Client plans (part two): sprinting a marathon
Last week we talked about co-development, shared accountability and rhythm.
This week is about survival.
Because client plans don’t fail in theory. They fail on a rainy Wednesday afternoon when billable pressure spikes, inboxes explode and “we’ll deal with that next month” quietly becomes next quarter.
If your client plan is going to survive real life, here are three disciplines that matter. Enjoy.
#1. Get the basics right
There is no point talking about expanding the relationship if the fundamentals are irritating the client.
Before you pursue new mandates, get your client hygiene factors in order. Check:
- Are rates aligned and clearly communicated? This is especially relevant when you’re managing a multinational client.
- Are reporting expectations being met?
- Are there billing sensitivities you’re ignoring?
- Are there specific requirements, such as no time recorded for NQs or approval thresholds you’ve drifted past?
Growth conversations land very differently when the basics are clean.
Client planning is as much about removing friction as it is about generating revenue.
Boring? Slightly. Commercially critical? Absolutely.
#2. Protect time or accept that nothing will move
Let’s be honest about the environment you’re operating in.
PwC’s Law Firms’ Survey 2024 shows fee earners billing well over 1,100–1,500 hours per year across the Top 100, with spare capacity in some firms as low as 7%. And 95% of firms link chargeable hours directly to bonus performance.
Hours are measured. Closely. Client development time isn’t.
If you allocate just 5% of time to structured client development, on average that’s roughly one hour per week. Just over two units a day in old money.
That’s it. Not a strategy offsite. Not a two-day planning retreat. One deliberate, protected hour each week to move a key relationship forward.
And yet most client plans don’t even get that.
Here’s the uncomfortable bit. If development time isn’t visible and recognised in the reward calculation, rational behaviour wins. Bill another hour. Protect utilisation. Secure the bonus.
The LINAR view is simple. If client development is genuinely strategic, it must form part of how contribution is assessed. Not as a vague nod to “good BD”, but as something visible, discussed and rewarded.
Because people prioritise what gets measured. And they optimise for what gets paid.
If it’s not in the diary and not in the comp model, it’s theatre. Protect the hour. Or stop pretending the plan matters.
#3. Sprint using the three P’s
Annual plans look impressive. They also encourage procrastination.
Instead, break your client plan into rolling 90-day action cycles and review them monthly using the three P’s:
- Plans – what did we say we were going to do?
- Progress – what has actually moved since last time?
- Problems – what’s getting in the way and who is fixing it?
Notice what’s missing? No long action lists. No spreadsheet theatre.
The purpose of the meeting is not to admire the plan. It’s to create movement and surface blockers early.
At the end of each 90 days, reset. Tighten. Go again.
Rhythm beats intensity every time.
Chat to Tina by voice, when you’re between meetings, on the commute to/from work, or heading into something you’d rather avoid.
Final thought
Client plans don’t need more content. They need more cadence and protected time.
Next week (part three): how to measure whether your client plan is genuinely driving commercial impact without drowning in dashboards or vanity metrics.
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.
