Looking back
As we wrap up 2025, I’ve been looking back at every conversation, workshop, newsletter and “quick coffee that turned into a strategy meeting” we’ve had this year.
And honestly? The biggest wins have come from keeping things embarrassingly simple (the KISS principle).
Strip away the AI, the dashboards, the funnels and the “revenue acceleration synergy loops”, and the truth is this:
Sales and BD still run on basic human behaviours done consistently.
So, for our end of year roundup, here’s what worked more reliably than anything else in 2025. Enjoy.
#1. Do the basics… but actually do them
We’ve said it all year (mostly because people kept ignoring it), but this is still the number one revenue driver in professional services.
The firms and individuals who consistently:
- followed up within 24 hours,
- booked the next step before leaving the room,
- listened more than they talked,
…were the ones who moved their pipelines forward.
Nothing glamorous. Nothing requiring a six-figure CRM licence. Just doing the obvious stuff over and over and over again.
Where we covered this in 2025:
KISS principle rating: 10/10
#2. Curiosity is still your biggest unfair advantage
If 2025 had a mascot, it would be a LEGO figure holding a magnifying glass.
All year, curiosity outperformed every other BD tactic:
- It deepened client relationships.
- It revealed opportunities hiding in plain sight.
- It built trust faster than any credentials deck ever could.
- It prevented the dreaded pitch reflex (“Let me tell you about us!”).
Every time someone used one more question instead of one more slide, the conversation went better.
Where we covered this in 2025:
KISS principle rating: 9/10
#3. Systems beat heroics
2025 was the year many firms finally admitted that relying just on heroic rainmakers wasn’t sustainable.
Instead, the winners built small, repeatable systems that removed friction from BD:
- a weekly 15-minute BD cadence,
- a simple pipeline review,
- the two-minute rule for micro-tasks,
- reusing knowledge instead of rewriting everything from scratch,
- using automation to take away admin, not judgment.
No drama. No late-night panic requests. Just sensible, repeatable habits that compound.
Where we covered this in 2025:
KISS principle rating: 11/10
The big realisation from 2025
Sales and BD aren’t complicated. But that doesn’t mean they are easy.
The firms who won this year weren’t the ones with the flashiest slides, the biggest tech stacks or the longest job titles.
They were the ones who:
- kept things simple,
- did the basics consistently,
- stayed curious,
- built small systems that worked even when they were busy.
The KISS principle lives on.
Next week, we’ll wrap up 2025 with three bold predictions for 2026… and yes, AI will politely feature, but only in a way that passes the KISS test.
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.
