How to Make Partner Podcast

Heather Townsend

How to make Partner is the place to learn about how to progress your career in professional services and what the partners in your firm are really looking for. howtomakepartner.substack.com

  1. 5d ago

    How to stop wasting time on leads that are going nowhere

    And how can you stop this happening time and time again. That’s what this episode is all about. Getting excited about a prospect is not the same as a signed up client. And its your job as a sales person to find out early whether a prospect is going to be a great client for you and your firm. Your partners are looking at whether you can be trusted to hit your new business forecast and bring in the right type of work, without burning through the little non-billable time you have.I’m Heather Townsend, author of Poised for Partnership and co-author of How to Make Partner & Still Have a Life. I’m the leading global expert in what it takes to move from senior fee earner to partner . Here are 5 ways to work with me.In This Episode You Will Learn: The DUFF framework, so you can tell from one conversation whether a prospect is worth your time How to talk about money early without frightening off your prospect What it means when somebody says they have no budget, and when to keep going Two things to do before a first meeting with a prospect, before you waste too much time or emotional energy on the prospect If you find this episode useful, don’t forget to like it and then subscribe so you don’t miss another episode. What Help Is Out There For You? If you’re thinking, ‘I struggle with these sales conversations, I just don’t know how to do it without sounding like I’m selling’, our Progress To Partner Academy can help you. That’s precisely why we have the on-demand course ‘How to Go from Coffees to Instructions’ in the Progress to Partner Academy. It has a module on sales that takes you through what happens between the first conversation and the signed instruction. Links Poised for Partnership: https://amzn.to/3ETEYk3 How to Make Partner and Still Have a Life: https://amzn.to/4iLxugM Progress To Partner Academy (use code PODCAST10 for 10% off annual membership): https://www.howtomakepartner.com/get-progress-to-partner/ Get full access to How to Make Partner at howtomakepartner.substack.com/subscribe

  2. Aug 29

    The lead has gone quiet. What now?

    You had a great conversation. Got excited about the new business. It all seemed like it was going to happen. Then they ghosted you. So how do you get these leads going again without seeming like a second hand car sales person? When the lead goes quiet, we often take the silence to mean they’re not interested. Whereas what they’re really saying is not yet. Your challenge is how do you stay in touch, so that when they are ready to restart the conversation, they pick up with you. The best rainmakers are brilliant at staying in touch with prospects until they are finally ready to buy. I’m Heather Townsend, author of Poised for Partnership and co-author of How to Make Partner & Still Have a Life. I’m the leading global expert in what it takes to move from senior fee earner to partner . Here are 5 ways to work with me. In This Episode You Will Learn: Why the buyer controls the speed of the sales process, and how to handle this The three questions to ask at the end of a conversation, and how they give you permission in your own mind to follow up What to send a lead once you have moved them to long lead status The signals that tell you a “not yet” is warming up again, and what to do when you spot one If you find this episode useful, don’t forget to like it and then subscribe so you don’t miss another episode. What Help Is Out There For You? If you're thinking, "I don't want to be the person who keeps chasing potential prospects", our Progress To Partner Academy can help you. That's precisely why we have the on-demand course "How to Go from Coffees to Instructions" in the Progress to Partner Academy. Its module on sales takes you through what happens between that first conversation and the signed instruction. So that following up becomes just part of your business development activity, rather than something you need to psyche yourself up for. Links Poised for Partnership: https://amzn.to/3ETEYk3 How to Make Partner and Still Have a Life: https://amzn.to/4iLxugM Progress To Partner Academy (use code PODCAST10 for 10% off annual membership): https://www.howtomakepartner.com/get-progress-to-partner/ Get full access to How to Make Partner at howtomakepartner.substack.com/subscribe

  3. Aug 22

    How to ace the partnership admissions process

    Only 31% of professionals on the partnership track can articulate the narrative of their Business Case and explain why they should be admitted to the partnership this time around. Given that most firms cap how many partners they admit in a year, that is the question which separates two credible candidates competing for one slot. This episode covers the twelfth and final key indicator of partnership readiness: the Partnership Admissions Process. It is not a long job interview. It is a two-way due diligence process where your partners decide whether to let you buy equity in their business. This episode covers what they are really assessing, how to prepare for the assessment centre and the interviews, how to build and pitch your Business Case to the panel, and what to do in the weeks after the vote, whichever way it goes. In this episode you will learn: The questions the Partnership Selection Committee asks itself about every candidate, which appear nowhere in your nomination pack and are never scored What actually happens in a Partner Assessment Centre, and the two things that stop most people panicking about it How to build a one-sentence and three-sentence pitch for your Business Case, and how to storyboard it for the Partner Panel Interview What to do in the first few weeks after the vote, whether you got through or not Take the Partnership Readiness Assessment Free to complete, 10 to 15 minutes, and gives you a personalised report across all 12 key indicators. Take the assessment here. Buy Poised for Partnership To buy a copy of Poised for Partnership, click here. What help is out there for you to progress your career in the professions? The Progress to Partner Academy is curated by key indicator. If the Partnership Admissions Process is what is in front of you, you'll find everything in one place. The course to start with is How to Create a Cast-Iron Business Case for Partner. This on-demand course takes you step by step through: - Building a Business Plan for your practice using the STAGe model - Working out the critical moves that will grow your practice profitably and sustainably - Adapting that plan into a Business Case for partnership - Answering the 'Why me' and 'Why now' questions your partners will be weighing up - Pitching your Business Case to your partners Under the indicator you'll also find a set of Video Hub sessions and downloadable guides focused on the admissions process itself: - 9 Differences of a Lateral Hire Partner Business Case - Acing the Partner Admissions Process - The Importance of Your Business Case Narrative - Guide: How to Elegantly Handle Challenging Questions or Open Conflict - Guide to undertaking your own Due Diligence - Partner Panel Interview Timeline These resources will help you: - Understand what your partners are really deciding when they discuss your name - Walk into your interviews with your answers prepared rather than improvised - Get your Business Case down to a pitch you can deliver in the time you are given - Handle the question and answer session without arguing yourself out of a partnership - Know what to do in the weeks after the vote, whichever way it goes If the Partnership Admissions Process is what is in front of you, this section of Progress to Partner will help you go into it prepared rather than hoping. Use code PODCAST10 for 10% off annual membership. Click here to join. Books mentioned Poised for Partnership by Heather Townsend - https://amzn.to/3ETEYk3 How to Make Partner and Still Have a Life by Heather Townsend and Jo Larbie - https://amzn.to/4iLxugM Get full access to How to Make Partner at howtomakepartner.substack.com/subscribe

  4. Aug 8

    What’s the commercial reason to make you up to partner?

    Only 29% of professionals on the partnership track have been working on their Business Case for the last one to three years with the backing of key stakeholders. Which means most people arrive at the most important commercial conversation of their career with far less runway than they think they have. This episode covers the eleventh of the 12 key indicators of partnership readiness: Business Case. This is the commercial half of the argument for making you up, and it is not something you put together over a weekend. It covers what your partners are actually buying, why growth is not the same thing as winning more work, and the evidence gap that sinks strong candidates. In this episode you will learn: The two persuasive questions your Business Case has to answer that no spreadsheet answers for you The other levers, apart from winning more revenue, that you can pull to make your business case more attractive to your partners How to look at your practice process by process to find the opportunities you are currently missing How to build a one-page Talk Sheet, and why it is the most useful thing you will do for your Business Case Take the Partnership Readiness Assessment Free to complete, 10 to 15 minutes, and gives you a personalised report across all 12 key indicators. Take the assessment here. Buy Poised for Partnership To buy a copy of Poised for Partnership, click here. What help is out there for you to progress your career in the professions? The Progress to Partner Academy is curated by key indicator. If Business Case is where you need to focus, you'll find everything in one place. The course to start with is How to Create a Cast-Iron Business Case for Partner. This on-demand course takes you step by step through: Building a Business Plan for your practice using the STAGe model Working out the critical moves that will grow your practice profitably and sustainably Adapting that plan into a Business Case for partnership Answering the 'Why me' and 'Why now' questions your partners will be weighing up Pitching your Business Case to your partners You'll also find resources to help you build your Business Case, including: Guide to creating a cast-iron business case Deck to Pitch your Business Case for Partner Putting Pen to Paper to start your business case How to Successfully Pitch your Business Case Identifying the Right Business Case for You and Your Partners These resources will help you: Move from having a collection of clients to growing a practice your firm cannot afford to lose Think commercially about profit, not just revenue Build the evidence base your partners need before they will back you Get your Business Case simple enough that other partners can sell it for you Walk into your Partner Panel Interview with a case you can pitch in minutes If Business Case is where you need to focus, this section of Progress to Partner will help you build the commercial argument that makes saying yes to you the obvious decision. Use code PODCAST10 for 10% off annual membership. Click here to join. Books mentioned Poised for Partnership by Heather Townsend - https://amzn.to/3ETEYk3 How to Make Partner and Still Have a Life by Heather Townsend and Jo Larbie - https://amzn.to/4iLxugM Also mentioned Susan Heaton-Wright, founder of Superstar Communicator, on Ding Dong words (covered in episode 9) Get full access to How to Make Partner at howtomakepartner.substack.com/subscribe

  5. Aug 1

    Why your partners need to trust you to make it to partner

    Most are relying on their sponsoring partner and their mentor to carry a room they will never sit in. This episode covers the tenth of the 12 key indicators of partnership readiness: Member of the Club. This is the emotional part of your Personal Case, and it is the reason a candidate with a strong Business Case can still be turned down. It covers what your partners are really deciding, how trust gets built in small interactions rather than big gestures, and how to grow your fan base across the partnership before the formal process starts. In this episode you will learn: Why the best candidate on paper does not always get to partner, and what your partners are weighing up instead Why Harrison was out-winning the newer partners in his department and was still told he would never progress beyond director How Theo's timesheets cost him a partnership his work had already earned The difference between advocating for your career and lobbying, and why your partners can always tell How to build your fan base across the partnership, and when a damaged reputation is a signal about the firm rather than about you Take the Partnership Readiness Assessment Free to complete, 10 to 15 minutes, and gives you a personalised report across all 12 key indicators. Take the assessment here. Buy Poised for Partnership To buy a copy of Poised for Partnership, click here. What help is out there for you to progress your career in the professions? The Progress to Partner Academy is curated by key indicator. If Member of the Club is where you need to focus, you'll find everything in one place. You'll find resources to help you become a Member of the Club, including: - How to Get Clients to Treat You Like a Partner - How to Build Authority and Gravitas - How to Build Your Profile Across the Partnership - How to Be Seen as the Next Partner - How to Build Trusted Relationships With Your Partners - How to Be on Your A-Game Every Day - How to Find Out What Is Expected of a Future Partner - How to Take Responsibility for Your Career These resources will help you: - Build genuine trust and rapport with the partners who decide your future - Show up as your authentic self, so partners want you in the room - Develop the authority, presence and gravitas partners recognise as "one of us" - Raise your profile with the people involved in partnership decisions - Be seen as a business partner, not just a technically strong senior - Demonstrate you already belong in the partnership before the title is given If Member of the Club is where you need to focus, this section of Progress to Partner will help you build the trust, likeability and standing that make your partners want you in their club, well before the vote. Use code PODCAST10 for 10% off annual membership. Click here to join. Books mentioned Poised for Partnership by Heather Townsend - https://amzn.to/3ETEYk3 How to Make Partner and Still Have a Life by Heather Townsend and Jo Larbie - https://amzn.to/4iLxugM Get full access to How to Make Partner at howtomakepartner.substack.com/subscribe

  6. Jul 25

    Are you acting, feeling and thinking like a partner?

    Only 43% of professionals on the partnership track talk about having a practice or a business, rather than a client portfolio. It is a small change in language, and it tells your partners a great deal about whether you are ready to be one of them. This episode covers the ninth of the 12 key indicators of partnership readiness: Personal Case. This is where you demonstrate that you are already working at the level expected of a partner, before anyone hands you the title. It covers what your partners are actually looking for, how gravitas is built and undermined, and why the strongest cases are built on strengths rather than on patched gaps. In this episode you will learn: - Why tenure and high billing do not make a Personal Case, and what your partners are assessing instead - The questions to run yourself through to work out whether you are acting, thinking and feeling like a partner - What Ding Dong and Bing Bong words are, and how the language you use every day is either building or eroding your gravitas - How Ewan turned the style that made him seem to lack presence into the reason clients trusted him - Why your partners are not looking for the perfect candidate, and what to do with the strengths you already have Take the Partnership Readiness Assessment Free to complete, 10 to 15 minutes, and gives you a personalised report across all 12 key indicators. Take the assessment here. Buy Poised for Partnership To buy a copy of Poised for Partnership, click here. What help is out there for you to progress your career in the professions? The Progress to Partner Academy is curated by key indicator. If Personal Case is where you need to focus, you'll find everything in one place. You’ll find resources to help you strengthen your Personal Case, including: - How to Be on Your A-Game Every Day - Leading Yourself and Others Through Change - How to Excel as a Line Manager - The Difference Between Your Business Case and Personal Case - How to Find Out What Is Expected of a Future Partner - How to Take Responsibility for Your Career - How to Get Clients to Treat You Like a Partner - How to Build Authority and Gravitas - How to Build Your Profile Across the Partnership - How to Be Seen as the Next Partner These resources will help you: - Understand what your partners expect from someone ready for partnership - Take greater ownership of your career and professional development - Build the authority, presence and credibility expected of a partner - Show that you can lead yourself, support others and manage change - Raise your profile with the people involved in partnership decisions - Help clients and colleagues see you as someone already operating at the next level If Personal Case is where you need to focus, this section of Progress to Partner will help you build a stronger case for partnership by showing your partners that you are ready before the title is formally given to you. Use code PODCAST10 for 10% off annual membership. Click here to join. Books mentioned Poised for Partnership by Heather Townsend - https://amzn.to/3ETEYk3 How to Make Partner and Still Have a Life by Heather Townsend and Jo Larbie - https://amzn.to/4iLxugM Also mentioned Susan Heaton-Wright, founder of Superstar Communicator, on Ding Dong and Bing Bong words Get full access to How to Make Partner at howtomakepartner.substack.com/subscribe

  7. Jul 18

    Creating your daily business development habit - The missing ingredient stopping many professionals from making partner

    Only 20% of professionals on the partnership track do something every day to implement their Business Development Plan. This episode is about how to become one of them — not through willpower, but through habit. Using real examples from Poised for Partnership, this episode covers why business development gets deprioritised even by talented, motivated professionals, and what it actually takes to make it happen consistently. In this episode you will learn: Why Sales Leadership is what your partners are assessing — and what that actually means day to day The identity barrier that stops most professionals from embracing business development, and how to reframe it Why motivation is an unreliable strategy, and why habit is the only thing that works long term The 5Ps model: Plan, Prospect list, Prioritise, Pace, Push down — and how to use it to make time for business development however busy you are How Diego's daily habit protected his practice for years — and what happened when he stopped Take the Partnership Readiness Assessment Free to complete, 10–15 minutes, personalised report across all 12 key indicators: https://www.howtomakepartner.com/partnership-readiness-assessment/ Download the Business Development Habit Chapter from Poised for Partnership (free) Download here. Buy Poised for Partnership To buy a copy of Poised for Partnership, click here. What help is out there for you to progress your career in the professions? The Progress to Partner Academy is curated by key indicator. If Business Development Habit is where you need to focus, you'll find everything in one place, including: How to Make Time for Business Development — tackles the real barriers and helps you build a routine that holds How to Create Your Business Development Plan — helps you turn good intentions into a clear, focused plan that supports your progression Game Plan: How to Start Winning Clients When You Don’t Know Where to Start — gives you practical first steps if business development feels overwhelming or unclear PLUS Video Hub advice including: Getting Serious About Business Development Making Time for Business Development How to Generate a Lead and Get Prospects Over the Line Winning Work from LinkedIn How to Always Make Time for Business Development These resources will help you stop leaving business development until there is spare time, and start building the habits, structure and confidence to make it part of how you work. If Business Development Habit is where you need to focus, this section of Progress to Partner will help you make time for the activity that builds your future business case, not just your current workload. Use code PODCAST10 for 10% off annual membership: https://www.howtomakepartner.com/get-progress-to-partner/ Books mentioned: Poised for Partnership by Heather Townsend - https://amzn.to/3ETEYk3 How to Make Partner and Still Have a Life by Heather Townsend and Jo Larbie - https://amzn.to/4iLxugM Get full access to How to Make Partner at howtomakepartner.substack.com/subscribe

  8. Jul 11

    Referral network: How to reliably go from coffees to instructions

    Only 22% of professionals on the partnership track have a regular routine to keep their network warm. This episode is about closing that gap; not with more coffees that go nowhere, but with a deliberate strategy for building and maintaining the relationships that generate your own client work. Using the five-step Networking Strategy framework, this episode gets practical about how to stop wasting time on the wrong people, how to deepen the relationships that matter most, and how to use the SERVICE framework to turn your network into a reliable source of referrals. This episode is about closing that gap; not with more coffees that go nowhere, but with a deliberate strategy for building and maintaining the relationships that generate your own client work. Using the five-step Networking Strategy framework, this episode gets practical about how to stop wasting time on the wrong people, how to deepen the relationships that matter most, and how to use the SERVICE framework to turn your network into a reliable source of referrals. In this episode you will learn: Why only 35% of professionals have a strong internal firm network that regularly sends them work, and what the rest are missing The five-step Networking Strategy: Aim, Audit, Find, Build, Maintain, and why most people skip the first one entirely How to use A, B and C lister categories to decide where your networking time actually goes The SERVICE framework for generating referrals: what it is, and the three elements most professionals underuse How Emily went from being told she was two years away from partner to landing a £5 million contract in eight weeks Take the Partnership Readiness Assessment Free to complete, 15–20 minutes, and gives you a personalised report across all 12 key indicators, including exactly where to focus your first ONE BIG FOCUS. Take the assessment here. Buy Poised for Partnership To buy a copy of Poised for Partnership, click here. What help is out there for you to progress your career in the professions? Inside the Referral Network indicator, you’ll find practical support to help you build the relationships that can lead to better conversations, stronger opportunities and more of the right work. You’ll find resources to help you strengthen your business development activity, including: • How to Go from Coffees to Instructions • How to Get Confident on LinkedIn • What You Need to Be Successful with Your Business Development • How to Structure Your Business Development Activity • How to Go from Coffee to Instructions • How to Create a Team of Introducers Who Regularly Refer You • How to Turn a Conversation into Business These resources will help you: • Move beyond one-off coffee meetings and build relationships that lead somewhere • Use LinkedIn with more confidence and purpose • Structure your business development activity so it becomes more consistent • Build a network of introducers who understand who you help and when to refer you • Turn good conversations into real opportunities If Referral Network is where you need to focus, this section of Progress to Partner will help you stop leaving referrals to chance and start building the relationships, habits and confidence that help bring the right work to you. Use code PODCAST10 for 10% off annual membership. Click here to join. Books mentioned Poised for Partnership by Heather Townsend - https://amzn.to/3ETEYk3 How to Make Partner and Still Have a Life by Heather Townsend and Jo Larbie - https://amzn.to/4iLxugM Get full access to How to Make Partner at howtomakepartner.substack.com/subscribe

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How to make Partner is the place to learn about how to progress your career in professional services and what the partners in your firm are really looking for. howtomakepartner.substack.com

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  • Creator
    Heather Townsend
  • Years Active
    2025 - 2026
  • Episodes
    65
  • Rating
    Clean
  • Copyright
    © Heather Townsend
  • Show Website
    How to Make Partner Podcast

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