Guest article: Joanna Gaudoin, ClientWise
In many law firms, business development isn’t coordinated. A handful of individuals may be naturally strong at building relationships and generating work, but they often operate on their own rather than as part of a wider, intentional approach.
This means the firm isn’t leveraging the strengths, networks and time of the whole department. The result is uneven business development activity and inconsistent outcomes.
For those who want to contribute but aren’t sure how, BD time often gets used reactively — making a few follow-up calls or attending a networking event without a clear purpose or target.
A departmental business development plan creates alignment, clarity and confidence — and helps ensure everyone knows what to do and where their effort matters most.
What makes an effective business development plan?
To build a workable plan, the team needs clarity in three areas.
1. Prioritised services
Before deciding on activities, identify the specific services the department wants to grow.
This should reflect:
— Where the firm has strengths or specialist expertise
— What the market values
— The work the team wants to do more of
2. Defined target clients and introducers
Each priority service needs a clear client profile. This isn’t just about who could buy the service — it’s about who is most likely to value it and pay for it profitably.
3. Practical, doable activities
A mix of activities should focus on:
— Existing clients (the greatest opportunity)
— Introducers and referrers
— New client opportunities
Activities should be broken into small, manageable steps — the kind of tasks someone can do in 20–30 minutes — with clear ownership.
And critically, people need the skills and confidence to carry out these activities effectively.
If it’s so straightforward, why don’t firms do it?
— Business development isn’t taught in legal training. Many people assume it’s something senior fee-earners “just know” how to do.
— Chargeable time pressure makes it hard to step back and plan. Without a plan, BD becomes reactive and inconsistent.
— The belief that ‘we can serve anyone’. Technically true — but ineffective for proactive business development. You need to know who you want to reach in order to meet them where they are.
— The assumption that clients will ask when they need help. In reality, clients don’t always recognise their need until there is a problem. Relationships and visibility matter.
Why a departmental BD plan makes a difference
A shared plan:
— Creates clarity about where to focus time and energy
— Enables individuals to contribute in ways that suit their strengths
— Builds accountability in a positive, practical way
— Reduces internal friction and duplication
— Allows junior colleagues to participate meaningfully
— Increases leverage — more impact for the same effort
It turns business development from something ‘some people do’ into something the team does together.
Where to start
If you have already considered your departmental BD strategy and involvement, the next steps are:
1. Identify activities that have worked well before — even if only for one person.
2. Brainstorm ways to deepen engagement with existing clients, introducers and prospects.
3. Prioritise the activity list — too much at once = nothing gets done.
4. Break each activity into small, workable steps.
5. Assign responsibility to individuals or pairs.
6. Agree how progress will be reviewed — both inputs (what’s done) and outputs (what results).
This upfront thinking ensures BD time is used well — and that progress can be tracked and improved, not left to chance.
Next steps
Articles on the next stages of establishing a business development culture will follow.
If you know you want more people contributing to BD, BD to become part of business as usual, and stronger, more predictable results, then get in touch to discuss your situation.
A small shift in clarity and structure makes a significant difference.
Joanna Gaudoin helps professional services firms and their people take a structured, skilled approach to business development. While client development is a core part of many professionals’ roles, it’s often approached with uncertainty or discomfort. Joanna enables individuals and firms to build clarity, confidence, and capability in how they develop and retain valuable client relationships. Through her company, ClientWise, she works with firms to reduce over-reliance on a few people bringing in work and create a more consistent and embedded approach to growth
