer a very affordable BD Audit and Training package.
Is your Business Development looking a little like Little Miss Helpful?
Being helpful is important, but constantly giving away expertise without creating opportunities can undermine your business development efforts. Learn how to strike the right balance.
Recently, my 3 year old asked me to read him Little Miss Helpful from Roger Hargreaves Mr. Men series for his bedtime story. Now I have to admit, it has been some time since I last read the Mr. Men series, so for those who may have forgotten (like me!):
Little Miss Helpful is always eager, enthusiastic and full of ideas about how to help people; but, more often than not, leaves a trail of unintended chaos in her wake.
When auditing your Business Development efforts: Does any of that sound familiar?
Lawyers business development efforts often resemble a parade of well-meaning “Little Miss Helpfuls.” We try to jump in, lend a hand and make something happen. Without always considering the strategy, alignment or impact of our business development actions!
So, for this BD Tips Wednesday post I thought I would take a quick look at how to avoid making your business development efforts look like you're the next Little Miss Helpful of Business Development.
1. Helping without asking: The BD equivalent of sweeping under someone’s feet
Little Miss Helpful once tried to clean the floor while someone was still standing on it. In business development, we sometimes do the same: Offering to help before fully understanding what the client actually needs.
Better approach: Ask. Listen. Diagnose before you prescribe. Tailor your offer to the client’s situation.
2. Doing too much, too soon
In the stories, Little Miss Helpful often acts quickly, thinking more is better. She’ll water plants that don’t need it, rearrange things that were already fine. Likewise, some lawyers' business development campaigns throw everything at the wall - emails, webinars, coffee meetings - without clear prioritisation or strategy.
Better approach: Start with one or two high-impact activities. Test, learn, refine. Business development should be deliberate, not frantic.
3. Mistaking activity for progress
She’s always doing, but rarely achieving. In Business Development this shows up in endless pipelines or chasing “maybes” that were never viable. We stay busy and call it growth.
Better approach: Focus on meaningful progress: Relationships advanced, proposals submitted, problems solved.
4. Ignoring the follow-up mess
Little Miss Helpful always means well but after the chaos, someone has to tidy up.
The business development parallel?
Promising more than can be delivered, failing to follow through or creating noise with no substance.
Better approach: Under-promise and over-deliver. Set realistic expectations and follow through consistently.
5. Be Strategic, Not Just Supportive
The lesson from Little Miss Helpful is not that help is bad, it’s that good intentions need direction.
With your business development efforts, enthusiasm is only effective when combined with:
Relevance
Intentionality
Follow-through
Collaboration
Instead of “being helpful,” aim to be strategic. Replace random acts of business development with meaningful, client-aligned action.
Final Thought
Don’t be Little Miss Helpful. Be Ms. Strategic Growth. Be the professional who understands before acting, connects before pitching and delivers before being asked.
Need Help With Your Business Development?
Get in touch if you want to talk about any of this. We also offer a very affordable BD Audit and Training package.
Business Development in Tough Times: 7 Strategies to Employ During a Downturn
Economic uncertainty creates challenges but also opportunities. Explore seven practical strategies to maintain momentum and strengthen client relationships during difficult periods.
Discover proven business development strategies to help professionals thrive during economic downturns. Learn how to stay visible, add value, and strengthen client relationships in tough times.
Don’t know about you, but I’ve stopped looking at the stock market – the yo-yo ups and downs make for macabre reading! But there is a point to be made here, business development (BD) in good times can often seem tough, but when the market is heading south and everyone starts looking at the cost side of their budget, it can seem downright scary.
So, for this BD Tips Wednesday post I thought I would bring to the table all my experience having worked through the recessions of the 1980s; the Asian Financial Crisis (AFC); the dot com bubble burst; and most recently the Global Financial Crisis (GFC).
How to Approach Business Development in Tough Times
When times are tough, professional automatically go into their shell, hesitate, retreat; or, worse, freeze their BD efforts altogether. When, in fact, what you should be doing is:
1. Reconnecting with Existing Clients
Your current clients are your greatest asset. In difficult times, they’re facing the same challenges as you. Don’t reach out to sell—reach out to support. Ask:
✅ What challenges are you facing?
✅ How can we help you navigate this period?
This client-centric approach builds trust, uncovers new opportunities and reinforces long-term relationships.
2. Stay Visible While Competitors Go Quiet
In downturns, many firms cut back on marketing and BD activities. Use their silence to your advantage. Stay active:
✅ Post regularly on LinkedIn.
✅ Attend industry events.
✅ Share insights through newsletters or blogs.
🚀 Remember: Visibility leads to credibility and credibility leads to new business.
3. Lead with Value, Not a Sales Pitch
When budgets shrink, clients aren’t looking for aggressive sales tactics—they’re looking for solutions. Focus on:
✅ Sharing thought leadership content.
✅ Offering free consultations or check-ins.
✅ Providing actionable insights without expecting immediate returns.
Position yourself as "the" trusted advisor, not just another service provider.
4. Be Flexible with Pricing and Service Models
Rigid pricing can stall deals in a downturn. Adapt by:
✅ Offering phased or modular services.
✅ Introducing value-based or fixed-fee pricing.
✅ Reducing upfront commitments to lower client risk.
Flexibility makes it easier for clients to say “yes” when they’re watching every dollar.
5. Focus on High-Value, Best-Fit Clients
Now’s the time to prioritise clients who truly align with your strengths and values. Look for:
✅ Strong synergy with your expertise.
✅ Long-term partnership potential.
✅ Clients who appreciate collaboration and transparency.
It’s all about quality over quantity in your client portfolio.
6. Be Proactive and Seek Out Opportunities
In tough markets, opportunities don’t knock—you have to hunt them down.
✅ Identify resilient sectors or businesses still investing.
✅ Monitor industry news and client announcements.
✅ Respond quickly to shifting needs.
Proactive business development separates those who survive from those who thrive.
7. Invest in Relationships, Not Just Transactions
People remember who supported them during challenging times. Strengthen your network by:
✅ Offering introductions.
✅ Checking in without an agenda.
✅ Providing value - even when there’s no immediate payoff.
These relationship investments will deliver returns long after the market recovers.
Thriving Beyond Tough Times
Business development during a downturn isn’t just about surviving—it’s about setting the foundation for future growth. Tough times reveal which professionals are truly committed to adding value and building lasting relationships.
Keep showing up. Keep being helpful. When the market rebounds, you’ll be ahead of the pack—ready to grow while others are still finding their footing.
Need Help With Your Business Development?
Get in touch if you want to talk about any of this. We also offer a very affordable BD Audit and Training package.
Why Lawyers Need Help From a Business Development Sherpa
Business development has become increasingly complex. Discover why lawyers benefit from having a trusted adviser, coach or mentor to guide their growth journey.
Grow your legal practice with expert business development guidance in a changing industry
The Legal Industry Is Changing Fast—Are You Ready?
Hand on heart, I can’t tell you exactly what impact Artificial Intelligence (AI) will have on the global legal industry. But one thing is certain: competition for legal services is intensifying, and it’s only going to get tougher in the next decade.
The legal landscape is shifting. We’re seeing:
Mergers and law firm consolidation
Highly profitable niche legal practices spun out of BigLaw
Larger firms exiting jurisdictions that no longer support their business model
As delivery models evolve and go-to-market strategies get more complex, one thing is clear: lawyers need to get strategic about their business development and client acquisition if they want to thrive—not just survive.
With this in mind, for this BD Tips Wednesday post I thought I would introduce the Business Development Sherpa.
What Is a Business Development Sherpa?
Inspired by the expert mountain guides of the Himalayas, a Business Development Sherpa is your personal guide to scaling the often-overwhelming terrain of legal marketing, brand positioning and client growth.
Unlike a traditional business development consultant, a Sherpa provides hands-on, tailored support that includes:
Identifying and attracting ideal legal clients
Creating systems for sustainable lead generation
Optimizing your legal brand and digital presence
Navigating the noise of AI, fixed fees and market saturation
Think of a Sherpa as part legal marketing strategist, part business growth coach, and part accountability partner—focused entirely on helping you build and future-proof your practice.
Why Lawyers Need a Business Development Sherpa—Now More Than Ever
There’s a lot of noise out there: AI, the billable hour debate, fixed fee models, legal outsourcing, lateral partner movement, and more.
With all this noise, many lawyers feel overwhelmed, fatigued and unsure where to focus.
Here’s where a Business Development Sherpa helps out. They help:
Clarify your unique value proposition
Strengthen your online presence and legal brand
Expand your referral network and generate high-quality leads
Work with you on your strategy and hold you accountable for meeting your goals
Signs You Might Need a Business Development Sherpa
Ask yourself:
Are you relying mostly on referrals or word of mouth?
Do you struggle to talk about your services without sounding “salesy”?
Are you overwhelmed by marketing advice and need a clear roadmap?
Do you want to future-proof your practice in an AI-driven world?
Do you know you should be doing more—but don’t know where to start?
If you said "yes" to any of the above, it might be time to bring in a Sherpa to help you navigate the next stage of your growth.
The Bottom Line
The legal profession is evolving—fast. And so is the way clients find, assess and hire lawyers. It’s no longer just about being a great lawyer. It’s about being visible, relevant and strategic.
Whether you're a seasoned law firm partner or an ambitious associate, the right support can make all the difference. Don’t wait for the market to change around you—take charge of your growth journey.
Need Help With Your Business Development?
Get in touch if you want to talk about any of this. We also offer a very affordable BD Audit and Training package.
Using Competitor Intelligence Analysis (CIA) to Strengthen Your Business Development Strategy
Understanding your competitors helps you make smarter strategic decisions. Learn how Competitor Intelligence Analysis can strengthen your positioning and uncover opportunities.
Competitor Intelligence Analysis (CIA) is the structured process of collecting, analysing, and utilising data about your competitors. It involves understanding what your competitors are doing, how the market is evolving, and how your business can stay ahead. CIA supports strategic decision-making by uncovering new opportunities, identifying risks and helping you maintain a competitive advantage.
In today’s competitive business environment, integrating CIA into your business development strategy is not just beneficial—it’s essential. But remember, like any tool, it should be used wisely and not obsessively.
In this BD Tips Wednesday post, I take a high-level look at how CIA works and how it can elevate your growth efforts.
The 3 Core Components of Competitor Intelligence Analysis (CIA)
CIA consists of three interconnected stages that form the backbone of an effective business development strategy:
1. Data Collection
Gather insights from diverse sources to build a complete picture of the competitive landscape, including:
Publicly available documents (e.g., financial statements, press releases)
Industry publications and market research reports
Digital platforms such as news websites, social media and online reviews
Surveys, interviews and direct customer feedback
Field observations from trade shows or competitor site visits
2. Data Analysis
Transform raw data into actionable insights by:
Identifying trends, patterns and market signals
Assessing competitor strengths, weaknesses and strategic moves
Anticipating shifts in market dynamics and customer behavior
3. Strategic Decision-Making
Leverage insights to guide your business strategy:
Develop more effective business development and marketing plans
Optimise pricing strategies to remain competitive
Identify opportunities for market expansion or product diversification
Why Is Competitor Intelligence Important for Business Development?
Incorporating CIA into your business development strategy offers significant benefits:
Gain Deep Insight into Competitors: Understand their tactics, vulnerabilities and competitive positioning.
Predict Market Shifts: Stay proactive by identifying emerging trends and potential disruptions early.
Improve Decision-Making: Make informed, data-driven choices that reduce guesswork and increase success rates.
Identify Unique Advantages: Uncover gaps in the market or leverage your strengths to stand out.
Top CIA Tools and Techniques
To effectively analyse your competitive environment, utilise proven CIA tools such as:
SWOT Analysis – Evaluate your company’s internal capabilities and external challenges.
Benchmarking – Compare your performance metrics with top industry players.
Predictive Analytics & Simulation – Use data modeling to forecast market behavior and test strategic scenarios.
Bringing It All Together
When effectively implemented, Competitor Intelligence Analysis empowers your organization to:
Navigate market uncertainty with confidence
Outperform competitors by anticipating their moves
Impress clients and prospects with well-informed, strategic decisions
So, ask yourself: Have you integrated CIA into your business development strategy? If not, now’s the perfect time to start.
Need Help With Your Business Development?
Get in touch if you want to talk about any of this. We also offer a very affordable BD Audit and Training package.
"Who is it for?"
Understanding your audience is critical to winning new work. Explore the D.N.A. model and learn how to communicate effectively with decision makers, advocates and naysayers.
Seth Godin wrote in 'This is Marketing':
"Who's it for?" It has a subtle but magic power, the ability to shift the product you make, the story you tell, and where you tell it. Once you're clear on "who's it for", then the doors begin to open for you.
The same is true here regardless of whether you are selling a product or a service. Only in the case of selling a service, the answer may not be straight forward. Because, in most cases involving complex/mature buyers of services, there are typically multiple layers of "Who's it for?".
In this BD Tips Wednesday post we take a very high-level look at what those layers might look like.
The D.N.A of a client acquisition
If you have been reading my posts for any length of time, you'll know by now that I LOVE a good acronym (I'm also partial to the odd emoji 😁).
This is no different in the case, so let me quickly walk you through the D.N.A aspects of a client acquisition so that you can implement this in your next client pursuit.
D stands for...
"D" stands for the "Decision Makers". These are also known as the "economic buyers" of your services. Bluntly, they pay the bills. The information you give to a Decision Maker needs to be concise, to the point and value driven.
N stands for...
"N" stands for the "Naysayers". These are also known as "procurement" 😁. Two things drive procurement: (1) compliance issues, and (2) cost savings. The Naysayers are not interested in the same message you are giving to the Decision Makers. In fact, if you do feed them the same message as you are giving to the Decision Makers, you'll likely not going to win the work. So make sure to tailor your messaging so that the Naysayers hear what they need to hear (i.e., you are happy to provide monthly reporting and volume discounts!).
A stands for...
"A" stands for "Advocates". Advocates are your client champions. They are the people on the inside trying to help you win the work. They don't need to be told why you are the best in town at what you do, they already know. What they need to hear is how they can convivence people within their organization to support your case. You need to be providing your Advocates with this messaging if you are going to stand any chance of winning the work!
Bringing it all together
Problems start to occur in client acquisition pursuits when the message you tailor is not focused on who the audience is ("Who's it for?"). This can become worse when you think there is only one buyer of your service - whether that be the Advocate or the Naysayer (the Decision Maker is very often left out of this messaging by professional services firms, which is a big mistake).
So the next time you set out on a client acquisition strategy, take a few minutes to write down on a piece of paper: "Who's it for?" and then apply this through the D.N.A lens.
Need Help With Your Business Development?
Get in touch if you want to talk about any of this. We also offer a very affordable BD Audit and Training package.
Use The GROW Model To Grow Your Book Of Business
The GROW coaching model provides a structured framework for setting goals, assessing reality, overcoming obstacles and creating a clear path forward for growth.
In this BD Tips Wednesday post I’m sharing a professional development growth model that has been around since the 1980s and used relatively frequently by coaches such as me. It's called the GROW model, named in honor of the GROW acronym:
Goal
Reality
Obstacles and Options, and
Way forward
Grow
Where:
Goal = The end point. Where you want to get to. Your Goal. This needs to be structured/set-out in a way where it is obvious there is a finish line.
Reality = Warts and all – where are you now? How far do you need to travel to reach the ‘Goal’? Is the ‘Goal’ pie in the sky or a reality?
Obstacles and Options = What Obstacles are in the way of you achieving your ‘Goal’? Once the Obstacles have been identified, do you have Options to deal with these Obstacles that will allow you to achieve your Goal?
Way forward = Last but not least, what action steps need to be put in place in order for you to achieve your Goal. In other words, what is the Way Forward!
Bringing it all together
Using the GROW Model in your business development planning should add a little bit of perspective around the realistic nature of you achieving your Goal(s). It not only identifies what your Goal is - which is a great start in business development, but its also sets parameters around this so you clearly know when you have completed the Goal.
What I particularly like though is it highlights what the challenges will likely be and allows you to start working through how you can overcome those challenges - rather than waiting for the challenge to hit you on the nose!
Don't get me wrong, GROW is not the only business development strategy tool you can use - and we will certainly be covering off others on BD Tips Wednesdays of the future, but it is a very useful tool to keep in your toolkit!
Further Reading
Need Help With Your Business Development?
Get in touch if you want to talk about any of this. We also offer a very affordable BD Audit and Training package.
Answer These 3 Questions And You'll Super Charge Your Business Development Efforts
Business development becomes easier when you understand who makes decisions, what matters to them and how they buy. These three questions underpin every successful growth strategy.
Business development is really easy. All you need to be able to do is answer 3 simple questions:
Who makes the decision to buy?
What are their priorities?
How do they buy?
But, getting the answer(s) to those 3 simple questions isn't so easy. It takes time, planning, insight and an awful lot of legwork.
For this week's BD Tips Wednesday post I'll take a very high-level look at what this means...
Who makes the decision to buy?
More than 50% of General Counsel report directly to the...?
... Chief Financial Officer.
When you look at who makes the decision to buy, it is rarely the person giving you the instruction.
What are their priorities?
The priorities of the 'economic' buyer are rarely the same priorities as the person giving you the instruction. Make sure to canvas both if you want your fee paid!
How do they buy?
Hopefully you are lucky enough to have a client that doesn't use Request for Proposals and Tenders to buy your services.
Hopefully you have a client that still relies on relationships to buy your services.
But, don't depend on 'hope' - know. Ask the question.
Further Reading
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