Good work deserves a deliberate approach to winning it

Most of my working life has been spent in engineering, construction and the built environment. Winning work was part of running my own consultancy, alongside delivering projects, managing capacity and looking after clients.

I know what it feels like to be busy with today’s work while wondering where the next appointment will come from. I also know how easily business development can slip down the list when a project needs your attention.

That is why I’m writing these articles.

A practical approach to winning work

I want to explore how professional services firms can take a more deliberate approach to winning work—one that fits alongside technical delivery and feels natural to the people doing it.

The questions are practical. Which clients should you approach? How do you start a conversation? What do you need to understand before offering your services? When should you follow up? And how does a first appointment develop into a lasting working relationship?

Drawing on my own experience

Across ten years, my engineering consultancy generated £1.33 million in fees. Almost £1 million came from 15 client relationships I personally initiated, including the repeat work that followed.

That experience gives me something concrete to draw on. It also raises useful questions about what worked, what depended on the circumstances, and what another firm could apply.

Through these articles, I’ll put that experience into words: explain my thinking, examine the decisions behind it and share practical approaches you can consider in your own business.

I’ll also explore the difficulties, including inconsistent follow-up, dependence on a few clients and making time for business development while delivering paid work.

What I hope you’ll take away

Writing helps me clarify my own approach. My aim is for that process to help you too—whether it prompts a useful question, a conversation with your team or a change in what you do next.

Over time, these articles may form the basis of a book, provisionally titled Win Work. Don’t Wait.

For now, each article has a straightforward purpose: to help you make clearer decisions about the work you want and take practical steps towards winning it.

Best wishes - Kevin