The Activator Advantage: What Today's Rainmakers Do Differently

A proven approach used by today's best professional service partners to win, retain, and grow client relationships.

There is a growing problem in the professional services industry that is often acknowledged but rarely discussed: clients—even long-standing ones for whom firms have consistently delivered unquestioned value—are much less loyal to those firms and partners than they once were. This dramatic shift in client behavior has rendered traditional approaches to business development not only ineffective but counterproductive.

But top performers have figured out a radical new approach that is redefining what it means to be a rainmaker in today's professional services market.

Drawing on a comprehensive, quantitative study of nearly three thousand partners—spanning law, accounting, consulting, investment banking, executive search, and public relations—The Activator Advantage identifies five types of partners found across the professional services landscape and shows how only one of them—the Activator—drives consistent growth.

Activators deeply embed business development habits into their daily workflow, aggressively leverage their internal and external networks, and proactively deliver both business and personal value to clients—all of which not only helps shield them from the vagaries of modern client buying behavior but also lays the groundwork for more loyal, longer-lasting relationships.

Packed with eye-opening data, counterintuitive insights, and robust case examples, The Activator Advantage provides the road map for any professional services partner or firm leader looking to chart a path to greater client engagement, internal collaboration, and firm profitability in the new era of fading client loyalty.

© 2025 Harvard Business Review Press (Ebook): 9798892790581

Release date

Ebook: May 20, 2025