Balancing act: how to juggle business development with service delivery

For independent consultants, it can feel like walking a tightrope: balancing the need to deliver excellent service to current clients while working to secure future projects. Unlike consultants in large firms that might have dedicated sales and delivery teams, independents must play both roles – often at the same time.

Two experienced independents, Catherine Myszka CMgr FCMI ChMC and Greg Cray ChMC, offer their hard-earned insights into how to keep your pipeline flowing without compromising current contracts.

Reputation matters

“When your reputation, and therefore your ability to land new business, is the sum of your successful deliveries, it’s very tempting to forget about the long tail of business development and focus on the more transactional value exchange of project delivery for invoice payment,” cautions Catherine.

The very thing that wins future work – your reputation for quality – also consumes the time and energy you need to secure new engagements, agrees Greg, who admits there have been times when his focus on delivery has threatened the inflow of new business. He accepts it’s a risk, but is pragmatic about the trade-off. 

• More insights for consultants: accountability, purpose, client confidence and ethics

“Pursuing business with new clients invariably requires your complete focus and whole-hearted commitment to be successful in winning the work,” he says. “So, I won’t pursue things unless I can bring the best version of me to what is being asked.”

Play the long game

Catherine advises consultants to think in terms of value horizons: in the short term, project delivery for existing clients; in the medium term, relationship maintenance with current clients or new contacts within existing clients. “And for long-term horizons, focus on development of new client relationships, new capabilities, new service offerings and so on,” she suggests.

In practical terms, that means carving out time for non-billable activities, even during busy periods. 

“It’s important to set aside time for business development activities,” she says. “Unless you’re very niche and in high demand, with clients knocking on your door, you’re going to need to spend time actively cultivating relationships and demonstrating where you can help solve somebody’s problem for them.”

Catherine advises treating business development with the same rigour as you would project delivery. “Plan time for it, keep it fresh and agile, and do it with due skill and care. You’re investing this time in the future of your business.”

There’s such a deluge of preachy AI-generated content that clients can spot it a mile off

Develop good habits

Greg says one of his strategies is to build a contingency fund that allows him not to have to chase work. That way, he can choose projects that align with his values and bandwidth. “Over-eagerness to secure new work is never a good look,” he warns, “nor is responding poorly to opportunities due to being time challenged.”