Most business development conversations don’t fail in the meeting—they fail in the follow-up.

In this episode of Breaking BizDev, John Tyreman and Mark Wainwright unpack the DOs and DON’Ts of follow-up and explain why it’s one of the most critical—and most mishandled—parts of business development.

They frame follow-up as a link in the chain that either moves opportunities forward or quietly pulls them backward. Through real examples from sales and marketing, they show how effective follow-up builds clarity, trust, and momentum—and how bad follow-up (or none at all) derails deals.

You’ll learn:

• What good follow-up actually does in sales and business development
• Common follow-up mistakes that break momentum
• Why “just checking in” often does more harm than good
• How follow-up supports choreography from conversation to contract
• The difference between sales follow-up and marketing follow-up

A must-listen for consultants, firm owners, doer-sellers, and anyone responsible for generating and closing professional services work.

Past episodes mentioned:

• The Psychology of Familiarity: Building Trust With Mere Exposure
• Checking In, Ghosting, and the Magic Email

Share your feedback in our listener survey: https://www.surveymonkey.com/r/8V9T6Z7

Most professional services firms depend on doer-sellers—but few take the time to examine how sales responsibility is actually distributed across the organization.

In this episode, John Tyreman and Mark Wainwright introduce The Doer-Seller Bell Curve, a simple framework for firm leadership to understand the breakdown of people “doing the work” and “winning the work.”

They discuss why many firms are skewed toward doers, why mid-career professionals often represent the greatest opportunity (and risk), and why relying too heavily on long-tenured sellers can undermine long-term growth and succession.

You’ll hear insights on:

• Why excellent delivery rarely guarantees future work
• The cultural and structural forces that shape selling behavior
• Common pitfalls of the doer-seller model
• How firms can intentionally shift the curve over time

This episode is for firm leaders who want to build a healthier, more sustainable approach to business development—without forcing everyone to “be in sales.”

Past episodes referenced:

• Mastering BizDev In Your Career: From Junior Practitioner to Managing Partner

Share your feedback in our listener survey: https://www.surveymonkey.com/r/8V9T6Z7

Some of the biggest threats to your firm aren’t competitors or market conditions—they’re internal “black holes” that quietly consume time, focus, and profit.

In this episode of Breaking BizDev, John Tyreman and Mark Wainwright unpack the everyday practices that feel productive but actually limit growth. From utilization tracking and meeting bloat to hourly billing, shiny object syndrome, and social media overuse, these black holes pull firms away from what matters most: client outcomes and real business development.

You’ll hear:

• Why utilization and billable hours distort decision-making
• How internal meetings quietly drain leadership capacity
• Why new tools don’t fix broken processes
• How hourly pricing caps scalability and creates misalignment
• When social media is an asset—and when it becomes a trap

This episode challenges long-held assumptions inside professional services firms and offers a clearer way to refocus on impact, value, and growth.

Share your feedback in our listener survey: https://www.surveymonkey.com/r/8V9T6Z7