Consultants: Stop Treating Chronic Business Development Problems Like Emergencies
When your workload has got in the way and work is drying up you suddenly get a rocket up your ar*e"! You jump into action…
Massive action might get some results in the moment, but it’s the wrong tool for solving long-term business development problems.
Consultants often treat chronic challenges—like building a steady pipeline—as though they’re crises.
They wait until their calendar is empty, then throw themselves into frantic business development, hoping to fix months of neglect.
But here’s the hard truth: that approach rarely works. And when it does it’s exhausting.
I’ve been there, scrambling to rebuild my pipeline after ignoring it for too long. It’s exhausting, unsustainable, and avoidable.
Today, we’re going to talk about why this happens—and how to break the cycle for good.
Why massive action isn’t the answer for long-term challenges
How consistent effort over time creates lasting success
A simple framework to distinguish between crisis and chronic problems
Let’s dive into the details.
3 Steps to Build a Consistent Consulting Client Pipeline (With Long-Term Revenue Stability) - Even if You’re Too Busy With Client Work
In order to escape the feast-or-famine cycle of consulting, you’re going to need to approach business development in a way that ensures consistent results—without causing overwhelm.
Start by working out the difference between crisis-mode actions and chronic, long-term problems. Building your pipeline shouldn’t be a crisis; at most it should be chronic challenge that demands sustained, intentional effort.
Here’s how to make it happen.
#1 Understand Why Business Development Is a Chronic Problem
The first thing you need is clarity: Business development isn’t something you can solve overnight. Unlike a client fire that requires immediate action, building a consulting pipeline is a long-term game.
Why does this matter?
Because if you only focus on business development when you need clients, it’s already too late.
When consultants neglect consistent pipeline-building, they fall into a boom-bust cycle.
You can’t secure premium clients in a week of rushed LinkedIn posts or networking calls. To avoid this, treat business development like a chronic challenge that requires small, daily efforts.
Keith Cunningham (the brains behind Rich Dad Poor Dad) has a concept he teaches where he emphasises the importance of identifying what exactly are you dealing with - are you dealing with 1) A crisis or 2) A chronic problem
A crisis is where you need to be applying a solution in time segments of hours.
A chronic problem is one where you can be applying a solution in timeframes of weeks.
So some extreme examples for you:
Your only consulting project is coming to an end next week. You have nothing lined up to replace it: In this instance you have to go into massive action mode and think in terms of hours of activity. Writing 1 linkedin post that week won’t move the needle for you. You’d need to contact 50, 100, 250 (whatever it takes) people from your network or your last proposals that ghosted you or said No.
You don’t have a wait list of clients and a steady flow of inbound enquiries asking to work with you: This is a chronic problem not a crisis. Here you need to take consistent daily action so that it never becomes a crisis.
I teach my clients frameworks so they block off 20% of their time every week for business development, no matter how busy they are. They treat this time like a non-negotiable client meeting. Use it to network, nurture leads, and create authority-building content. Over time, these small steps will add up to a full, stable pipeline and mitigate the risk of crisis.
Here’s an example of a tracking sheet developed by a really smart consultant I know that are the activities that are relevant to him:
And here’s an example of a standard day checklist that I use in my personal system:
Manage your activity so you don’t create a crisis.
#2 Save Crisis-Mode Action for Actual Emergencies
Know when to go into emergency mode and when to stick to your plan.
Why does this make a difference?
Crisis-mode action—like scrambling to secure a client at the last minute—is exhausting and unsustainable. It works in true emergencies (like saving a key contract), but if you rely on it for pipeline-building, you’ll burn out and still struggle to find clients.
The consultants who succeed are the ones who avoid treating every client lull like a crisis.
What you should do: Identify the last time you scrambled to find a client. Was it because of a true emergency (like an unexpected contract cancellation), or because you neglected consistent business development?
Use this insight to plan ahead.
Save high-intensity, immediate action for real emergencies—and stick to your business development schedule the rest of the time.
And if it is an emergency - treat it like it is and go into full on action mode. Whatever you have to do - do.
A big part of that is silencing your inner gremlin about what you ‘should do’ or what other people will think. You have to recognise the seriousness of the situation and JFDI.
#3 Build Habits That Sustain Business Development
The third thing you need is a sustainable system. Successful consultants don’t rely on bursts of effort—they build habits that keep their pipeline healthy, even during busy periods.
Why does this work?
Because habits compound over time. Spending just 30 minutes a day on nurturing leads or creating content will deliver far better results than trying to fix your pipeline with one day of frantic activity.
Consultants who work consistently on business development can command higher rates, attract premium clients, and avoid taking on low-value work out of desperation.
What you should do: Start with one simple habit. For example, spend 10 minutes every morning engaging with potential clients on LinkedIn, or write one personalized follow-up email every afternoon. Once this habit becomes second nature, layer on another. Over time, you’ll build a system that works even when you’re busy with client projects.
Your consulting pipeline isn’t something you can fix in a single day—it’s something you build with consistent effort over time.
The feast-or-famine cycle ends when you stop treating business development like a crisis and start treating it like a habit.
By blocking time for business development, saving emergency-mode for true crises, and creating sustainable habits, you can escape the hamster wheel and enjoy predictable revenue growth.
Start today. Commit to just 30 minutes for your pipeline. Small actions compound, and the sooner you start, the sooner you’ll see results.
Your next premium client is closer than you think—if you build the pipeline to meet them.
PS...If you're enjoying The Consultant’s Growth Playbook, please consider referring this edition to a fellow consultant. By sharing, you’ll help them escape the feast-or-famine cycle and take control of their business growth—just like you’re doing!
And whenever you’re ready, here are 3 ways I can help you set up your 2025 business development plan for massive success:
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