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Do you struggle with business development or with involving more people in your team in it? If so, you are not alone. The majority of individuals in professional services firms aren’t involved in business development, and many actively avoid it.
You might recognise these challenges if you are:
- a partner or senior leader trying to involve more of your team in business development
- a professional who knows winning work is important but isn’t sure where to start
- someone who feels business development doesn’t come naturally to them
- part of a firm that relies on just a few people to bring in new work
If any of these sound familiar, you are not alone — and the good news is that these challenges can be addressed.
The problem is created when only a few people do business development
Many firms rely on just a few people to bring in work. This is risky and limits growth.
Imagine the scenario where someone responsible for generating work is suddenly unwell or leaves the firm. I recently heard of a firm where this happened, and departmental billings were halved for the year.
When fewer people are involved in business development, fewer opportunity-generating relationships are built. Those responsible for it also spend significant time on the behind-the-scenes work that makes it possible, such as researching events, identifying intermediaries to connect with, and planning outreach.
All of this takes time away from actually building visibility and relationships in the market.
Why should people be good at business development?
You could ask this question about many things in life. Each of us has natural talents and abilities. Those who are good at business development have usually experienced at least one of these:
- They have some innate ability.
- They had an excellent role model.
- They received development support.
However, most professionals haven’t had any of these. In my work with professional services firms, I regularly see talented professionals struggle with business development simply because they have never been shown how to approach it in a way that feels natural and manageable.
That’s one of the key reasons why so many professionals struggle to win new clients.
The key reasons professionals struggle to win new clients
- It’s not part of professional training
- Thinking that technical expertise is sufficient
- Time pressures
- Not focusing on where you bring real value
- Not knowing what to do
- Not feeling like they know how or are “that type of person.”
- Lack of incentivisation
- Lack of consistency
Let’s look at what each means and how to overcome them.
1. It’s not part of professional training
When individuals work towards professional qualifications, the need to win and retain clients is rarely discussed.
Many firms also don’t involve junior people in business development. As a result, it is seen as something only senior people do. This can come as a shock later in someone’s career when business development suddenly becomes an expectation or even a barrier to promotion.
It also creates succession challenges for firms.
Top tip
Involve juniors early. If you are a junior professional, look for opportunities to learn and contribute. For example:
- building relationships with peers
- researching potential events for senior colleagues to attend
- identifying intermediaries, the firm may want to get to know
2. Thinking that technical expertise is sufficient
Particularly if you work for a firm with a well-known name, it can be easy to assume technical expertise alone will attract clients.
It won’t.
Clients almost always want to understand who will be doing the work. Even in B2B environments, people want to know what you will be like to work with. Also, if they don’t know about you, they can’t choose you.
Top tip
Encourage individuals to build their profile and think about how they are perceived.
This includes developing a clear personal brand and ensuring their LinkedIn profile communicates their expertise and value. It is also important to consider where else they need to be known, whether through events, industry groups, or intermediaries.
3. Time
Time is money, and in firms where everything revolves around the billable hour, this becomes a significant challenge.
However, business development rarely delivers instant results. That means time needs to be allocated in advance.
Top tip
Create a clear strategy and plan so even small amounts of time can be used effectively.
This is also about culture. Leadership needs to communicate that business development is a priority and that people are expected to allocate time to it. Time allocation guidelines can be extremely helpful.
4. Not focusing on where you bring real value
Too many professional services people try to deliver too many services to too many different types of clients.
This lack of focus leads to:
- unclear messaging in the market
- scattered effort
- overwhelm
Top tip
Take time to clarify where you bring the most value and which services you want to proactively promote.
Think about:
- the benefit you deliver
- the risk you mitigate
- the challenge you solve
For each service, clearly define your ideal client — their situation, motivations, and pain points.
It can also help to reflect on your best clients and what made those relationships work so well.
5. Not knowing what to do
There are countless possible business development activities, which can make it difficult to know where to start.
If you have completed step four properly, this becomes much easier.
Top tip
Brainstorm potential activities based on the clients you want to attract. Then focus on just two or three activity types initially to avoid overwhelm.
For example:
- attending targeted events
- building relationships with intermediaries
- sharing insights through LinkedIn or articles
6. Not feeling like they know how or are “that type of person”
Many professionals associate business development with “selling”, which can feel uncomfortable.
But business development in professional services is different. It’s about building relationships and helping people who genuinely need your services.
There are also many different ways to bring in work, through existing clients, intermediaries or new clients directly.
Top tip
Encourage individuals to use their natural strengths while stretching themselves slightly outside their comfort zone.
It also helps to reframe business development. Many professional services address essential needs:
- a person with a serious illness needing a Lasting Power of Attorney
- a company requiring annual accounts
- a growing business needing employment contracts
These are not “nice-to-haves”. People genuinely need these services.
7. Lack of incentivisation
People need motivation, and what motivates individuals differs.
Some enjoy the process of building relationships and winning work. Others are motivated by career progression or increased compensation.
Top tip
Business development needs to be part of “how we do things around here.”
That means:
- including it in job descriptions
- discussing it in appraisals
- agreeing on metrics and reviewing them to see what works
- setting clear expectations for client-facing team members
8. Lack of consistency
Often, firms focus on business development only when the pipeline becomes worrisome. Activity increases for a short period but then fades again.
This is usually due to many of the challenges above.
Top tip
Leadership must commit to doing business development differently and invest time and resources to support that change.
Individuals need support with three fundamentals:
- understanding why they need to contribute
- understanding what they should do
- understanding how to do it
When these are clear, business development becomes a consistent part of the firm’s culture.
How to get started
Whether you are reading this as an individual professional or as a leader wanting to change the culture in your firm, a simple starting point is to review the eight challenges above.
Try traffic-lighting them:
Green — working well
Amber — needs improvement
Red — a significant barrier
Then focus on the red and amber areas and identify two or three actions you can take to improve them.
Small, consistent changes can make a significant difference to how effectively your firm attracts new clients.
If you want help involving more of your people in business development
Many professional services firms recognise the importance of business development but find that only a small number of people are actively involved in winning new work.
This creates risk, limits growth and places unnecessary pressure on a few individuals.
The good news is that business development is a skill that can be learned and supported across a team.
If you would like help building the confidence, structure and practical skills your people need to contribute to winning work, feel free to get in touch.
Frequently asked questions about business development
Most professionals are never formally trained in business development. As a result, they may lack clarity about what to do, how to do it and how to fit it into an already busy workload.
No. While partners often lead client relationships, many people across a firm can contribute to business development through relationship building, visibility and supporting client relationships.
Yes. While some people may have natural strengths in this area, the key skills — such as building relationships, developing a profile and identifying opportunities — can all be developed.
Structured, skilled & people-centred
This article explores some of the key elements that drive successful business development.
They come from my proven framework, The 5 Ps of Proactive Business Development© – the key practical elements to help professionals win more work by being intentional and consistent.
EXPLORE THE FULL FRAMEWORK
