Business Development: Unlocking Growth: Key Themes and Breakthrough Ideas from the 2025 AAM Summit
The 2025 AAM Summit in Phoenix offered a rare inside look at how the most forward-thinking accounting and consulting firms are transforming business development. From coaching hesitant professionals to leveraging LinkedIn to earning client trust and growing strategic accounts, the sessions shared actionable insights for building BD cultures that last.
Across six standout presentations, three powerful themes emerged:
- Coaching is the New Catalyst for Growth
In multiple sessions, including Breaking Barriers and Selling in the Trenches with Partners, the message was clear: business development isn’t something you do to professionals—it’s something you coach them through.
Cynthia Stewart of Herbein CPAs drew a sharp distinction between three BD archetypes: Evangelists, Entitled, and the Not Willing (Yet). The most coachable group? Those in the third category—often shy or resistant at first, but open to change when guided with empathy and consistency. Her message: “Invest in the willing.”
Gary Justis, an organizational psychologist with Herbein, offered a deeper look into why so many professionals struggle with BD. Only 25% of accountants, he shared, exhibit personality traits aligned with traditional sales roles. That insight reframes coaching not as “fixing” people, but as supporting them in overcoming fear, redefining BD success and taking small but consistent action.
Similarly, Nikki Burgeson from Rehmann emphasized that coaching professionals—especially partners—requires clarity, structure and shared goals. Sales is a team sport, and BD pros must serve as “co-pilots,” not scriptwriters.
- Trust and Alignment Drive Strategy Forward
In The Growth Leader’s Journey, Lori Langholtz of BDO and Evan Tierce of Baker Tilly spoke candidly about building trust and impact over time. Both emphasized that internal trust is just as vital as external trust. Whether you’re creating strategy, coaching sellers or aligning silos, credibility and follow-through are everything.
Langholtz, in a second session titled How to Build a BD Program, pushed further, challenging attendees to get clear on the “why” behind their firm’s BD efforts. Is it to grow revenue? Expand into new industries? Retain top clients? Without shared purpose and aligned incentives, even the best hires or tech tools won’t stick.
Her firm’s approach: start with high-potential partners, build invite-only BD academies, and keep KPIs simple. Most importantly, avoid over-engineering credit and attribution. “Celebrate wins together,” she advised, “and don’t let silos poison progress.”
Tierce reminded the audience that building strategy doesn’t require perfection—just persistence and curiosity. He described sales methodologies (like Challenger) as tools not only for client conversations but for persuading risk-averse leaders inside the firm.
- Relationships Still Win—But Tactics Have Evolved
Whether through LinkedIn, CRM, or quarterly touchpoints, the message was consistent: BD must be intentional, structured and client-centered.
In Transforming Business Development, Mark Jamnik of Kindred and Mike Jones of Resound shared a three-part framework for using LinkedIn and Sales Navigator to earn trust—not leads. Their call to action? Reframe BD from “selling” to “serving.” People don’t want to be pitched; they want to feel seen, understood and helped.
Tactics like skipping the first-message pitch, using “value-add” calls-to-action (e.g., roundtables, insights), and building BD around your natural persona (Connector, Thought Leader or Doer) made this session especially practical.
Meanwhile, Wade Clark of Moss Adams offered perhaps the most strategic take in his session, Helping Your Teams Develop Accounts and Advance Opportunities. He argued that account development is the Achilles heel of most firms—too reactive, too narrow and too dependent on referrals. His solution: a proactive cadence of client conversations anchored in his “Four Catalysts” model—Desire, Discovery, Dissatisfaction and Driven.
He also introduced a Buyer’s Decision Model that stressed the importance of uncovering client concerns, risks and constraints early. “The firm that uncovers the most insight—and addresses it—wins,” he said.
Voices from the Summit: Real Moments, Real Impact
The most resonant insights at the AAM Summit weren’t always found in frameworks—they came in the form of human moments and unfiltered truths:
“Trust is built in drops and lost in buckets.”
—Lori Langholtz, BDO on the fragile but essential role of trust in growth leadership.
“If you met with someone and don’t follow up for two years, that’s not a relationship—it’s a transaction.”
—Wade Clark, Moss Adams, challenging firms to rethink what true engagement looks like.
“Sales Navigator is like a Ferrari most firms are driving like a golf cart.”
—Mike Jones, Resound, on unlocking the power of digital tools with the right strategy.
“You don’t need to be an extrovert to succeed in BD. You need to be intentional.”
—Cynthia Stewart, Herbein CPAs, reminding marketers that BD is a skill, not a personality type.
These remarks weren’t just memorable—they embodied the overall message of the conference: Growth is about people, not just pipelines. The firms that win aren’t chasing transactions—they’re building trust, creating clarity and empowering professionals to lead from where they are.
Final Takeaway: Business Development Is the Engine of Growth
As firms look ahead to 2026, the path is clear: invest in coaching, build cultures of accountability, and double down on meaningful relationships. Whether it’s through a well-timed LinkedIn message or a strategic account conversation, business development is no longer a separate function—it’s the engine of firm growth.
About Bob Silvy
Bob Silvy is the founder of Level Four Consulting, a Kansas City–based business development training and coaching firm that works with law firms and accounting firms nationwide. With decades of experience in professional services sales and revenue leadership, Bob helps firms turn business development from an abstract expectation into measurable, repeatable growth. His work focuses on practical skills, accountability, and clear KPIs that demonstrate ROI from training investments. Bob is an active contributor to the Legal Marketing Association and the Association for Accounting Marketing, and a frequent speaker on coaching professionals to embrace and succeed at business development.
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