SOUND FAMILIAR?
Recognise your barriers to growth
Most professionals didn’t train to sell, and many find BD makes them ‘anxious’ and ‘stressed’. Once people realise they are not required to sell to win more work, they immediately relax and are open to learning.
If any of the following comments resonate, Inner Circle can help.
“I don’t mind talking to clients about work, but anything else feels awkward.”
“It doesn’t help that we’re all describing the firm in different ways.”
“People say we need to be more commercial, but I don’t really understand what they mean.”
“We have great client and intermediary relationships, but we rarely turn them into new work.”
“Our pitches are technically strong, but they don’t land commercially.”
“We know we should cross-sell. It just doesn’t happen.”
“I find negotiating price difficult. I normally just offer a discount.”
“I just want to do the work. I’m good at it, isn’t that enough?”
“I know I need help with my BD, but I’m not sure what that help looks like.”
HOW INNER CIRCLE HELPS
Three ways we can work together
01
Growth strategy and positioning
Board-level advice on where to grow and how to stand out: market analysis, brand and positioning, client segmentation, cross-selling and international expansion.
For managing partners, boards and heads of marketing
Find out more02
Business development training
Lively, practical workshops on pitching, client meetings, calls and gaining commitment. Small groups, real situations and plenty of role play, so the skills stick.
For partners, directors and client-facing teams
Find out more03
One-to-one coaching
Focused sessions, online or face to face, for individuals who want help with a specific issue: an important pitch, a key client relationship, a difficult fee conversation or their own business development plan.
For partners and professionals with specific challenges and opportunities
Find out moreBOARD-LEVEL ADVICE
Growth strategy: know where to grow
Most firms try to be everything to everyone, and their business development effort gets spread too thinly to make a difference. Growth comes from deciding where you want to win, giving clients a clear reason to choose you, and putting your time into the relationships that matter most.
Choose your clients and markets
Not every client or market deserves the same effort. Analyse where your best work, fees and referrals already come from, and where demand is growing, then decide where to focus.
Give them a reason to choose you
Be clear about what makes your firm different, in words your clients care about, so that you stand out rather than sounding like every other adviser.
Invest in the relationships that will grow
Identify the clients and introducers who could give you more, and plan regular, purposeful contact with them, rather than waiting for the phone to ring.
Inner Circle works with boards, partners and marketing teams on market analysis, client segmentation and positioning, drawing on the approach that helped Withers grow from 1 office to 17 worldwide.
Talk to me about growth strategyTRAINING WORKSHOPS
Small changes, big wins
Becoming a trusted adviser to your clients isn’t just a result of talent or personality. It comes from following some tried and trusted tips and techniques, consistently, until they become second nature.
Inner Circle workshops show your people what they are and give them the chance to practise in a safe, supportive setting. People learn by talking, trying things out and laughing, so the sessions are built that way, never as a lecture. Each session is shaped around your go-to-market strategy, with topics that can be run on their own or combined into a programme.
1
Becoming the go-to adviser for your best clients
Understanding how to build the trust and chemistry that give clients the confidence to deepen the relationship.
2
Preparing for different types of client interaction
Map out the journey of a conversation, tailor your approach to each client and use body language to improve your chances of success.
3
Deepening contact relationships
Build lasting professional relationships by having a plan and really understanding your audience.
4
Getting more work from existing clients
Practical ways to stay close to clients and spot new work opportunities early.
5
Managing referrer meetings to win new work
Run better meetings with introducers and referrers, asking the questions that open up opportunities.
6
Presenting virtually to impress and win new work
Proven techniques for engaging and holding an audience online.
7
Effective pitching in a competitive world
How to stand out from the competition and win more of the pitches that matter.
8
Effective price negotiation to increase profitability
Protect your fees and handle the typical barriers clients raise before instructing you.
ONE-TO-ONE COACHING
For the moments that matter
Sometimes the most valuable help is personal. One-to-one coaching gives partners and professionals dedicated time to work through a specific challenge or opportunity, online or face to face, with practical advice they can use straight away.
Typical reasons people get in touch
Preparing for an important pitch or presentation
Building or reviving a key client or introducer relationship
Handling a difficult fee or pricing conversation
Creating a personal business development plan
Stepping up to partnership or a client-facing leadership role
Following up a workshop to make new habits stick
How it works
Start with a conversation
We agree what you want to achieve and what success will look like.
Focused sessions
Online or face to face, built around your real meetings, clients and opportunities.
Put it into practice
Between sessions you try things out, then we review what worked and what to do next.
MY APPROACH
“If strategy wins the opportunity, it’s personal relationships that win the work.”
Tell one consistent story
Agree one way of describing the firm, and prepare for every client conversation with the right questions and stories.
Make every conversation count
Listen more than you talk, link what you hear to how you can help, and agree a clear, comfortable next step every time.
AI is having a massive impact on every industry, and that’s just as true for professional advisers. In fact, their interpersonal skills have never been more important, and they will determine the winners and losers of the future.
WHAT CLIENTS SAY
Personal impact
What people say after working with Nigel.
“Had a difficult call yesterday about fees with a client and used the method, which worked perfectly. It ended with settlement of the fees in full and likely new work.”
“An engaging and highly practical session that challenged the traditional mindset towards business development. The quick-win techniques he shared can be implemented immediately.”
“I found Nigel extremely personable and knowledgeable. His presentation style was at the right level: relaxed, engaging and informative.”
“This was one of the good ones. Nigel is engaging, knows his subject matter and was very clear in delivering the key messages. Even though there was role play, it was an enjoyable day.”
“A very enjoyable and helpful day, which reinforces what I tell my staff: even after 42 years of working for the same organisation, you can always learn something new.”
“Spot on and very practical. Far better to make mistakes in front of the home crowd, learn from the experience and put in a good performance in the field.”
“Practical, pragmatic, honest. Challenging in the right way: it pushed our boundaries.”
“Good ideas of things we could add to our approach to enhance opportunities further. A good format, with Nigel having a relaxed but structured style.”
“It was really well received and a great opportunity for us to spend the day together as a team as well. Lots of laughter and learning!”
ABOUT
Hello, I’m Nigel
I helped reposition Withers LLP and grow it from £18m to over £350m, taking it from a single-office London firm to a leading international adviser to entrepreneurs and private wealth, with 17 offices worldwide. Today the firm attracts, on average, one billionaire and 15 millionaire clients every week.
In all that time, I noticed something. The advisers that clients and intermediaries come back to aren’t always the most technically brilliant. They’re the ones who prepare, listen and make every conversation useful. Helping people do that, and helping firms build a strategy around it, is what I enjoy most.
I set up Inner Circle Consultancy in 2026 to bring that experience to more firms. Away from work you’ll usually find me on the golf course, travelling, or with a good book.
International Business Development / Marketing Director of the Year
Led the Marketing Team of the Year, Legal Marketing Awards