Like. Trust. Respect.: The Business Development Playbook for Professional Services

Stop selling. Start being chosen.Sooner or later, every accomplished professional hits the same wall: doing great work is no longer enough. You're expected to bring in business - and no one ever taught you how. Traditional sales tactics feel pushy and wrong, so you avoid them and hope referrals keep coming.They don't have to be luck.In Like. Trust. Respect., Shannon C. Midthun lays out the business development playbook the best professional-services rainmakers use - not to "sell," but to become the person clients call first, defend loudly, and refer without being asked. Drawing on two decades architecting sales processes across consulting, technical services, and financial advisory, Midthun distills it into a simple, repeatable system: three powerful words, a four-stage cycle, and a handful of habits that fit into even your busiest week.Inside, you'll learn:The Like. Trust. Respect. framework - how clients actually choose and stay with professionalsThe four-stage cycle that turns prospects into loyal clients: Qualify, Assess, Propose, ManageHow to maintain a healthy pipeline with just 5-10% of your working weekHow to use AI to prepare smarter and follow up faster - without losing the human touchHow to turn your best clients into repeat business and your strongest source of referralsBusiness development isn't a personality trait. It's a skill. And every skill has a process.Whether you're a consultant, accountant, attorney, engineer, or advisor, this is the book you keep on your desk - the one that finally makes winning business feel natural.