The Doer-Seller Bell Curve

Most professional services firms depend on doer-sellers—but few take the time to examine how sales responsibility is actually distributed across the organization.

In this episode, John Tyreman and Mark Wainwright introduce The Doer-Seller Bell Curve, a simple framework for firm leadership to understand the breakdown of people “doing the work” and “winning the work.”

They discuss why many firms are skewed toward doers, why mid-career professionals often represent the greatest opportunity (and risk), and why relying too heavily on long-tenured sellers can undermine long-term growth and succession.

You’ll hear insights on:

• Why excellent delivery rarely guarantees future work
• The cultural and structural forces that shape selling behavior
• Common pitfalls of the doer-seller model
• How firms can intentionally shift the curve over time

This episode is for firm leaders who want to build a healthier, more sustainable approach to business development—without forcing everyone to “be in sales.”

Past episodes referenced:

• Mastering BizDev In Your Career: From Junior Practitioner to Managing Partner

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