In this episode of The Rainmaking Podcast, host Scott Love speaks with Jacob Parks, business strategist and author of Never Say Sell, about the anatomy of a rainmaking organization and how firms can build a culture of business development excellence. Jacob explains that while many professional service firms rely on a few standout rainmakers, the most successful organizations embed business development into their structure, incentives, and culture. He emphasizes that firms should shift from focusing on individual sales stars to creating a scalable system where every partner and leader contributes to growth.

Key topics include the biggest institutional barriers to rainmaking success, such as misaligned incentives, lack of cross-selling between partners, and underutilized technology tools like CRM systems. Jacob shares strategies for breaking down silos within firms, improving collaboration between practice areas, and leveraging AI and automation to streamline business development. He also discusses the importance of training new partners in sales and networking skills, how to use rainmaker panels to transfer knowledge, and why measuring and incentivizing business development contributions can drive firm-wide success. This episode provides practical insights for firm leaders looking to improve collaboration, increase revenue, and create a sustainable rainmaking culture.

Visit: https://therainmakingpodcast.com/

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President of Strategy for PIE, Jacob Parks is the author of Never Say Sell, a guide to how professional firms expand their business with key clients. His expertise includes partner remuneration and incentive plans, account planning, trigger of engagement, and how to expand a brand to include new service offerings, new industries, or new geographies. He has led client teams for McKinsey, Accenture, and KPMG among others. He leads The PIE Professional Services CMO and CGO network and is a graduate of Gonzaga’s MBA program, having previously taught undergraduate business students.

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This show is sponsored by Leopard Solutions Legal Intelligence Suite of products, Firmscape, and Leopard BI. Push ahead of the pack with the power of Leopard. For a free demo, visit this link:

https://www.leopardsolutions.com/index.php/request-a-demo/

Links:

https://www.linkedin.com/in/jacob-parks/

https://www.profitableideas.com/about/meet-our-team/jacob-parks/

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