How to Build a Professional Services Firm Through Profitable Client Relationships With John Reed

Want to solve Branding and Lead-Gen for good for your B2B Business? Download our Completed Playbook for FREE: https://ghapodcast.com/b2b-podcasting... ********************************************************** John Reed is the Founder and Chief Relationship Officer of Rain BDM, a consulting firm helping attorneys and law firms improve business development, marketing, and client relationships. With experience spanning legal practice, enterprise sales, marketing consulting, and more than 16 years building Rain BDM, John brings a valuable perspective on one of the biggest challenges facing professional services firms: turning expertise into lasting, profitable client relationships. In this episode, we explore how he has built his firm, wins business, retains clients, and thinks about the future of relationship-led growth. ********************************************************** Know more about John Reed Website Link: https://rainbdm.com/ Connect with John Reed on LinkedIn LinkedIn Link:   / johnreedesq   Apply to be a guest on The Principal Podcast: https://ghapodcast.com/application-to... ********************************************************** John's Bio: John Reed is the Founder and Chief Relationship Officer of Rain BDM, a consulting firm he founded in 2010 to help attorneys and law firms improve business development, marketing, and client relationships. His background combines professional services, legal practice, sales leadership, and marketing. Before founding Rain BDM, John held sales and management positions at Thomson Reuters and served as Senior Vice President of Marketing Consulting at Jaffe PR. He holds a Juris Doctor, cum laude, from Michigan State University College of Law and a Bachelor of Science in Marketing, with honors, from Babson College. John is also the host of The Sticky Lawyers Podcast, has contributed to and been featured in numerous legal-industry publications, and serves as Chair of the Board of Trustees for Leader Dogs for the Blind. ********************************************************** Show Notes: John Reed has spent more than two decades at the intersection of professional expertise, sales, marketing, and client development. He began his career as a practicing attorney before moving into sales and sales leadership at Thomson Reuters, eventually combining those experiences to build a consulting business focused specifically on the commercial side of the legal profession. In 2010, John founded Rain BDM, where he helps attorneys and law firms strengthen their positioning, win new business, and build deeper relationships with existing clients. His work ranges from business development coaching and client relationship strategy to branding, content, websites, SEO, and broader marketing initiatives. For leaders of professional services firms, John’s experience raises a broader question: being excellent at the work is one thing, but how do you build a firm that consistently turns expertise into growth? We’ll unpack how John has approached client acquisition, sales, retention, team building, and creating the kind of relationships that keep a professional services business growing over the long term. ********************************************************** Proposed Interview Structure: 1. You went from practicing law, to sales and sales leadership, and eventually to founding Rain BDM. What led you to build your own consulting firm, and why focus specifically on the business side of the legal profession? 2. What specific problem are you helping attorneys and law firms solve through Rain BDM, and why does solving that problem matter so much to you personally? 3. Who are your ideal clients today, and within those firms, who usually holds the decision to bring Rain BDM in and hire you? 4. How are clients typically finding Rain BDM today, and what has consistently worked best for you when it comes to generating new opportunities for the firm? Current Acquisition Channels: Referral, Content, Podcast (hosting), Reputation and word-of-mouth Sub Question: You also host The Sticky Lawyers Podcast. How does podcasting fit into your own growth and relationship-building strategy, and what potential do you see for podcasts as a marketing tool for professional services firms? 5. Once you have the attention of a prospective client, how do you typically take that relationship from an initial conversation to a signed engagement? 6. Once a client starts working with Rain BDM, what do you do to make sure they continue seeing value, keep coming back, and develop into a long-term relationship with the firm? 7. Where do you find yourself most challenged right now as the founder of Rain BDM, if at all? 8. Looking ahead, where do you see the biggest opportunity for your work over the next few years?