Thought Leadership

Rethinking what business development really means

When we say, “Everyone should market the firm,” or “Everyone should develop business,” your team members often hear, “Everyone should SELL.” And, unfortunately, the word “sell” conjures negative stereotypes of a disingenuous individual in a plaid suit and bowtie selling you something you don’t want or need. Or we picture the extroverted rainmaker in your firm who knows everyone in the community, shakes hands with seven people on their way to be seated in a restaurant for a business lunch, and attends large networking events weekly, striving to know as many people as possible. Either way, these pictures don’t fit with their own picture of themselves, and they can’t imagine themselves as rainmakers.

But it doesn’t have to be that way. When we break down the attributes of a truly great business developer and rainmaker, it’s less about personality, magic, or after-hours dinners and more about developing strong relationships and consistent habits. And effective selling is simply a process with specific steps that lead to a client making a commitment to engage your firm for one or more services. When we define business development and sales habits, actions, and steps, most, if not all team members can gain confidence and find the specific and actions they can take to become business developers.

Introducing the four business developer types

At ConvergenceCoaching, we define four business developer types that should be developed in firms. These are Supporters, Servers, Sellers, and Sourcers.

When you define these four kinds of business developers, each team member can identify which type(s) they are now and which type(s) they aspire to be.

Then you can help create one-size-fits one development plans to build the skills and actions they need to build to become effective and produce real results.

Supporters

Support the sales process and assist with opportunities generated by someone else, attend or support firm sponsored events and networking meetings (sporting firm logo gear), or further firm content on social media. Supporters act in this capacity often as they’re learning business development. Actions Supporters can take include:

1. Shadowing networking events or referral source meetings with other business developers in the firm

2. Acting as a committee member on your marketing or business development team to help define and implement firm-wide sales and business development activities, learning, competitions

3. Attending sales calls or meetings and writing the recaps, and eventually owning follow up actions and deliverables

4. Participating in the proposal process, defining the scope of services, and preparing the proposal itself

Servers

Develop business by building strong relationships with clients, providing exceptional client service, and billing for the value they deliver. They look for opportunities to add value and go deeper with existing clients. Actions Servers can take include:

1. Meeting with clients outside of an engagement to learn about their plans for the coming year, making introductions to other firm leaders or referral sources, and uncovering opportunities to provide additional services to them

2. Conducting client account plans to look at clients holistically and be more advisory about what the client should be considering or thinking about

3. Completing a client relationship map to understand the breadth and depth of relationships within a client and furthering those relationships

4. Developing their internal network across the firm to identify opportunities to cross-sell firm solutions

5. Focusing on and measuring existing client growth net of attrition by tracking cross selling opportunities generated and ensuring regular fee increases keeping pace with inflation

Sellers

Qualify and close opportunities, generated by themselves or others, and follow the firm’s defined sales process and methodology. Actions Sellers can take include:

1. Learning the firm’s sales process and methodology
2. Servers become effective Sellers to grow existing clients
3. Gaining skills and approaches for qualifying opportunities, handling objections, and gaining commitment during the sales process
4. Taking over leads from Sourcers, so Sourcers don’t get too “full”
5. Inputting to the sales process, proposal templates, and pricing approaches to enhance the sales process
6. Tracking sales opportunities, including additional services for existing clients, in the firm’s CRM or an Excel pipeline

Sourcers

Become known for a specialty service, technical area, and/or industry. They do this by being active in their community or circles where prospects, clients, and referral sources gather. Actions Sourcers can take include:

1. Building their network

i. Internally with partners and managers across service lines/segments

ii. Externally via traditional networking and increasing their presence and activity on

social media

2. Developing referral sources

3. Becoming “known” for something by building thought leadership through writing blogs,

articles, speaking, or live streaming

4. Setting goals for leads sourced and tracking lead sources in the firm’s CRM or an Excel pipeline

When you break down personal marketing and sales activities this way, team members can begin to identify actions they can take to engage in business development. Over time, they’ll build habits, skills, approaches, and confidence in their unique style and way of developing business and contributing to the firm’s growth.

Interested in joining the 2026 program?