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Women Rainmakers Say There Are No Excuses

by Mimi Spangler

Becoming a rainmaker gives a consultant three coveted advantages: respect from one’s peers, high earnings, and job control. To find out how women rainmakers optimize networking to support their business development endeavors, we interviewed women who have risen to the executive management ranks in leading consulting firms such as Deloitte Consulting, Watson Wyatt Worldwide, Oliver Wyman, Navigant Consulting, RHR International, and others.

Our findings are summarized below with the top eight ways women rainmakers network.

1. Create a Peer Group

Most women rainmakers reported that they don’t target women who have connections. Their closest and strongest networks include friendships built on a common framework, which often started from personal rather than business interests.

Jocelyn Cunningham, Securities Leader for Deloitte Consulting, said that one of her closest networks is an intimate group of senior-level women focused on Wall Street. She said, “I initially was intimidated to network with men. I didn’t want to golf and I found myself waiting for the invite to events versus inviting myself. I was comfortable with this group of women. We had things in common like work/life balance, childcare, and glass ceiling issues. Our group has formed strong personal and business relationships which have grown by sharing common challenges and professional interests.”

You cannot develop client relationships on an airplane!

Christina Williams was Managing Director for an international human resource consulting firm and now has her own firm, Atiara Group. She explained that her primary network of contacts evolved from her feeling isolated as a woman and working mom in a male-dominated leadership group.

Williams started her network with one outside consultant who shared similar life and professional issues. They invited other colleagues to join their informal breakfast meetings. The group initially met four times per year. Now it has over 150 consultants and clients and meets every six weeks. About 30 people show up for the two-hour meetings.

While being senior management women forged their initial bond, the result of their network has been peer camaraderie, referrals, and work for their firms. The women in this and similar groups all share a common goal to help and support each other.

Surprisingly though, a significant number of the women interviewed said that they don’t use their closest networks for direct business development. The value of those networks is primarily peer friendships, with work referrals ranking significantly behind that.

Many of the large consulting firms have recognized this need for women’s peer support, and are giving more attention to establishing internal women’s networking groups that foster relationships built on common interests and challenges.

2. Be Yourself

All of the women rainmakers emphasized that success depends on not trying to be someone you’re not. Doing what comes naturally as the path of least resistance resonates in both networking and client development approaches.

Maureen Tarantello, who is in charge of account management at Watson Wyatt Worldwide in Chicago, said that she advises women at her firm to continually expand their contacts but to do so in ways that they are comfortable with. She tells them if they enjoy talking to people, do it. If the informality of this approach is painful for them, she suggests that they write articles and find other ways that play to their individual strengths.

Several of the women interviewed said that “being yourself” often translates negatively as being less direct and aggressive than men, and they encourage junior women to project more confidence and directness. Other female personality stereotypes such as being more collaborative, supportive, and helpful were viewed as positive attributes in understanding client issues and proposing the best solution.

Sometimes women rainmakers have approached things in personal ways that help them stand out from the crowd. One woman talked about a male-dominated client outing that she attended. “A group of movers and shakers in the transportation industry were on a yearly casino bus trip. The first year I was invited because of my senior client contacts, I brought margaritas. I had no problem making quick connections with many of the senior decision makers on the trip.” 

3. Start Building Your Contacts Early  

Young professionals are often intimidated by the idea of developing new business, and initially relate the task to cold calling senior decision-makers. What they don’t realize is that their existing contacts are the best place for them to start, even if the contacts are not in a position to give them work.

A partner at a large firm told us about an informal neighborhood gathering that catapulted her career. When she had just started working at her firm, she attended a cocktail party hosted by a neighbor, who was a college trustee.

At the party, she talked with the President of the college who commented on an administrative issue he was facing. She said, “When I got back to the office, I researched the issue, sent him a summary and asked him if he would like to meet a senior partner with our firm. The three of us had lunch and he liked the senior partner. After that he hired us and five years later appointed me one of his key advisors. At the time the firm created no pressure to bring in business, but I thought here was an opportunity and went after it. It opened up doors later.” 

In addition to personal contacts and school alumni networks, many of the women listed trade associations as their first focus for meeting clients. Younger professionals join trade or industry associations, but many don’t recognize the opportunities for client development.

All of the women rainmakers emphasized that success depends on not trying to be someone you’re not.

The CEO of a New England consulting firm related how she built her business from her industry association network. Fresh out of school, she joined a group and became active on a committee. The committee leader took her under his wing and made a point of introducing her to everyone and explaining who they were and why they were important. She became chair of a committee and learned that “if you do volunteer work in an organization with people you want as clients and you do a good job, they will know that you will do a good job if they hire you.” 

Another woman rainmaker explained how her network has evolved from industry associations to more senior executives. “Early on I spent a significant amount of time giving speeches to groups of people I hoped would know and remember me. I would ask clients if they were members of an association that would like to have me speak and some would call me to ask if I would. That’s where my first clients came from.

Now I get my clients primarily through referral sources from clients. My target market is senior executives of corporations. It is harder to find opportunities to contact these people and they attend fewer outside meetings, so they are harder to reach with speeches. I try to get invited to meetings at which these people are present, and the firm has meetings to which it invites these people.”

4. Plan Gatherings that YOU Enjoy

The increasing number of senior women executives has spurred a new wave of client gatherings. Taking clients golfing or to sporting events has evolved for women into spa retreats, fashion shows, shopping events, and other more intimate venues. Women rainmakers seem to prefer smaller group interactions versus large, multiple client gatherings such as hospitality suites or tournaments.

One woman partner said her firm was moving to smaller events where they can spend quality time with fewer people. “I am organizing a spa event in New York City inviting a group of 20 to 30 women only. Invitees include clients and referral sources. I had lunch with a client who has lots of women partners. We wanted to get her team together with our team. This led to a discussion which is typically a dinner—and then the idea of a spa event came up and she loved it!”  

Jane Anderson, Director of Learning and Professional Development at Navigant Consulting, described a client gathering where the firm invited ten exclusive women’s clothing vendors to showcase their lines in booths. Women clients were invited for shopping and cocktails. The event was a huge success. Another woman-only event involved organizing a client gathering at a museum hosting a “JackieO” exhibit which also had a great turnout.

5. Recognize the Female Advantage

A majority of the women interviewed referred to their industries as still male-dominated, and noticeably so at the senior levels. A director of a national consulting firm described her first CEO conference. “I was the only woman in our firm’s leadership group and we went to a CEO conference where everyone was an old, white guy. First I was uncomfortable thinking about how I would fit in, but it became easy because I was different, being the only woman. I didn’t try to blend in; I took advantage of this recognition in the group and just met lots of people.”

Similarly, a leading rainmaker of another consulting firm described her participation in an industry group. “Women were rare there. I stuck out like a sore thumb and people remembered me.”

While uniqueness was sometimes viewed as a positive attribute in male-dominated venues, the ease with which women relate to other women was recognized by almost all of the women interviewed. “Women in leadership roles connect to other women in leadership, largely because there are so few of us,” commented one rainmaker.

One woman rainmaker in her 50’s said, “I recoiled from attaching to women’s groups early in my career because I did not want to segregate myself from the men. Now I feel that there is a broader group of women established and thought of in the industry and there is a real reason for networking versus the thought that the group is a women’s movement.”

Several also said that it was easy to break the ice and form natural bonds with women prospects or clients by discussing common personal topics such as children and related professional work challenges.

6. Ask for Mentoring

Many of the women interviewed had sought out both male and female mentors from within and outside their organizations. A principal with an international consulting firm said that when she started getting revenue targets from her firm she asked one of her clients who was a senior executive of a Fortune 500 company for advice on how to bring in business. To her pleasant surprise, he responded, “You should ask me more often. I know a lot of people who I can introduce you to!” And he did!

7. Keep in Touch with Your Clients

Existing and past clients are every rainmaker’s largest source of new business. A partner in a regional consulting firm commented, “I learned early on that the best source of business was existing clients. I developed relationships with people at my level at client companies. As they moved up the corporate ladder and as I moved up the firm ladder, I developed the trust and relationship that resulted in them calling me when they had issues. Some moved to other companies and would call me, and this brought in new clients. After ten years I had a strong base from this source.”

While following an existing client from one account to another was typically reported as a successful strategy, that scenario can present opportunities and challenges. “You always want a lot of relationships at a client, so that if a contact leaves, you have other relationships.” Another less proactive rainmaker indicated what she does when her contacts leave, “My client moves their people around a lot. I stay in touch with the people who moved and forge a relationship with the new ones who replaced them.”

Staying in touch with clients is easy when a project is underway and seems difficult otherwise. Women rainmakers are disciplined at finding meaningful ways to maintain their visibility with past clients. They create “reasons to meet.”

A practice leader from a New York City consulting firm pointed out, “I never do a meeting without bringing something new, so there is always something fresh. I try to anticipate what they will need six months from now and so can lead the thinking. I get ideas from things I read or from talking to people in their organization or talking to other colleagues.”

A partner from the same firm advised, “Make sure that you don’t get confined by the scope of work you are doing for the client. You need to be aware of industry and company issues that are likely to impact them. That is a good way to find opportunities for new business.” 

Specifically how women rainmakers keep in touch with clients depends on their own personal preferences and style. Ruth Ford, retired Principal of Xroads Solutions Group said, “My approach is primarily through business oriented activities as opposed to personal or social ones and being extraordinarily helpful and responsive. I use meals as a key avenue; everyone needs to eat.

Lunch is the norm but I have found that very busy people would rather do breakfast since it is hard for them to guarantee that they can take a break in the middle of the day (or would rather go to the gym if they have some time). Knowing this about my contacts gives immediate insight into them as an individual as well. Dinner to me is when I pass a certain threshold where my client or contact is willing to give personal time.”

Another commented, “I have to spend a lot of time keeping in contact with the people I already know. Often I call just to say hi because we haven’t talked for a while. Sometimes I use our company publication as a vehicle and call to ask if they got it and ask what they think. We do breakfast seminars and I see people there that I haven’t seen in years and meet new ones. I call to follow up and get feedback and ask if there is any way I can help them.” 

The rainmakers we talked to said they don’t rely on a firm’s mass mailings, webcasts, or events. Capitalizing on impromptu events is a more frequent avenue to reconnect with contacts.

For example, one rainmaker said that a consultant friend gave her a book that he had just published. She liked the book and thought it had some helpful points for several of her clients. Although the book focused on a different service offering than hers, she asked the consultant for a box of his books to distribute to her clients. When he asked what was in it for her since it wasn’t what she did, she replied, “It was a good book, and I thought it would just be helpful for them.”  

8. Take Risks

Women are presented with challenges on their career path to rainmaker. Peak advancement years in their mid-30s coincide with equally high demands from child rearing and family. Addressing this conundrum effectively requires knowing what you want and then taking risks to get it.

DeAnne Aguirre, Senior Partner at Booz Allen Hamilton, said, “Early on I spent too many years on planes every week. I decided that I needed to develop a local business or find another profession after I married and then proceeded to have four children in six years. In addition, I fundamentally believe that the consulting business is disadvantaged if your operating model keeps you on an airplane 10 to 20 hours per week.

You cannot develop client relationships on an airplane! Therefore, my business development is local, either in the San Francisco Bay area or within a one-hour flight. It took 18 months to develop a solid local business and I did that knowing it was risky to change my client base.” 

Another working mom similarly related that, in an effort to stay near her new child, she pursued local companies, at her own risk, that were not assigned by her firm to her as target accounts. As she became successful in generating local business, she found that the local clients referred her to others outside of her geographic area!

Conclusion

Most of the women we interviewed didn’t see significant differences between networking for men and women. All said that it is important and requires strict discipline for professionals, both men and women, to grow their networks and keep in touch. They indicated their belief that the playing field for women is fairly equal. One rainmaker summarized by saying, “There are no excuses now for being a woman.”  

Mimi Spangler is a partner at Harding & Company, which helps professionals learn to develop business. She has worked with consultants at many firms, both large and small. For more information, visit the company’s web site at www.hardingco.com and blog at www.hardingco.com/blog. Spangler can be reached at mspangler@hardingco.com.