How to Make Partner Podcast

Heather Townsend
  • 5.0 (1)
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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

  1. 3d ago

    Why you struggle with pricing

    You've scoped the job, you know what the firm needs to charge, but you are afraid of charging what it really is going to cost? So what are you actually afraid of? That's what this episode is all about. You may not set your firm's rate card. You do decide what goes into the scope, whether you go back to a client when the job grows, whether you write time off at the end of the month rather than pick up the phone, and whether a proposal explains what the client is getting for their money. Nobody signs those decisions off for you. How you make those decisions will determine whether you are ready for partnership OR you will be able to grow your practice sustainably. The fee you quote is capped by what you believe the work is worth to the person buying it, and by what you believe you're worth doing it. 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: What you can influence with the profitability of your work even when you have to work off a set rate card How small incremental decisions can significantly increase the profitability of your work. What a client is really telling you when they ask whether you can do it cheaper The one question to answer before your next fee conversation, so you are more confident quoting a fee 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 understand all of this, I just can't make myself do it when I'm sat in front of the client', our Progress To Partner Academy can help you. That's precisely why part two of this episode sits inside the Progress to Partner Academy. It takes you through naming the specific fear that's operating on you, testing it against what actually happens in firms, and working out where your number is coming from, so you stop pricing from your own pocket. 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

    Why you struggle with pricing

  2. Sep 26

    The billable hour is breaking. What do you do if that's still how you bill?

    You keep seeing headlines about the billable hour dying, clients demanding fixed fees, consultancies setting the pace years ago, and you are still sending out invoices built on hours.The question is not whether you should start changing from charging by time, but how to move away from this billing model. Sorting out your own pricing habits, rather than waiting for your firm to change its model for you, is exactly the kind of initiative that marks someone out as ready for partnership. 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 AI is accelerating a market place change to fixed fees - How to start the process to move from billing by time to fixed fees or another way of charging - Practical habits to build now if you are still billing mostly by time - What all of this has to do with being seen as ready for partner 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, ‘This all makes sense, but I don’t have the time or the data to work any of this out properly,’ our Progress To Partner Academy can help you. 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. Sep 19

    Your client thinks AI should make you cheaper. Now what?

    You are sitting across from a client who has just asked why you have not passed on the savings from using AI. It is an increasingly common question. So how do you answer it without either caving on your fee or getting defensive about it? That's what this episode is all about. Whilst the presenting problem is how to answer the question about price in the moment with your client, the bigger issue is about understanding the real value you bring to your client. Plus how AI will reduce or increase that value. Sorting that out is not a job for your marketing team or your finance team. It’s the type of thinking that a partner will need to be doing. 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 asking for a discount because the client thinks you can use AI to do the work quicker isn’t really the issue. How to respond, in the moment, when a client asks you to justify your fee Why letting a client test the AI shortcut themselves can work in your favour What separates partner-level thinking about pricing from managing one fee on one call 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, 'That's fine for you to say, but if I push back on price and the client walks, that's on me,' our Progress To Partner Academy can help you. 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

  4. Sep 12

    How to make it easy to introduce others in the firm to your client

    You have been sat in front of the same client for years. The work is good, the relationship is good, and none of it has ever gone anywhere else in the firm. Then somebody asks what work you have found for the rest of the firm this year. How do you have that conversation with a client without feeling like a second hand car sales person? That's what this episode is all about. Most of the mid-tier, global and multidisciplinary firms have made more work from existing clients their main route to market, which means you need to be good at introducing your clients to others in the firm. Almost nobody is taught how to do it. Account management is a skill, and it is one you will have to build yourself rather than wait for your firm to teach you.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: How to earn the right to ask a client what else they need The one question that tells you whether your client is ready to meet a partner How to spot the opportunity when casually talking with clients Which handful of colleagues you actually need to know to be great at introducing others into your client. 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 do not know how to have that conversation without sounding like I am selling', our Progress To Partner Academy can help you. That's precisely why we have 'How to Develop Work from Existing Clients' in the Progress to Partner Academy. It takes you through how to have the right conversations with clients that lead to new business.  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

  5. Sep 5

    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

  6. 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

  7. 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

  8. 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

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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

Information

  • Creator
    Heather Townsend
  • Years Active
    2025 - 2026
  • Episodes
    69
  • Rating
    Clean
  • Copyright
    © Heather Townsend
  • Show Website
    How to Make Partner Podcast

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