Before a prospect ever lands on your website or schedules an introductory call, an invisible filter may decide whether your firm even deserves to be in the running.

Today's B2B buyers are bypassing traditional search bars and asking AI platforms like ChatGPT, Claude, and Gemini to curate custom shortlists of top service providers. This shift means the machine is secretly screening, evaluating, and filtering your firm long before you ever know that lead exists.

In this episode of Breaking BizDev, John and Mark explore what this behavioral shift means for marketing a professional services firm. They are joined by guest voices from SEO specialist Geoff Kerbis (Director of SEO at Assembly Global) and Austin McNair (Head of Marketing at Hinge Marketing) to break down how Generative Engine Optimization (GEO) is fast-forwarding the buyer's journey and what you must do to ensure your brand actually shows up.

In this episode, you'll learn:

• How AI search tools help buyers bypass the first 63% of the buying journey
• How a decade-old employee review can warp your digital brand
• Why your marketing team must focus on earning brand mentions and citations.
• Which platform is the most reputable, highly cited source domain for professional services AI engines
• Technical, practical steps you can take today, like adding organization schema on your website backend and claiming your Google Search Profile.

CHAPTERS:

00:00 Welcome
04:15 SEO vs GEO
15:00 Measuring AI Share of Voice
17:04 How Firms Should Evolve Their Marketing Strategy
25:20 The Role of Thought Leadership

Catch the full interviews with Geoff and Austin on the Breaking BizDev YouTube Channel

Share your feedback in our listener survey: https://www.surveymonkey.com/r/8V9T6Z7

While many professional services firms focus on massive strategic shifts to close deals, it is often the tiny, day-to-day behaviors of doer-sellers that quietly make or break a sale. In this episode of Breaking BizDev, John and Mark break down the five critical sales habits that successful professionals exhibit to build trust, take control of opportunities, and win more work. Through humorous roleplay skits and practical good-vs-bad behavioral breakdowns, they show you how to transition these actions from intentional effort into second-nature habits.

In this episode, you'll learn:

• Proactivity: How to take the initiative and anticipate client needs instead of waiting for RFPs to drop or letting deals stall in "the waiting game".
• Ownership: Why true accountability means setting clear revenue goals and owning the outcomes of your pursuits—especially when assuming responsibility for the losses.
• Curiosity: How to ditch the slide deck and focus entirely on the client's business problems through disciplined preparation, active listening, and client-focused storytelling.
• Situational Awareness: How to "read the room," spot subtle verbal and visual cues (even over Zoom), and dynamically pivot the sales conversation rather than sticking to a rigid script.
• Humble Confidence: How to strike the perfect balance between knowing your value and putting the client's needs first, including mastering "the power of I don't know" and redirecting prospects to competitors when you aren't a good fit.

CHAPTERS:
00:00 Welcome
03:27 Proactivity
07:51 Ownership
11:10 Curiosity
16:56 Situational Awareness
23:16 Humble Confidence
29:01 Final Thoughts

Relevant Past Episodes:

• Slides Don't Sell
• The Perfect (Sales) Proposal
• Create Stronger Client Bonds With Empathy and Understanding

Share your feedback in our listener survey: https://www.surveymonkey.com/r/8V9T6Z7

When the economy is booming, winning new business can feel effortless, but what about when times are hard? How do the behaviors of buyers and sellers shift?

For doer-sellers and professional services BD pros, navigating economic cycles requires adapting your strategy without falling into common traps—from sacrificing future pipeline during busy periods to exuding desperation when work slows down. In this episode of Breaking BizDev, John and Mark break down how buyer psychology shifts between good and hard times, and share actionable habits to keep your pipeline healthy through every phase of the economic cycle. In this episode, you'll learn:

• How buyer behavior shifts between economic booms and market downturns.
• Why you must avoid the utilization trap during boom times to protect your future pipeline.
• How to build a proactive referral habit while client relationships are thriving.
• Why offering cut-rate loss leaders backfires—and how 3-option tables save margins.
• How to avoid commission breath and lower self-orientation when deals are scarce

CHAPTERS:

00:00 Welcome
02:12 Reading the Market Signals
03:46 Buyer Mindset Shifts
06:59 Biz Dev in Boom Times
16:09 Selling Through Downturns

Past episodes mentioned:

• The Power Of Saying 'No': Turning Down Opportunities May Actually Be a Good Thing
• A Referral Process
• How to Maximize Un-Billable Hours (And Not Squander Them)
• 7 Content Frameworks for Lead Generation
• Looking in the Mirror: How to Be Accountable Even When You Lose
• 3 Option Tables Part I: The Power of Three
• Building Trust At Scale (Without 1,000 Coffee Chats)

Share your feedback in our listener survey: https://www.surveymonkey.com/r/8V9T6Z7