Developing the Next Generation of Rainmakers
As partners retire, firms are left wondering who will create the next generation of growth. Rainmaking can no longer be something a few naturally gifted partners know how to do. Firms need to intentionally develop the communication, relationship-building, commercial and business development skills their future leaders will need. Most importantly, they need to start much earlier in an accountant’s career.This session will help firm administrators and leaders see how firms can build a more systematic approach to developing those skills, from stronger client conversations and value creation to personal brand, networking, opportunity identification, cross-selling and relationship development. We’ll also look at the experiences, coaching, systems and leadership support needed so business development becomes a capability developed over time rather than an expectation that suddenly appears at manager or partner level. Finally, we’ll examine how AI is changing the development model, giving firms new ways to coach conversations, identify missed opportunities and strengthen the human skills that become even more important as technical work is increasingly automated.
Learning Objectives:
- Identify key skills for developing future rainmakers
- Explain why BD development should start earlier
- Describe how coaching and client exposure build capability
- Recognize the systems and support needed for growth
- Explain how AI can strengthen BD development
Bring a growth challenge from your firm and leave with a plan to start building your next generation of rainmakers this quarter!
Presenter and Moderator Bios
Presenter: Katie Tolin, CPA Growth Guides
Katie Tolin is an award-winning growth strategist who has spent her career helping accounting firms grow, differentiate and adapt to change. She has developed successful marketing and business development programs recognized for innovation, data-driven strategy and measurable results.
Katie is an inductee into the Accounting Marketing Hall of Fame, a former Accounting Marketer of the Year and a past president of the Association for Accounting Marketing. She has been named multiple times to Accounting Today’s Top 100 Most Influential People in Public Accounting list and is a past recipient of the Most Powerful Women in Accounting award.
Her career has given her a firsthand view of growth from nearly every angle of the profession. Katie spent years working inside local, regional and super-regional CPA firms before moving into consulting, where she has spent more than a decade advising firms and leaders on growth strategy, marketing, business development and go-to-market execution. She also works with firms as a fractional chief growth officer, helping leadership teams connect strategy with the people, processes and capabilities required to execute it.
Today, Katie is also co-founder of XcelLabs, an AI company focused on helping accounting professionals develop the human skills that become more valuable as technology changes how work gets done. Her work increasingly focuses on the intersection of AI, talent development, client relationships and firm growth, including how firms can better prepare the next generation of professionals to create value, build relationships and drive growth.
