Appraisal season has a way of making BD feel urgent — and exposing just how little has been said about it for the rest of the year.
Most associates aren’t doing too little BD. They’re doing BD without enough context to know whether it’s the right BD. And guessing at expectations carries real professional risk — one that sits with the firm as much as the individual.
The cost of ambiguity
When expectations are unspoken, associates default to guesswork. They mirror the most visible partners, interpret vague feedback like “be more commercial,” and attend events without knowing what they’re building towards. The result isn’t disengagement — it’s paralysis dressed up as activity.
Reputation in BD is built over time and harder to recover than most people realise. Associates operating without clear direction are the most exposed — not because they’re doing too little, but because they don’t have enough information to make good decisions.
For associates: getting specific before you walk into the room
Before your appraisal, do a short audit:
- Separate activity from progress. BD activity is what you did — events, calls, coffees, articles. BD progress is what moved as a result — a relationship that deepened, a contact that became relevant, a piece of work that came in. Both matter, but conflating them makes it hard to assess what’s actually working.
- Identify where ambiguity held you back. If certain areas fell short, be honest about whether that was effort, time, or direction. The answer changes what you should be asking for.
- Use the appraisal to get concrete. Rather than leaving with another round of vague feedback, push for specifics: which client relationships should you be prioritising? What does “getting involved in BD” actually look like at your level? How will progress be measured next time? Asking for that clarity isn’t a sign of weakness — it’s a sign of commercial maturity.
For partners: what good BD feedback actually looks like
Mentioning that BD matters is not the same as setting a clear expectation. If your associates are falling short, it’s worth asking whether they ever had enough to go on.
Before the appraisal conversation, consider: Have you told them which clients to focus on — not just encouraged them to “get involved”? Have you modelled the behaviour you’re asking for? Have you created opportunities for them to build relationships, or kept them at arm’s length from clients?
The most useful appraisal conversation isn’t one that scores BD performance. It’s one that sets up the next 12 months with enough clarity that the associate knows what to do on Monday morning.
That’s the standard worth aiming for — and it’s a more productive use of the conversation than reviewing what didn’t happen without ever explaining why.
If you’re an associate looking to build a clearer BD strategy ahead of your next review, get in touch — we’d be happy to help.
