How Can Partners Refresh Their Business Development with A.I. ?
Late last year I attended the 2025 Professional Services Marketing Group (PSMG) Conference in London to refresh my Business Development (BD) skills. The conference theme was ‘Thriving In An Age of Continuous Reinvention’ and there was a simple, positive idea to the day’s discussions…
When you modernise your approach to business development, your strongest client relationships become stickier, broader and more valuable.
To this end, and in plain terms, a problem all speakers addressed was: How should Partners and Marketing / Business Development (MBD) professionals use CRM, AI and Content to grow the right work from existing and new clients?
IN BRIEF
How can partners turn contact databases and CRM systems into a real BD pipeline?
Where does AI genuinely help with BD work in professional services?
How can firms help early-career professionals build BD skills without turning them into hard-sell salespeople?
How should firms adjust their BD and content for the “answer economy” and Generative Engine Optimisation (GEO)?
HOW CAN PARTNERS TURN CONTACT DATABASES & CRM INTO A PIPELINE TOOL?
At PSMG, the more advanced firms were using tools like Salesforce as proactive relationship managers, not just contact databases. The technology helped them:
See live lists of top opportunities and risks.
Track ‘touches’ with key buyers, not just matters opened.
Run BD meetings that focused on “Who needs help” and next actions, not “how busy are you?”
They also had a simple maturity scale for opportunities. For each one you could answer:
Do we know who the real buyer is?
Do we have a path to them?
What meaningful interactions have we had?
What is the agreed next step and date?
Nothing too fancy or over-egged. Just visible, disciplined and updated in the meeting, not later.
What you can do this quarter
Choose one office, sector or service line.
Ask your BD professional to help you build a basic pipeline dashboard for the top, say, 5 to 10 opportunities.
Talk about those opportunities only in your BD meetings, update the dashboard live and end each item with a named owner and a date.
Repeat the process. The repetition is where the change happens. Re-classifying opportunities from ‘Active’ to ‘dormant’ or ‘graveyard’ helps keep the agenda fresh.
HOW CAN PARTNERS USE AI FOR SPECIFIC, REPEATABLE BD WORK?
The most grounded conversations about AI were very simple. Firms were using AI to:
Prepare for client meetings (pulling together past matters, people and issues).
Draft first cuts of directory submissions, capability statements and internal notes
Suggest questions, options and follow-ups for BD discussions.
None of this replaces your judgement. It just buys back thinking time and strips out drudge work.
For a more specific example have a look at Leonard – a voice-led AI Agent designed by Legal Engine to assist lawyers with tasks such as drafting their Chambers & Partners & Legal 500 submissions after a 5-minute conversation.
What you can do this quarter
Pick one AI use case and make it standard for three months. For example: Every major client meeting gets a short AI prep note; or every pitch gets an AI-generated first draft of credentials, then human editing.
Assess afterwards: “Did this help us think more clearly, or just faster?”
HOW CAN WE HELP JUNIORS TALK TO CLIENTS SAFELY ABOUT BUSINESS NEEDS?
Early career professionals are often told to “get out there and build relationships”. Then they get little structure, bland ‘elevator pitches’, and plenty of anxiety. Several speakers made the same point: if you want a more robust BD culture, build skills early and safely.
That means:
Giving professionals simple question frameworks for client conversations.
Tip: When prompting AI for questions, use tested question frameworks like Huthwaite’s classic - S.P.I.N. Selling or my S.L.A.Y. approach. – and case studies.Debriefing meetings: “What did you notice? What surprised you? What would you do differently?”
Using AI to generate role-play scenarios and case studies so they can rehearse before they meet real clients.
This is not about turning everyone into a “rainmaker”. It’s about ensuring your emerging leaders are better prepared.
What you can do this quarter
For one key client, take a senior associate or manager to every meeting.
Before the meeting, ask them to draft three questions they could ask.
After the meeting, spend ten minutes together: What did they observe? Where did they feel comfortable? What will they try next time?
Read: For Better BD Turn Your Phone OffCreating a habit of reflection immediately after a meeting is a powerful career-building tool.
How should we prepare for the “answer economy” and GEO (Generative Engine Optimisation)?
Another theme was the drop in website traffic as more people go straight to AI tools for answers. Your carefully polished “Insights” page may never be seen.
We are moving from a search economy to an answer economy. People don’t want ten links - they want one clear answer. While Search-engine optimisation (SEO) still matters, Generative Engine Optimisation (GEO) is on the rise so make sure AI tools can find and trust your thinking.
GEO simply means writing and structuring your content so that AI tools, as well as search engines, can understand it and use it in the answers they give clients.
That means:
Publishing specific, helpful content on issues your clients worry about.
Using the same language your clients use, not technical or internal jargon.
Posting on platforms AI tools actually ingest – LinkedIn, reputable publications, and your own site.
Updating content regularly so it stays current.
Firms that show up in AI-generated answers will be the ones whose partners publish clear, practical material, not just firm news.
An excellent presentation by SQUIZ included schemas on the flow and relationships in building a seamless Digital Experience Platform (DXP). An example below…
What you can do this quarter
Pick one issue your ideal client might type into an AI tool. For example, “How do I manage cross-border investigations?” or “How do I prepare my business for ATO scrutiny?”
Search for it in an AI tool (Chat GPT, Gemini or Co-Pilot) and see whose advice appears.
Plan three short, concrete pieces on that issue: One article, one LinkedIn post, and a client alert or checklist.
Make each piece answer a real question with next steps.
FINALLY
None of this needs a full-scale “transformation program”. It’s a series of small, practical shifts. Pick one client, one service line or one office. Tighten the pipeline, give AI a clear job and involve a couple of juniors. See what changes over a quarter, then build from there.
If the ideas in this article simply spark a better BD conversation at your next partner meeting, they’ll have done their job.
Frequently asked questions from partners
Q: What does a healthy BD pipeline look like in a law or accounting firm?
A healthy pipeline gives partners a clear view of new and cross-serving opportunities. It shows where each opportunity sits, who owns it, and what the next step is. It also makes stalled matters visible so you can act, not just report that the team is “busy”.
Q: How can AI help early-career professionals build BD skills faster?
AI can help with the preparation, not the relationship. It can pull together background for meetings, suggest questions, draft follow-up notes and create realistic role-play scenarios. That frees up time so seniors can focus on coaching judgement, curiosity and follow-through.
Q: Why do GEO and the “answer economy” matter for professional services firms?
Many clients and referrers now ask AI tools basic questions before speaking with advisers. If your content is clear, specific and structured around real questions, AI tools are more likely to draw on your material when they generate answers. That keeps you in the frame when people are shortlisting firms.
FIVE FINDINGS THAT STOOD OUT
1. A 2025 survey of 114 UK and US law firms by Passle revealed that 84% are missing out on cross-selling opportunities, leaving an average of 12.5% of annual revenue behind due to cross-selling challenges. Cross Selling and AI in Legal Marketing Survey
However…
2. O Shape’s 2025 research (UK) warns that poorly executed (‘salesy’) cross-selling is cited as the least influential factor in ways General Counsel select legal service providers. Closing The Gap Between What Law Firms Sell and What Client’s Buy
3. PwC’s (UK) 2025 survey of Top 100 law Firms reported that 40%-70% are unhappy with organic growth initiatives - despite increased focus on pricing, partner incentives and structural change. Resilience and Recalibration: Navigating the Legal Sector’s Inflection Points
4. In regard to lead generation, a study reported by the UK Law Gazette this year, noted that 72% of clients or prospects self-educate before connecting with firms; and Clients Want Real Time Updates and Named Points of Contact, Watchdog’s Research Finds,
5. MIT Nanda’s 2025 study of AI use shows ‘Best in Class’ Organisations reporting 40% increase in lead qualification speed and 10% improvements through AI-powered follow-ups and messages. The Gen AI Divide: State of AI in Business 2025. MIT NANDA (Networked AI Agents in Decentralized Architecture)
FOUR ABBREVIATIONS YOU’LL SEE MORE OF…
XEO (Cross Engine Optimization): Focuses on optimizing for multiple engines, such as Google, ChatGPT, Perplexity, and Gemini.
AEO (Answer Engine Optimization): Focuses on getting content into voice search results, featured snippets, and "People Also Ask" sections.
GEO (Generative Engine Optimization): Focuses on getting cited in AI-generated answers, like Google’s AI Overviews.
AI SEO (Artificial Intelligence SEO): A general term for using AI to improve search optimization and for optimizing content specifically for AI to understand and trust.
Sue-Ella is the Principal of Prodonovich Advisory, a business dedicated to helping professional services practices sharpen their business development and client engagement practices.
She works with law and accounting firms on Business Development strategy and support structures, leadership and professional-development programs, and designing client-listening initiatives.
She also co-facilitates firm planning retreats and delivers public workshops such as Business Skills for Lawyers.
Through her BD45™ service, she assists individuals with their personal business-development plans.
Connect on LinkedIn or visit prodonovich.com.au
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