Three technology advisory firms in the last month, in three different markets, have said the same thing to us in almost the same words. They are crying out for rainmakers and cannot find them.
One had a business development seat open because delivery people were not converting. One had put a revenue target on its Senior Manager grade and was struggling to fill it. One described a Director-level role as 40 per cent origination and had turned down strong candidates on that alone.
This is not a coincidence, and it is not a shortage of talented people. It is how consulting careers are built.
From analyst to senior manager, consultants are measured on utilisation, quality of work and client feedback. Winning work is a Partner's job. Then at Director or Principal, the measure changes overnight. The person is now expected to open doors, shape propositions, price engagements and carry a number. Nothing in the previous ten years has prepared them for it, and the firm is surprised when half of them cannot do it.
The result is a generation of people who can run an engagement and cannot open one. Excellent delivery leaders with no book. Firms know this, which is why the word rainmaker appears in so many briefs, and why the candidates who can actually originate command a premium that has nothing to do with their technical skills.
What it means if you are hiring
Be honest in the brief about the split. If the seat is 40 per cent business development, say so, and screen for evidence of it rather than hoping it will emerge. Ask what the candidate has personally originated in the last twelve months, and separate new business from follow-on work with existing clients, because the two are weighted very differently.
And look outside the obvious pool. The people who can sell are often sitting in mid-tier firms that put a target on managers earlier, in-house commercial roles, or businesses they built themselves. They are not always the ones with the best-known logo on their CV.
What it means if you are the candidate
If you are at senior manager grade in a strong firm and want the next step, the single most useful thing you can do is get a number attached to your name. Volunteer for pursuits. Own a client relationship rather than an engagement. Be able to say, with a figure, what you brought in. It is the credential the market is short of, and it is the one nobody teaches.