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

Sales doesn’t fail because of bad stages—it fails because of missing behaviors.

In this episode, John Tyreman and Mark Wainwright break down the eight elements of sales choreography that help professional services sellers build trust, maintain momentum, and guide opportunities forward without being pushy.

From curiosity and synchronous conversations to mirroring, permission, and guiding the process, this episode focuses on the actions you can control—regardless of where a buyer is in their journey.

If you’re tired of stalled deals and vague “maybes,” this conversation will change how you think about sales execution.

Past episodes referenced:

• Create, Choreograph, Contract: A Business Development Framework
• Part 2. Choreograph Your Sales Activities
• Building Trust At Scale (Without 1,000 Coffee Chats)

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