Race against the clock
Last week was REALLY busy, and in the blur of contracts, calls, and caffeine, I forgot to post Three Things on LinkedIn. Mildly ironic – the newsletter about keeping sales rhythm got dropped… because I lost mine.
It’s a familiar story. In professional services, we talk a great game about business development. But when deadlines close in and diaries get messy, BD is the first thing to quietly slide off the to-do list.
This week’s edition is for anyone trying to squeeze proactive sales activity into a life that already feels full. Here’s how to keep your rhythm when time is in short supply and your email inbox is auditioning for a horror film. Enjoy.
#1. The 3 x 5 rule
Lawyers think in six-minute units. So let’s speak in your language.
3 x 6-minute units = 18 minutes – and that’s all you need.
Do that five times a week and you’ve just racked up 15 proactive BD moves without breaking stride.
Here’s what you can do in 18 minutes:
- Reconnect with two former contacts via a simple, personal note
- Fire off a “thought you might find this useful” article or deal insight
- Forward an event or invite with a short intro to open the door
- Pull a quote from a recent deal and reuse it for a LinkedIn post or internal credential
You don’t need hours. You need rhythm. Consistent small actions build more pipeline than a quarterly BD sprint ever will.
Pro tip: Pre-prepare a short list of go-to actions, so you’re not spending 10 of your 18 minutes wondering what to do.
#2. Let AI take the first swing
Good BD is about relationships. Concentrate on building them and start using Gen AI to get moving faster on your sales & BD admin. Let it:
- Draft a first version of a follow-up email (you edit, not compose)
- Turn call notes into bullet-point summaries for CRM or credentials
- Repurpose a client update into a social post or a short insight
If you’re not already doing this, now’s a great time to start. You’ll be amazed how much faster everything becomes when the hard part – the starting – is taken care of.
And speaking of speeding things up: the future’s knocking. We’ve just launched Legal Engine, which builds AI agents to support lawyers with all the repetitive stuff – credentials, follow-ups, pitch data, client insights – without needing to beg BD for support. The full whitepaper drops soon, but the short version is this: lawyers can have their own tireless assistant who never takes a day off and doesn’t charge by the hour.
But for now, just start by letting AI handle the first draft. You’ll still do the high-value thinking – you’ll just get to it quicker.
#3. Schedule the Nudge
Sales isn’t about the first message – it’s about what happens after it.
And in the chaos of a normal week, remembering to follow up is often the thing that gets forgotten.
Here’s what helps:
- Set up a recurring 30-minute BD slot each week just for nudges and follow-ups
- Use tools like Followupthen or even basic Outlook calendar prompts to trigger check-ins
- Create a simple two-list system: one for key contacts (relationships to maintain), one for key targets (people you want to win) – and yes, I still have these on post-it notes stuck to the side of my screen
- Use your CRM or LinkedIn to surface past interactions and jog your memory
You don’t need a fancy system. You just need a visible reminder to do the follow-up work. Because most people don’t – and that’s your edge.
Final thought
Time isn’t the real issue. It’s the myth that you need loads of it. You don’t.
You need 18 minutes. Five times a week.
A little AI help to move quicker.
And a system – even if it’s a row of sticky notes – to stay on top of it all.
Sales is about rhythm, not perfection. Just don’t forget to post on LinkedIn.
We’re building a team of voice enabled AI assistants to support you with BD activities and allow you to spend more time being human. Interested? We’d love to chat.
