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Business development is often defined as building visibility and relationships in order to generate work. That’s not wrong—but it’s incomplete.
At a deeper level, business development is a process of helping their clients and prospective clients become better decision-makers.
Ultimately, that’s what your clients are hiring you to do. Not just to draft documents or negotiate deals or handle disputes—but to help them make more informed, more confident decisions in complex, high-stakes situations.
And the more you help them do that—both when you’re engaged and when you’re not—the more trust you build. The more you become the person they think of when the next challenge or opportunity arises.
Think about the dynamic at play:
👉 Your clients (and the individuals inside those businesses) are trying to advance in their own careers. They want to be seen as capable, strategic leaders.
👉 Helping them make better decisions—through education, perspective, and insight—directly supports those goals.
👉 Every interaction that sharpens their understanding or improves their decision-making builds relationship equity and differentiates you from competitors.
👉 Over time, this creates a “virtuous cycle”: the more you teach, the more trust you build; the more trust you build, the more work you generate; the more work you do, the more you learn about your clients’ businesses, making you even more valuable moving forward.
How to Put This Into Practice
Here are a few actionable ways to lean into this mindset:
1. Shift Your Perspective on Content
Don’t think of content as marketing. Think of it as a way to educate clients and help them make better decisions.
Write articles that answer real-world questions. Speak on topics that give clients frameworks they can use. Share insights that help them navigate risks or spot opportunities earlier.
And don’t limit yourself to legal topics. Clients value lawyers who understand their industry, market trends, and business dynamics.
2. Ask Clients What They Want to Understand Better
In conversations with clients and prospects, ask:
What are the issues you and your team are trying to get smarter about?
Where do you feel like you’re making decisions with limited information?
What’s a topic you’d love to better understand, but haven’t had time to dig into?
You’ll uncover a goldmine of ideas for articles, CLEs, webinars, and informal “off the clock” value-add conversations that strengthen relationships.
3. Treat Every Engagement as an Educational Opportunity
When you’re working with clients:
Explain the why, not just the what.
Talk through decision points and trade-offs.
Use plain language and clear frameworks.
The more clients walk away from engagements having learned something that makes them more effective in their own role, the more likely they are to call you for the next one.
4. Learn From Your Clients in Return
Business development isn’t just about teaching—it’s about learning, too.
Ask clients how their industry is evolving.
Pay attention to how they approach strategy and risk.
Stay curious about their business priorities.
The more you understand their world, the more useful your guidance becomes—not just to them, but to others in the same space.
The Bottom Line
At its core, business development isn’t about selling legal services. It’s about helping your clients and prospective clients succeed—by making them better informed and more capable decision-makers.
If you approach it that way, you’ll build stronger relationships, win more work, and create a career that delivers real value to the people you serve.
Jay Harrington is president of our agency, a published author, and nationally-recognized expert in thought-leadership marketing.
From strategic planning to writing, podcasting, video marketing, and design, Jay and his team help lawyers and law firms turn expertise into thought leadership, and thought leadership into new business. Get in touch to learn more about the consulting and coaching services we provide. You can reach Jay at jay@hcommunications.biz.