Business development (BD) is no longer a task for a select few partners. In today’s legal market, where competition for clients is fierce, firms need to cultivate a BD-savvy culture throughout the organization. Building a BD-savvy office means equipping your lawyers with the skills, knowledge, and strategies they need to contribute to client retention, new business acquisition, and overall firm growth.
At autem, we believe that a structured approach to business development training and strategic BD meetings can transform how a law firm operates. By aligning your BD efforts with the firm’s broader goals, you can create an environment where everyone plays an active role in driving growth. Here’s how to build a BD-savvy office that furthers your firm’s objectives.
The Importance of a BD-Savvy Office
Law firms are increasingly recognizing that business development is not the sole responsibility of a dedicated BD team or a few key partners. Every lawyer has a role to play in driving the firm’s growth by contributing to client relationships, identifying business opportunities, and participating in marketing efforts.
Building a BD-savvy office means creating a culture where business development is part of the firm’s DNA. It requires a commitment to regular training, meetings, and strategic planning to ensure that your lawyers are equipped with the tools and knowledge they need to succeed.
Step 1: Structured BD Training for Lawyers
One of the most effective ways to build a BD-savvy office is through structured BD training. Many lawyers are not naturally inclined toward business development, but with the right guidance, they can learn how to integrate BD activities into their daily practice in a way that feels natural and aligned with their strengths.
Training should focus on:
- Client Relationship Management: Teaching lawyers how to deepen relationships with existing clients, identify cross-selling opportunities, and ensure that clients feel valued by the firm.
- Networking and Prospecting: Helping lawyers develop the confidence and skills needed to build relationships with potential clients, both in formal networking settings and during casual interactions.
- Communicating the Firm’s Value Proposition: Equipping lawyers to communicate the unique value that your firm offers, whether through one-on-one conversations with clients or in larger industry settings.
At autem, we design bespoke training programs that cater to the specific needs of each firm, ensuring that every lawyer receives the guidance they need to become more effective at BD. This tailored approach ensures that your firm is not only developing BD skills but also aligning those skills with your broader firm goals.
Step 2: Regular BD Meetings to Keep Momentum
BD meetings are essential to creating accountability and maintaining momentum across the firm’s business development efforts. Too often, business development is treated as a secondary task that is set aside when other demands arise. To build a BD-savvy office, firms need to integrate BD into regular firm meetings and strategy discussions.
What should BD meetings focus on?
- Tracking Progress
BD meetings should be used to track the progress of ongoing BD activities. This includes reviewing recent client interactions, potential new business opportunities, and the success of current initiatives. By setting regular BD goals and reviewing progress at each meeting, the firm can ensure that efforts remain focused and on track.
- Encouraging Collaboration
Business development should not happen in silos. BD meetings provide an opportunity for lawyers to share insights, discuss opportunities, and collaborate on initiatives that cross practice areas. Encouraging open discussions about BD can lead to new ideas and opportunities that individual lawyers might not have identified on their own.
- Aligning BD Efforts with Firm Strategy
Every business development initiative should be aligned with the firm’s broader growth strategy. Regular BD meetings ensure that lawyers are focusing on the right types of clients, industries, and opportunities. This alignment helps the firm achieve its long-term goals by ensuring that BD efforts are purposeful and coordinated.
At autem, we work with firms to develop a structure for BD meetings that fosters accountability, collaboration, and strategic alignment. Our goal is to ensure that every BD initiative is advancing the firm’s objectives, rather than just generating activity.
Step 3: Creating a Feedback Loop for Continuous Improvement
One of the most important aspects of building a BD-savvy office is creating a culture of continuous improvement. Business development is not static—lawyers and BD professionals need to regularly reflect on what’s working, what isn’t, and how they can improve.
- Post-Meeting Feedback: After each BD meeting or client engagement, encourage lawyers to reflect on the outcome. What went well? What could have been done better? These reflections should be shared openly during BD meetings to ensure that everyone learns from both successes and challenges.
- Client Feedback: Soliciting client feedback is another critical component. Understanding how clients perceive the firm and what they value most can inform future BD efforts and ensure that your firm continues to meet client needs effectively.
By incorporating feedback loops into your BD strategy, your firm can ensure that it is continually evolving and improving its approach to business development.
Step 4: Encouraging Accountability and Ownership
To create a truly BD-savvy office, it’s important that lawyers feel a sense of accountability for their business development activities. Lawyers who feel ownership over their BD efforts are more likely to actively participate and contribute to the firm’s growth.
- Setting Individual BD Goals: Encourage each lawyer to set individual BD goals that align with the firm’s broader strategy. These goals should be realistic, measurable, and reviewed regularly during BD meetings.
- Rewarding BD Success: Recognizing and rewarding BD successes, whether through public acknowledgment, incentives, or career progression, helps create a culture where BD efforts are valued and celebrated.
How Autem Helps Build a BD-Savvy Office
At autem, we specialise in helping firms create a BD-savvy culture by providing the tools, training, and strategic guidance needed to succeed. Our approach focuses on integrating business development into the firm’s everyday activities, ensuring that every lawyer understands their role in driving growth.
Here’s how we can help:
- Bespoke BD Training
Our tailored training programs equip your lawyers with the skills they need to participate actively in business development, focusing on client relationship management, networking, and communicating the firm’s value. - Strategic BD Meeting Structures
We help firms develop a structure for regular BD meetings that ensures accountability, collaboration, and alignment with the firm’s long-term goals. - Feedback and Continuous Improvement
Autem assists in creating feedback loops that help your firm reflect and refine its BD efforts, ensuring that your business development strategy evolves as market conditions change. - Aligning BD with Firm Strategy
We work with firms to align their BD efforts with broader strategic objectives, ensuring that every BD initiative contributes to the firm’s growth and success.
The Path to a BD-Savvy Office
Creating a BD-savvy office requires a commitment to training, regular communication, and accountability. With the right structure in place, business development can become a natural part of your firm’s culture, driving both client retention and new business acquisition.
If your firm is ready to build a BD-savvy office, contact autem today. We’ll help you develop the tools, strategies, and training needed to make business development a central part of your firm’s success.
