Turn BD Resistance IntoResults
Business Development Coaching to help Service Professionals overcome internal barriers to BD and build authentic client relationships that drive revenue growth
BD Coaching for Professional Services
We are a coaching-based consultancy specialising in business development, negotiation and networking strategies for service professionals, who often find traditional sales approaches inauthentic and at odds with their professional identity.
We believe that Business Development isn’t about “selling”. It’s about building authentic relationships and creating mutual value that drives revenue growth.
We empower service professionals with the mindset, skills and habits needed to build authentic client relationships and win work.
Hi, I’m Michael, Founder and Managing Director of Collective Intelligence. I’d love to meet for a coffee and have a conversation about your BD goals and challenges.
Our Approach Is Distinctly Different
Most professionals didn’t choose their careers to “sell.” They became lawyers, accountants, and consultants to solve complex problems and provide trusted advice. Yet somewhere along the way, they’re expected to win work and drive growth.
Our approach helps professionals confront their fears, challenge their assumptions, and discover that authentic business development is simply another way to serve clients.
It's not about selling
We help professionals let go of outdated notions of BD as “selling” and replace them with a more empowering mindset: Helping clients succeed. This shift builds trust, confidence, and genuine connection without compromising professional integrity or values.
It's not training
Traditional training rarely sticks. Our coaching model is built on adult learning principles and grounded in practical application. We combine real-time feedback, deliberate practice, and individualised support to create sustainable behaviour change.
It's not one-size-fits-all
We tailor every coaching journey to the individual – their style, strengths, goals, and challenges. Whether they’re an emerging talent or a senior leader, we meet people where they are and help them move forward with clarity, confidence, and momentum.
Our Programs
Through personalised coaching, peer learning, and expert guidance, we help service professionals discover that effective business development isn’t about compromising their professional identity. It’s about extending the same trusted advisor mindset they bring to client work into building new relationships and winning work.
BD Multiplier
An elite level 6+ month coaching journey for Senior Partners, combining 1:1 coaching and peer ‘Wisdom Circles’ to help navigate complex client accounts, overcome leadership challenges and harness the collective capabilities of the firm for strategic demand creation to drive revenue growth. Features fireside chats with best-in-class role models.
BD Accelerator
A comprehensive 6+ month coaching journey for Directors, Senior Associates, Partners that blends individual coaching with group ‘Wisdom Circles’ — dynamic forums where peers tackle shared challenges, exchange ideas, and boost collaboration.
BD Catalyst
The BD Catalyst program is a high-impact version of our BD Accelerator, delivering the full curriculum through interactive Wisdom Circles without the one-to-one coaching component. It’s designed for Associates and Senior Managers to build confidence, shift their BD mindset, strengthen internal networks, and contribute more effectively to winning work.
BD Boost
A flexible, retainer-based service giving your team on-demand access to our BD experts for real-time support with RFPs, pitches, high-stakes opportunities and negotiations helping you gain a clear competitive edge during execution.
Engaging Keynotes
Build a business development mindset across your entire organisation.
Our keynote presentations bring core BD concepts to broader audiences within your firm: junior and mid-level professionals who are shaping your culture and client relationships for years to come.
It’s a practical way to extend the conversation beyond leadership teams and create shared language around how your firm wins and keeps great clients.
- The Rainmaker Advantage
- BD Myths and Mindset
- Negotation Stratgies for Service Professionals
Our Clients
We’re grateful for the firms who have invited us into their world. These partnerships have been built on trust, honest conversation, and a shared commitment to meaningful progress.
Testimonials
Kind Words
800+
We’ve coached over 800 Service Professionals
$250+
Expected revenue uplift per participant
20 - 40x
ROI you can expect from our programs
20+
We’ve been making an impact since 2006
Built on Relationships, Backed by Results
Since 2006, we’ve worked with professional services firms to transform how their people approach business development.
We build genuine partnerships with our clients to create cultures where business development feels authentic.
The results follow when professionals discover they can win work without compromising their values or professional identity.