“I didn’t go to school to be a salesperson.”
I recently spoke with a high-level executive who told me his firm didn’t have a sales team. However, as we dug deeper into their operations, a reality surfaced: Every partner was expected to generate revenue and bring in new clients, but none of them considered themselves a "salesperson." It was just an expected part of their job.
In professional services—specifically across Law, Accounting, and Finance—this is a systemic issue. Firms promote their most brilliant subject matter experts to Partner and then issue a vague, hopeful directive: “Go to networking events, meet people, and the business will follow.”
The Myth of "Organic" Business Development
Is "meeting people" really a strategy? In a competitive 2026 market, hope is not a business plan. Think about it through the lens of elite performance:
- The Playbook: Would you ever send a professional athlete onto the field without a playbook?
- The Training: Would you expect a team to win a championship without the hundreds of hours of practice and training required to perform at their peak during competition?
Yet, every day, prestigious firms ask JDs, CPAs, and CFPs to "originate business" without providing the fundamental tools to navigate high-stakes conversations. We expect them to lead complex negotiations and close multi-million dollar engagements with "poise and confidence" they were never taught in graduate school.
Subject Matter Expertise vs. Sales Proficiency
There is a vital distinction between being an expert and being a rainmaker. Subject matter expertise is what gets you in the room; it is the price of entry. However, sales proficiency is what closes the deal.
When your experts treat sales like a "necessary evil" or a "dirty word," your firm suffers. They may avoid follow-ups, fail to ask for the business, or struggle to articulate value beyond their hourly rate. If your practitioners aren't viewing business development as a mastered craft, you aren't just leaving money on the table—you’re sending your best players onto the field without a uniform or a plan.
Turning Practitioners into a Growth Engine
To thrive in today’s professional landscape, firms must bridge the gap between technical skill and commercial execution. This requires a cultural shift where "selling" is redefined as "solving."
When an expert learns to navigate a discovery call with the same precision they use to audit a balance sheet or draft a legal brief, they become unstoppable. They stop "pitching" and start identifying high-value problems that only they can solve.
By equipping your team with a structured sales methodology, you remove the anxiety of "selling" and replace it with the confidence of a professional who knows exactly how to move a prospect from a handshake to a signed engagement.
Are you adequately equipping your experts for maximum performance, or are you leaving your firm's growth to chance? It is time to turn your practitioners into your most powerful growth engine.
Build a High-Performance Culture
Ready to transform your subject matter experts into elite rainmakers? Contact us today to learn how we can help your firm master the art of the high-stakes conversation and drive sustainable growth.