If 93% of Firms Struggle with Pipelines, What’s Your Next Move?
, , , , ,

If Most Firms Are Struggling with Their Pipelines, What’s Your Next Move?

Only 7% of professional services leaders report that their sales pipelines are strong and growing.

That data comes from our business development study, (2025 RSW/US Survey Report – Rolling Into 2026) and it’s a surprising snapshot.

Now the better news:

50% of firms feel like while their pipelines are weak, they are improving.

I understand that optimism does not automatically equal results. But a positive outlook is not just helpful. It is necessary.

This is not about telling everyone to sing Kumbaya together. It is about recognizing that believing growth is possible changes how you show up and how you operate.

And in this case, you need to believe you are going to win more new business before the year is out.

If 93% of Firms Struggle with Pipelines, What’s Your Next Move

Business Development Patterns

We saw similar patterns during the 2008 recession and again during the pandemic.

  • A major event occurs
  • Prospects pull back because of fear and uncertainty
  • Eventually, those same prospects have to turn activity back on to support their business
  • Things stabilize until the next major event shows up

The purpose of this report is for you to take each category and review it with your team.

Every area matters. Getting input from your team on what they’re seeing, and then building practical game plans, is a worthwhile and necessary exercise.

One thing is clear. Sales cycles and budgets are starting to move back toward more familiar territory.

Business development is still a process, and you cannot afford to ignore that. That is exactly why you have to keep the engine running.

With that in mind, the rest of this post focuses on the prospects and target companies you are going after.

Prospect List Building

Building prospect lists is one of the most time-consuming parts of business development.

Over the last several years, platforms and AI tools have made this work more efficient. But for many small and mid-sized professional services firms, those platforms come with two challenges.

They are expensive.

And you still need a human being to manage and guide the process.

This is a big part of what we do for our clients, and it gives us the ability to test different tools and approaches to build more targeted lists.

But if you’re not working with us, and the budget doesn’t allow for an ongoing platform investment, here are two practical options that fall into the low-hanging fruit category.

They typically get you in the door faster, and we know they work because we use both with every client program.

First-Degree LinkedIn Contacts

Some firms come to us having done a solid job using their LinkedIn connections. But in our experience, roughly 75% have not really tapped into this at all, even though it can be a very productive place to start.

If you have not already, downloading your connections and reaching out through LinkedIn can be an effective and relatively easy way to reopen doors with contacts who are warm, or at least warmer than a cold prospect.

The messaging should be more personal and more direct, but this is a list you should absolutely be using if you have been ignoring it.

You can find these instructions online, but here they are in one place for convenience.

How to download your first-degree LinkedIn contacts (CSV)

  1. Open LinkedIn on desktop and sign in.
    Go to linkedin.com and log into the account whose connections you want to export.

  2. Go to Settings & Privacy.
    Click your profile photo in the top right, then select Settings & Privacy.

  3. Open the Data Privacy area.
    In the left sidebar, click Data privacy. Under How LinkedIn uses your data, choose Get a copy of your data.

  4. Choose Connections.
    In the Export your data section, select Want something in particular? and check Connections. You can also request the full archive if you want everything.

  5. Request the file.
    Click Request archive. You may be asked to re-enter your password.

  6. Wait for the download email or refresh the page.
    LinkedIn will prepare your export and email you a link when it is ready. For connections only, this often takes just a few minutes, but it can take up to 24 hours.

  7. Download and open the CSV.
    You will receive either a ZIP file or a CSV named Connections.csv. Open it in Excel or Google Sheets.

Typically, this file will include First Name, Last Name, Email Address if available, Company, Position, LinkedIn Profile URL, and the date you connected.

If you plan to use direct mail or other channels, you will likely need access to an additional data platform.

But the real advantage here is simple. You can message these contacts directly on LinkedIn and start conversations with people who already know who you are.

Past Clients

Just like with LinkedIn contacts, some firms do a good job staying in touch with past clients. But in our experience, 40 to 50% do not.

The good news is that this group gives you several different ways to prospect.

1. Your main point of contact is still there, but you stopped working with the company

This is usually the toughest situation.

If things ended poorly, and your main contact is still in place, this is probably not the right place to start.

Timing matters here, and there is no universal rule for how long you should wait. In many cases, it makes sense to set an internal reminder a few months out and revisit it later, assuming you parted on good terms.

2. Your main point of contact moved to another company

This is the ideal scenario, especially if you had a strong relationship with that person.

Many firms win new work this way. And yet, just as many fail to keep track of where those contacts go.

If you have not been doing this, build that list now. These are some of the warmest opportunities you will find.

3. Your main point of contact is gone, but you still have the company history

This is less warm, but it is still valuable.

You did work for that organization. There is often someone still there who remembers it. And even if not, you should identify who is in that role now and build your outreach around the work you did and the results you delivered.

That history gives you credibility you do not have with a completely cold prospect.

/by
Hiring a Rainmaker? Bring an Umbrella.
, , , , ,

Why New Business Hires Don’t Last and What to Do About It

We hear this from professional services leaders all the time: “We thought we found the right person, but a year later, we were right back where we started.”

According to our survey reports:

nearly 60% of internal new business hires don’t make it past two years.

And a bit more concerning?

35% don’t even last a full year.

One firm leader told us that finding the right new business person felt like “getting lucky once in a while.”

But it’s not just luck. There are clear patterns behind why so many of these hires fail, and even clearer ways to avoid repeating the same mistakes.

Why Most Internal New Business Hires Fall Short

There’s rarely a single reason a new business hire does not work out, but several warning signs showed up again and again in our research:

  • Many candidates have experience selling products or services, and each require different skills.

  • Firms often set unrealistic expectations without providing real support or structure.

  • Some hires are expected to build lists, develop messaging, and run outreach entirely on their own.

  • Outreach is inconsistent or poorly targeted, which leads to missed opportunities and frustration.

  • And in some cases, the role is simply set up to fail from the start.

One respondent put it bluntly: “We basically set it and forgot it.”

Hiring a Rainmaker? Bring an Umbrella.

If You’re Hiring for New Business, Be Ruthlessly Specific

This is not a role you can afford to fill halfway.

If you plan to bring someone in-house to drive new business, here are four critical things to look for.

1) Services and Product Experience Are Separate Skills

To be fair, there are those that can of course do both, but selling services is very different from selling a product.

Neither are easy, but with a services sell, you’re not offering something someone can test or try first. You’re selling ideas, outcomes, and trust.

Candidates without real experience in services often underestimate how consultative and nuanced the process needs to be.

2) Job Hopping Can Raise Questions

It is true that business development and sales professionals tend to move around more than most roles, especially today.

Still, a consistent pattern of short tenures should be looked at carefully.

Building a healthy pipeline takes time.

If someone hasn’t shown staying power, you risk hitting reset before they ever have a chance to make a real impact.

3) They Should Know How to Write Compelling Outreach

Ask them to write a short email to a hypothetical prospect without using AI, to start.

Can they make it specific, relevant, and persuasive?

Outreach is the front line of your new business effort.

If they can’t clearly communicate your value in writing, they may not be ready to represent your firm.

Even at this early stage, they should be able to articulate what makes you different and why it matters.

4) They Should Ask Smart Questions and Plenty of Them

Strong new business professionals are naturally curious.

They should want to understand your positioning, your challenges, and your goals.

If a candidate shows up without thoughtful questions, or doesn’t dig deeper as the conversation unfolds, that can be a sign of weak preparation or low engagement.

Hiring the Right Person Is Only the First Step

Even the best hire will struggle without structure, support, and active leadership involvement.

Do not set it and forget it.

Build regular check-ins into your process.

Start weekly, then move to biweekly or monthly as things take shape.

Stay accessible and make it clear you’re available for collaboration and guidance, not just for reviewing numbers at the end of the quarter.

Ultimately, treat it like a partnership.

When leadership stays involved, new business efforts tend to be more focused, more consistent, and more successful.

Final Thought

If hiring an internal new business leader is the path you’re choosing, be intentional at every step.

From vetting and interviewing to onboarding and ongoing support, success depends on much more than finding a strong resume.

New business is hard, but it doesn’t have to be a coin toss.

/by
, , , , ,

Why Relying on Referrals Is Risky and What to Do Instead

Virtually every professional services firm we speak with tells us the same story. Their business was built on a strong foundation of referrals.

In our most recent professional service new business survey, we found that 73% of firms rely on referrals for new business.

Most of the firms that come to us looking to learn more about our outsourced new business programs do so because they are experiencing slow-downs in what historically was their #1 source for growth.

Why Referrals Are Becoming Less Reliable

Increased competition and digital noise
Prospects now have access to more providers than ever.

They are being called, emailed, and targeted online constantly. They are less dependent on personal recommendations and more likely to do their own research before engaging anyone.

Changes in buyer behavior
Buyers of professional services, especially in B2B, are increasingly influenced by direct outreach, digital channels, reviews, and thought leadership, not just word of mouth.

Generational shifts
Younger decision makers tend to put less weight on referrals and more weight on independent validation. That means your website, case studies, proof points, and social credibility matter more than ever. Having these ready when you reach out to a prospect is critical to building trust with a newer generation of buyers.

Niche specialization
As more firms specialize, broad referrals become less useful. A contact may think of you for one type of work but not realize you also solve a different, more specific problem.

Making current and past clients aware of the full range of what you do can help generate referrals that are actually a better fit.

Longer sales cycles
Referrals can still open doors, but decision timelines are getting longer.

That makes it feel like referrals are not producing results, even when conversations are happening.

Risk aversion and procurement controls
Larger organizations are increasingly using formal procurement processes, which weakens the impact of informal referrals.

If you can avoid procurement, you should. But more often than not, it is becoming part of the reality of selling into bigger organizations.

So what should you do?

Three Priorities for Growth in a Post-Referral World

1. Invest more in thought leadership, content, and SEO
Keeping your firm visible and positioning your team as experts helps separate you from competitors.

While this work can drive inbound interest, it is rarely automatic. Using your content to support outbound efforts is one of the most effective ways to put your message and value in front of the right prospects.

2. Build stronger client success programs to retain and expand existing relationships
Growing from within is just as important as winning net new clients.

Your current clients already trust you. The question is whether you are being intentional about uncovering new opportunities inside those relationships and making it easy for them to see the full value you can provide.

3. Create strategic partnerships and alliances instead of relying only on client referrals
Partnerships can take many forms. That might be working with a firm like ours to support your new business efforts.

Or it might be building relationships with associations or industry groups that create opportunities for speaking, content, and connection.

The right partnerships make growth more predictable and less dependent on chance.

What Do the Next Three to Five Years Look Like?

The referral-only model isn’t going to get easier.

Companies are operating leaner and consolidation is happening faster.

Technology is changing how buyers research and evaluate providers and the traditional referral is starting to feel a lot like the old Rolodex.

That doesn’t mean referrals stop mattering, but it does mean you can’t rely on them alone.

You need to be proactive in how you manage relationships with the companies you want to work with.

Don’t wait for them to make the first move.

Take control of the conversation and help prospects understand the value you bring.

Just make sure you do it in a way that is relevant, thoughtful, and genuinely helpful.

Need Help?

If you are looking for perspective or support with your new business efforts, we’re always happy to talk and help you think through next steps.

/by