Four practical ways partners in law and accounting firms can use CRM, AI and clearer content to modernise business development and grow the right client work.
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How Firms can win from the pitching process even though they don’t win the pitch.
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Every firm has them: quiet achievers who deliver real value. Here's how to support them with business development that plays to their ‘super powers’.
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Is BD a natural talent or a learned skill? This article explores the real drivers behind effective business development — especially for professionals who don’t fit the stereotype.
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Leverage the fresh start effect to refresh relationships, set small goals, and refocus your business development plans.
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Meetings with prospective clients are a critical part of any lawyer’s business development efforts, but striking the right balance between under-preparation and over-preparation can be challenging. Sue-Ella's S.L.A.Y. framework—Share, Learn, Ask or Affirm, and 'Yes' —provides a clear, actionable method for preparing effectively.
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Shutting down your phone and talking frankly could be the key to growing your practice. Here’s why.
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The most common question professionals ask is 'how do I win more work?' The answer: stop thinking about winning. Learn why successful practices build platforms that orchestrate relationships rather than pipelines that chase transactions, and discover three strategic shifts to transform your approach to business development.
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Anyone who’s read my articles for any length of time will be aware of my contempt for pushy cross-selling. But that doesn’t mean you shouldn’t be servicing your clients by joining with your firm’s other sections, areas or practice groups; far from it.
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You invested nights and weekends in a pitch, only to learn someone else won—with zero explanation why. Here's the 7-step framework for turning pitch losses into strategic intelligence: from demanding debrief commitments upfront to conducting cost-benefit analysis on whether to pursue similar work again.
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Being ignored by someone who asked you to contact them is one of the most frustrating and, frankly, humiliating things we can face as professionals. So if you’re being ‘ghosted’, here’s what to do…
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For a long time the cross-sell between practices was seen as the obvious path for growth in professional services firms. Well, I disagree - at least in part. Here’s 5 reasons why.
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On this episode of The Boutique Lawyer Show, host Jerome Doraisamy and Sue-Ella discuss some of the potential pitfalls of cross-selling by law firms.
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Research undertaken by my professional services business development consultancy confirmed that there was a degree of ‘empty brand awareness’ in our highly competitive legal marketplace. But, to hand it to the Australian firms, here’s how they responded to this perceived lack of difference.
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The rainmaker - that charismatic senior partner who wines, dines, and charms clients - belongs in the 1980s. Today's buyers are better informed, more diverse, and turned off by traditional sales tactics. Here are the six new rules for winning work in professional services: from ditching elevator pitches to embracing delayed gratification.
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In a market where buyers have the power, it can be hard to know how to price professional services competitively without compromising profitability. But, by following these 6 rules, you’ll be a lot closer to being on the money.
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We’re often told that success depends on pushing boundaries and doing things we’re not comfortable doing. But, for business development, I think success depends on being very much inside our comfort zones, not outside them.
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How often are we told that the billable hour has had its day? That it’s archaic, that it’s inefficient, that it makes our clients angry and holds our practices back?
Read MoreHow do you get professionals to contribute to your firm’s business development from the very moment they start? It’s one of the hottest issues in professional services marketing and BD right now, and it’s something I spoke about recently at an APSMA session in Auckland.
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So you pooled your firm’s resources, pulled a few all nighters and presented a winning pitch. But what happens next?
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