TRP 275: Growing Key Clients: The Low-Hanging Fruit of BD with Kevin Wheeler

The Rainmaking Podcast

In this episode of The Rainmaking Podcast, Scott Love welcomes back Kevin Wheeler, a seasoned business development consultant with over 30 years of experience advising law and professional services firms on strategy, marketing, and client growth. Together, they explore “Growing Key Clients: The Low-Hanging Fruit of Business Development.” Kevin explains that most firms overlook their most lucrative opportunities—their existing clients. Rather than constantly chasing new business, firms can achieve greater profitability by deepening relationships with key accounts and institutionalizing client management.

Kevin outlines the major barriers preventing firms from capitalizing on these opportunities, including compensation structures that reward origination over collaboration and a lack of leadership support for client-focused strategies. He provides a roadmap for building a strong key client program: secure buy-in from firm leadership, appoint dedicated client relationship partners, conduct regular client listening interviews, and link compensation to client growth goals. By developing structured account plans, engaging clients directly for feedback, and mapping relationships strategically, firms can uncover untapped opportunities, strengthen retention, and create long-term growth.

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YouTube: https://youtu.be/unWLu82HdqY

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This podcast is sponsored by:

SurePoint Legal Insights (formerly known as Leopard Solutions) –turning legal intelligence into opportunity Link: https://www.leopardsolutions.com/index.php/request-a-demo/

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Kevin Wheeler has been advising professional services firms on all aspects of strategy, marketing, business development and client relationship management/key account management for more than thirty years.

Before setting up Wheeler Associates in 1997, he had been Marketing Director with Nabarro Nathanson, the commercial law firm, and Cinven, the private equity house. He also held various senior in-house strategy and marketing positions with Coopers & Lybrand, now PricewaterhouseCoopers.

As a consultant and coach, Kevin has provided services to more than one hundred firms drawn from the legal, accountancy, actuarial, real estate consultancy, tax, corporate finance, management consulting and insolvency practitioner sectors. Wheeler Associates is also a leading provider of strategic and client insight solutions and thought leadership delivered through bespoke market research studies. As well as his consultancy and coaching activities, Kevin writes, blogs and lectures frequently on strategy, marketing, business development and CRM/KAM issues facing professional services organizations.

Links:

https://www.linkedin.com/in/kevinjwheeler/

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