Atomic BD habits
Over Christmas, somewhere between the Quality Street and the vague promise to “get organised in January”, I started re-reading Atomic Habits by James Clear. I first read it years ago, and as with most good books, some things stuck, some things faded. Which, as it turns out, is exactly the point Clear is making. Insight alone doesn’t change behaviour. Repeated action does.
What struck me this time around is just how neatly many of his ideas map onto sales and business development in professional services. Not big gestures. Not heroic bursts of effort. Just small, repeatable behaviours that are realistic for busy professionals and powerful precisely because they compound over time.
So, for January, Three Things is dedicating the month to helping you build your Atomic BD habits for 2026. Tiny changes, consistently applied, that will set you off in the right direction and, crucially, help you stay there long after January enthusiasm has worn off. Enjoy.
Let’s start where Clear says all habits begin.
#1. Decide who you are before deciding what you do
Most BD goals sound like this: “I want to win more work this year.”
Clear would say that’s the wrong starting point.
Instead, start with identity. Ask yourself: what kind of professional am I trying to be?
Examples:
- “I am the kind of lawyer who always follows up.”
- “I am someone who keeps in touch without an excuse.”
- “I am a professional who always gets an answer to a pitch I’ve sent, no matter how many follow-ups it takes.”
Every small action is a vote for that identity. You don’t need perfection. You just need consistency.
Action this week:
Write one sentence that starts with “I am the kind of professional who…” and put it somewhere you’ll see it regularly (hint – fridge / bathroom mirror / side of desktop).
#2. Cast one small vote per day
BD plans fail because they’re overly ambitious, brittle and largely dependent on you having a bunch of time that we all know is completely unrealistic.
Atomic habits work because they’re small enough to survive reality.
One follow-up email.
One check-in message.
One nudge on a pitch that’s gone suspiciously quiet.
That’s it.
Small actions, done daily, compound quietly. Nobody notices at first, including you. Then, a few months later, people start asking how you’ve become so “commercial/lucky”.
Action this week:
Decide what one tiny BD action counts as “done” each day. If it takes more than five minutes, you’ve overcooked it.
#3. Change your language, change your behaviour
Listen to how you talk about BD.
If you regularly say things like:
- “I’m not very salesy”
- “I’m bad at BD”
- “I don’t have time”
You’re reinforcing an identity your behaviour will faithfully live up to.
Identity is built with words first and actions second. If you describe yourself as someone who avoids BD, don’t be surprised when you do exactly that.
Action this week:
Catch one negative BD phrase you use about yourself and replace it with something neutral and accurate. No affirmations. No chanting. Just better framing.
Next week:
Why BD collapses when it relies on memory, good intentions and “I’ll come back to it”, and how to make the right actions so obvious you practically trip over them.
Small habits. Atomic changes. Serious growth.
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.
