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Most professional services firms are built on a foundation of technical expertise and relationships. But what happens when referrals stop coming in? You need to do 'business development' — a nebulous term that often conflates sales, marketing, operations, HR, and the kitchen sink. On the Breaking BizDev podcast, John Tyreman and Mark Wainwright break down, beat up, and redefine 'business development' for the modern professional services firm. This co-hosted commentary-style show shares stori ...
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This is my podcast about business development, entrepreneurship, side hustling and whatever else you want to call it. You will be hearing from me and many young CEOs and entrepreneurs about their businesses and life.
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Emotion drives purchase decisions more in B2B than B2C. Let that sink in. Yes, even when selecting professional service providers, emotion plays a major factor in decision-making. The relationships we forge and the stories we tell influence opportunities, contracts, and the clients we work with. In this episode, John and Mark delve into proven stor…
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Unlock the full potential of your firm's ability to *create* new business by mastering both inbound and outbound revenue generation activities. In this episode, John and Mark explore the synergy between inbound and outbound business development activities and how they can work together to produce exceptional outcomes. They discuss the importance of…
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Coffee isn’t just for closers. Buyers can smell your commission breath. Good salespeople don’t have all the answers. In this episode, John and Mark bring on voices from other sales and marketing experts in the professional services realm. Featuring clips from Blair Enns, David C. Baker, Jason Mlicki and Jeff McKay, this episode explores the importa…
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Believe it or not, lead generation can actually work. Even for accounting, AEC, or consulting firms. In this episode, John and Mark break down the importance of lead generation, exploring why firms need to take it seriously beyond just waiting for RFPs. They highlight various lead sources, compare inbound and outbound strategies, and discuss effect…
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Get a behind-the-scenes look at Breaking BizDev. In this episode, John and Mark pull back the curtain on the production process, the technology they utilize, and how they're building listener engagement. From their first episode to their vision for the future, you'll hear what has worked, what hasn't, and their plans moving forward. 0:00 Intro 1:50…
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Leadership transition is a major brand milestone and a cultural crossroads. So what role does sales and marketing play? In this episode, John and Mark explore how sales and marketing both support succession planning and leadership transition. In this conversation, you'll learn: Why it's important to expose young team members to sales and marketing …
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The role you play in developing new business changes as you grow throughout your career. Whether you're a junior practitioner, mid-career professional, or seasoned industry veteran, this episode is for you. John and Mark explore how firm employees—regardless of tenure—can (and should) contribute to developing new business. In this conversation, we …
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Mitigate risk and navigate the contracting phase effortlessly In Part 3 of this deep dive into the "Create, Choreograph, Contract" framework, John and Mark break down what happens between a verbal agreement and a signed contract. They look at the emotional and practical aspects of risk in decision-making processes, how both clients and consultants …
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Make your sales process look effortless and feel frictionless. In Part 2 of their deep dive into the "Create, Choreograph, Contract" framework, Mark and John explore the importance of deliberate and structured interactions with buyers, like how mirroring and reflecting can establish trust, and how seeking permission at each step ensures both partie…
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Yes, it is possible to get off the RFP hamster wheel. In Part 1 of their deep dive into the "Create, Choreograph, Contract" framework, John and Mark uncover the secrets behind creating the firm you want by breaking down different market segments, leveraging your network, and the power of proactive opportunity creation. In this conversation, you'll …
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Is your BD process disorganized? Disjointed? Nonexistent? Consider using this 3-part framework to get your sales back on track. In this episode, Mark introduces his three-part business development framework, "Create, Choreograph, Contract", aimed to help doer-sellers and dedicated business developers create a cyclical process for winning new busine…
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If you're an engineer, architect, advisor, or consultant, chances are at some point in your career you'll need to learn how to develop new business. On this episode, Mark explains how experts and firms can create a "sales competency matrix" that helps firms identify and then build competence in specific areas. He does this by mapping 6 sales compet…
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Understand your buyers. Win more business. That's what an Ideal Client Profile (ICP) helps you do. In today's episode, John and Mark explore why understanding your ideal client profile is essential for aligning your sales and marketing efforts, and offer examples of how to apply your ideal client profile (ICP) in business development activities. On…
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Why do we always cheer for the underdog? Think about your favorite underdog story. Chances are, you want to see David beat out Goliath. Well, the same thing that gets you to root for Rudy or the Bad News Bears is the same thing that's killing your firm... In this episode, John and Mark break down "the underdog effect" and how it can cause you to ch…
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Your revenue projections are your firm's crystal ball. If your backlog, pipeline, and projections are organized, it can position your firm in a way to do healthy, proactive marketing to win highly profitable work. In this episode, John and Mark break it all down: How marketing can make both a short- and long-term pipeline impact How marketing's goa…
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Midway through your fiscal year, any business is faced with one of three revenue pacing scenarios: You’re exceeding expectations You’re exactly where you thought you’d be You’re not meeting original revenue targets On this episode, Mark breaks down different ways to set revenue goals (revenue per employee, calculating potential revenue, and using a…
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CRM platforms like Salesforce and HubSpot were designed to sell SaaS products. Not professional services. And yet you find yourself face-to-face with a tech salesperson who presents a glimmer of hope: with a new CRM system, you'll grow revenue, your team will be rowing in the same direction, and you'll close deals faster. The reality? You're left w…
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Your decisions are influenced by natural psychological forces. Whether that's deciding on which coffee size to select, or which firm to work with... cognitive bias is at play. On this episode of Breaking BizDev, John and Mark share 7 cognitive biases that shape new business development, and share how you can use them to help buyers make better, mor…
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We're not the only ones who think BizDev needs a smack-down. For several months now John and Mark have beaten up and broken down various business development topics like prospecting, content marketing, pricing, events, proposals, referrals, and even job descriptions. A while back, we had this idea to go out and ask some friendly contacts what *they…
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How should experts and busy doer-sellers approach prospecting? On this episode, John and Mark share three specific examples of multi-channel prospecting sequences that your firm can put into practice right away using LinkedIn, email, and the phone: A two-week cohort-based prospecting sequence A 120-day, podcast-led prospecting sequence A post-confe…
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Whether you believe it or not, lead generation is possible for your firm. On this episode of Breaking BizDev, John and Mark break down 7 content marketing frameworks that can be used to generate leads in professional services: The Email Newsletter The Podcast Flywheel Original Research Influencer Co-Creation Content Darwinism Demand Capture Funnel …
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Do you really need to hire a full-time role for sales, marketing, HR, finance, or other internal business functions? In this episode, John and Mark break down the benefits of working with fractional consultants in professional services. They discuss the different scenarios in which it makes sense to work with a fractional consultant, and examples o…
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In this episode, John & Mark explore the variety of roles and skills needed for professional services firms to develop new business today. Having strengths across both marketing and sales is essential for driving business growth. This conversation covers: Key marketing roles like digital marketing specialist, web developer, graphic designer, and ma…
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John and Mark provide an in-depth look at effective prospecting targets, tools, and techniques for doer-sellers in professional services firms—a critical part of the lead generation toolkit. Here are the key points covered in this conversation: Prospecting involves proactive outreach to uncover new opportunities and lies on the sales side of market…
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On this episode, John and Mark share 10 ways to suck at conferences and events for professional services firms: Just show up Write a big check for a sponsorship and then send a couple people to “network” Don’t set goals Never try to speak or present at a conference Do zero pre-event outreach or post-event follow-up Never, ever research the event au…
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Pricing is a major lever for revenue and growth, but most business development professionals are not involved in setting price. In most firms, there are a three main approaches to pricing services: Cost-plus Market-based Value-based In this episode, John and Mark beat up pricing and offer a new perspective to help you guide buyers to making the rig…
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Delve into the importance of *showing* that you understand your buyer in the sales process. Craft a standalone "Statement of Understanding" as a foundation upon which to develop a solution. In this episode, John and Mark break down the importance of understanding. Listen to hear perspective on: The importance of true understanding The power of list…
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On this episode, John and Mark beat up a few metrics like "leads" and "win rate" and share 5 marketing and 5 sales numbers professional services firms should be paying attention to if they want to grow their firm. Top 5 Marketing Metrics: Qualified Opportunities by Source Client Lifetime Value Client Acquisition Cost Revenue by Source Return on Mar…
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In professional services, people are your biggest asset. Especially when it comes to developing new business. Unfortunately, many firms set people up to fail before they're even hired, which could translate to stagnant growth as a result. It all starts with the job description. In this episode, we beat up disastrous job descriptions for the followi…
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The client success story can go by many names; case story, case study, use-case, past performance, the list goes on... But how should it be structured? When can it be used? How can it be used for marketing? For sales? In this episode, John and Mark break down the client success story in professional services—what it is, how it’s used, and mistakes …
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LinkedIn is the primary social media platform for most professional services firms. But oftentimes, it's not used as effectively as it could be to build visibility, generate leads, and move prospects along a buying journey. In this episode, John and Mark break down how to use LinkedIn for business development (marketing + sales). You'll be sure to …
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Referrals are a powerful tool to use in lead generation toolshed. Referral leads tend to move faster in your pipeline, they're more likely to close, and they end up becoming fantastic clients. But referral generation is used unevenly across professional services firms. On this episode, John and Mark outline a process on generating new referrals: Cr…
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On this episode, John and Mark call out every single person who, in the name of “BD”, has sent a useless “I’m just checking in” email that produced zero results. We'll break down: Why "checking in" is bullsh*t The hamster wheel of ghosting (and why it happens) The role of the magic email After listening to this episode, you'll have a new tool in yo…
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"Strategic planning" is an oxymoron. Strategy and planning are two different things. In this episode, Mark and John beat this topic up, differentiate between strategy/planning, and offer a revenue-centric lens with which to help with both your strategy and planning efforts. There are three lenses to look at revenue in order to help define your firm…
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We all know there are good and bad salespeople. We get inundated with the flood of "pitch slaps" on LinkedIn, cold email clogging up our inbox, and sales reps who can't quite seem to understand your challenges. Which begs the question, do "good salespeople" even exist? On this episode, John interviews Mark about his perspective on bad and good sell…
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In this episode, Mark interviews John about what poor marketing looks like in professional services firms, including: Lack of plan or lack of patience Poor customer experience Messaging is too company-centric Brand is based on assumptions Lack of a content strategy Listen to hear what not to do, and how firms can turn these blind spots into areas o…
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Professional services firms lump marketing and sales together into one bucket. It gets confusing. Sometimes, it’s a total mess. They call it “business development.” In this episode, John Tyreman and Mark Wainwright introduce the Breaking BizDev podcast and explain how they're going to break down, beat up, and redefine "business development" for the…
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My intro for my new podcast on business development and entrepreneurship.Mike Wilt
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