Don’t let a big deal/project/assignment take up all your time (still make time for networking and business development)

There is a reason why your pipeline of new business is called a ‘pipeline’. New business rarely turns up out of the blue or converted immediately. The reality is that if you stop putting effort into networking, business development and nurturing your relationships, your pipeline of new work will dry up rapidly and the more impact any pause on your activity will have.

If your average client takes 3-6 months to convert from a lead to a paying client, if you have no live and warm leads then it will take on average 3-6 months to gain new work.

A large gap in your pipeline may happen because you have been tied up in a long deal or assignment but it can easily mount up and a break of one or two weeks can swiftly change and before you know it you have not done any meaningful business development or marketing activity for 6-8 weeks.