Traditional Business Development Is More Difficult For Women Fee Earners

The overwhelming majority of us believe women fee earners find traditional types of Business Development more difficult than men. However, most also believe it’s getting better. That was one of the findings of this survey, to which almost 100 of you took the opportunity to respond. (The second round of the survey is here.) Here's the report on the findings of this research and three more articles, which I feel have a special relevance on International Women's Day.

Is business development (BD) in professional services more difficult for women? That’s the question I posed in this article in August.

But to find out the real answer, I asked professionals to fill out a few short survey questions. I was delighted that so many - almost 100 of you - took the opportunity to respond.

Now, the results are in, and they reveal some interesting insights. Here’s what you said.

Most of us agree: women find BD more difficult

There’s little doubt most of us believe BD is more difficult for women. In fact, more than 72% of respondents said that business development was more difficult for women than men. Of these, just over 13% said it was much more difficult.

A quarter of respondents said it was equally difficult for men and women. Meanwhile, less than 3% said it was easier for women than men.

Q: Choose your response to this statement: “Business Development is more difficult for women fee earners working in professional services firms.”

STILL SHOULDERING MOST OF THE WORKLOAD

One of the common themes from the comments supporting this question was that traditional BD (i.e. networking) favoured men, who often found it easier to engage in ‘traditional’ activities such as attending sporting events or having an after-work drink.

Some noted that this was often because professional women were still expected to carry a disproportionate load when it came to caring for children and carrying out household duties, making it difficult to engage in after-work social activities.

“Women continue to disproportionately carry the burden of family responsibilities, leaving them with less opportunity to engage in BD activities on top of core BAU work. Women disproportionately carry the responsibility for other non-promotable tasks such as recruitment, mentoring, office management, further reducing opportunities to focus on BD activities.”

OUTMODED VIEWS ON GENDER RELATIONS REMAIN AN ISSUE

To many of us, it may seem incredible that highly successful professional women should be treated any differently from men. However, one of the most prevalent themes in your responses was the observation that outdated notions of gender relations still existed in the professions. This often impacted women’s abilities to perform effective BD.

“BD is more difficult for women as approaching men and being alone with men can be misinterpreted as attraction rather than work-related. This can be an issue for the woman, the lead/client, and the woman's partner/spouse. It can also lead to misunderstanding and reputational issues.”

DO WOMEN STILL FEEL LIKE IMPOSTERS?

Perhaps most interestingly, several respondents mentioned that, despite being successful and experienced professionals, they suffered from ‘imposter syndrome’. In fact, the tendency for women to doubt themselves was another recurring theme.

Many respondents particularly felt that men were more likely to ‘gild the lily’ and overstate their capabilities and achievements, while women were more likely to understate them.

“Men seem to be able to talk up their practices and themselves without worrying about being 'found out'. I see male colleagues going into BD and relationship meetings far less prepared than I ever would, but they still seem to be held in high regard by clients. I spend a lot more time working on BD strategies, materials, preparation, and follow-up than my male colleagues, and this is hard to fit into a day when there are already so many other demands on my time...”

BUT BD IS GETTING EASIER FOR WOMEN …

There was, however, some good news in the survey. Most respondents (63.3%) agreed that, over the past five years, it had become easier for women to engage in BD. Another 22.2% said it was about the same, and just 2.2% said it was getting harder. 12.2% said they weren’t sure.

Q: Do you think that, over the past 5 years, it has become easier for women fee-earners to execute effective Business Development strategies in professional services firms?

A lot of people believed this was the direct result of women taking on leadership roles as General Counsel and in the C-suites of corporate land.

“I have noticed an increase in women in general counsel and legal counsel roles (many who are mums), and being a mum myself, we find other ways to catch up and build the relationship during school hours.”

ARE PROFESSIONAL SERVICES FIRMS LAGGING BEHIND THE BUSINESS WORLD?

Unfortunately, however, some thought that the firms were not necessarily helping women build their practices in quite the same way. Many argued that law firms, especially, were still lagging behind.

“The only area where it is getting easier for women is the fact that so many General Counsel and in-house Counsel are women and that the clients want to support female partners. Not because of anything law firms are doing.”

DID COVID PLAY A PART IN HELPING WOMEN’S BD EFFORTS?

According to some respondents, though, it wasn’t only women in leadership positions changing the landscape. Many suggested that any improvement in the ease of doing BD simply reflected the changes in how we work and socialise since COVID-19.

During the pandemic, so many of us worked from home permanently. Meetings became remote, BD moved from the ‘hard’ tasks of in-person networking and social functions to the ‘softer’ skills of online meetings, webinars and articles.

Some survey participants thought these activities levelled the playing field, although more than one believed they were still perceived as less critical.   

“90% of my business development now involves information/value adds/exceptional service delivery rather than being based on long lunches/after-work dinners etc. Social events are more occasional, such as the end of year get together or end of matter lunch.”

THE OPPOSING VIEW

It’s worth noting, of course, that not everybody agreed BD was more difficult for women. Some people who argued this said BD was an individual, personality-based thing and that it was harder for introverts, regardless of whether they were male or female.

“Objectively, there is no difference. Personality-based individual business development has been replaced (in effective organisations) by planned and team-oriented business development. Women can, and do, play a key role.”

Others said that it depended on the field in which a professional specialised - and that while there were more male-dominated sectors (real estate, M&A, banking), there were also more female-dominated sectors too (although these often tended to be less well-paid).

“It depends on the sector. Blokey sectors such as real estate and investment banking definitely harder, but less blokey areas with the rise of the female GC less of an issue and being female can be positive.”

DOES IT GET EASIER WITH EXPERIENCE?

Finally, some respondents suggested that BD was more challenging for younger and less experienced professional women than it was for senior and more experienced practitioners. 

“I choose networking opportunities that fit into my day and my interests e.g. lunch, coffee or early drinks. Still do occasional dinners and events. It is a choice I make daily where I want to be. I decided to create my own tribe of like-minded people.”

Some also said that, given the chance, women actually tended to be far better at BD than their male counterparts.

“Women tend to join the dots more and are better at referring work.”

Finally, more than one respondent noted that while they appreciated the growing number of women’s support groups and women-based networking opportunities, these were often self-defeating. That was because the senior males within their firm were not across them or not interested in their outcomes or recommendations.

“If I get encouraged to attend another women’s event talking about flexible work or menopause at which there are no decision-makers for the work I do, I’ll go postal!

IN SHORT …

The overwhelming majority of us believe professional women do find BD more challenging than men. However, most also believe it’s getting better.

For a lot of respondents, whether or not it can truly be equal seems to depend on having more women in positions of authority, both in clients and within firms.

WHAT DO YOU THINK?

SURVEY #2: IS BD MORE DIFFICULT FOR WOMEN FEE-EARNERS IN PROFESSIONAL SERVICES FIRM?

WANT MORE?

If you’d like more information on the survey or for Sue-Ella to speak to your firm on addressing the BD gap for women, get in touch.

Post Script: In November 2023 The International Bar Association’s Womens’ Lawyers Committee published their second Toolkit. This one for Sponsorship Programmes in Law Firms.

Go to the website version of this article for more about who took the survey, definitions, references and tools for your firm.

Sue-Ella is the Principal of Prodonovich Advisory, a business dedicated to helping professional services practices sharpen their business development practices.

She works with professional services firms that focus on positive client relationships, and with individuals who want personal, intelligent support.

©Prodonovich Advisory. This article was written by a human. Please respect our copyright and the effort taken to produce the original material in this article. This article, and any portion of it, may not be reproduced or used in any manner whatsoever without the express written permission of the author.