Want a Bigger Book of Business? Consistency Beats Intensity Every Time

By Jane Southren

A bigger book of business means one thing: change.

Not wishful thinking. Not “someday.” Not more of the same.

If you want something different, you have to know, be and do something different to get you there.

This is one of the hardest truths for law professionals to internalize. We’re trained to be high achievers. We like being good at things. And that often means we gravitate toward what we already know how to do—serving clients, solving problems, billing time.

But building business? That’s a different skill set. And growth in that area requires change. Specifically: changing how you show up, how you plan, and how you allocate your time, energy and attention.

Change Only Happens When You Change

Here’s where a lot of people get stuck. They want the bigger book—but they’re waiting for the right time to get started. Or the right mood. Or a quieter week. Or someone to just give it to them.

They’re waiting for the energy to come. For intensity to show up and carry them to their independent and sustainable book of business.

But intensity is a temporary state. It’s a burst. It can get you started—but it won’t get you very far on its own.

Consistency is What Builds Business

Consistency doesn’t ask you to be perfect. It just asks you to keep showing up.

When we coach lawyers at SGI, one of the first things we help them see is this: you don’t need a five-hour block to do BD. You don’t need to feel “on.” You don’t need to overhaul your personality.

You just need to be willing to take one intentional step, every day - even every week when you are just getting started, and keep doing it.

That’s how real change happens. That’s how activity compounds into growth.

The Case for Small, Strategic Actions

Let’s be honest—consistency isn’t sexy. It doesn’t make for dramatic headlines or viral posts.

But if you look at the professionals who actually grow sustainable, values-aligned practices, there’s a quiet discipline behind it. They’re the ones who:

• Block time weekly to nurture their network—even when they’re busy

• Share insights regularly with the people they want to help - even when they are tired

• Follow up (gently and consistently) - even when they feel squidgy about it

• Keep promises. Even small ones. Especially to themselves - every day.

These aren’t grand gestures. They’re grounded habits. And they add up.

Why Your Old Way Isn’t Taking You Where You Want to Go

If you’re reading this and thinking, “I know this already,” pause for a moment. Those are the 4 most dangerous words in the English language - they are fatal to growth and the mindset that is fundamental to it.

Because knowing isn’t the same as doing.

Many of the lawyers I work with already know what they should be doing. But knowing hasn’t changed their results. Because knowledge alone doesn’t create change—action does.

If you want different results, you need different beliefs, different intentions and different behaviours.

Start Smaller Than You Think You Should

Don’t build an ambitious BD plan you’ll abandon in three weeks. Build something you can keep doing—even when your schedule fills up.

Think:

• One reconnection email a week

• One coffee every two weeks

• One 30-minute block to think strategically about your practice

That might not sound like much. But it’s more than most people are doing. And done consistently, it builds trust, relationships and momentum.

Let Intensity Support, Not Lead

Intensity has its place. It can give you a boost. But consistency is what creates real, sustainable change. The kind that transforms your practice—not just for this quarter, but for the long run.

So if you’re serious about building a bigger book, ask yourself:

• What one thing can I do every week that supports that goal?

• Where can I replace intensity with consistency?

• What needs to change—about how I work, think, or plan—for me to grow?

Because wanting change is one thing. Creating it? That’s where the work—and the reward—is.

If you’re ready to grow your book, start with one small, consistent change. And if you’re not sure what that looks like? Let’s figure it out together. SGI’s Business Development Coaching helps lawyers turn good intentions into real results—without needing to be someone they’re not.