Look at the expense line items recorded for your marketing and business development (BD) investments. Take a calming breath. Most CEOs and managing partners experience unease because there are few direct relationships that correlate revenue production to BD expenses, which can run into the millions of dollars. Shortening the time it takes from meeting a prospective client to being hired can be influenced by reliable data analysis similar to any other business operation.

BD in professional services is a sport of attraction, pulling and nudging prospects to recognize they should choose your firm. Your success in generating worthwhile returns, whether you are using marketing software or a spreadsheet, stems from two known factors:

(1) The quality of the participants identified by their titles or request for professional accreditation at an event, for example, and their interactions with BD efforts over time (e.g., attended multiple events or forwarded your newsletter). This is the nudging effect.