FAQs
About Russell Strategy Partners
About Russell Strategy Partners
What does business development mean today?
Business development is the practical work of turning relationships, expertise and opportunity into revenue.
At its simplest, it’s about:
Nurturing relationships for the future
Understanding and supporting your clients on their journey
Focusing on the right clients and opportunities at the right time
Having clear, commercial conversations
Building momentum that leads to predictable growth
Good BD is not about noise, jargon or over-engineering. It’s about clarity, consistency and follow-through.
What is Russell Strategy Partners?
Russell Strategy Partners (RSP) is a specialist business development consultancy for pharma service and professional services firms.
We help firms simplify BD, refocus effort and deliver results — whether that means doing the work for you, building capability with your team, or moving at pace when growth matters most.
Who does RSP typically work with?
We work with pharma service & professional services firms including:
Consultancies
Recruitment & executive search firms
Law firms, Barristers Chambers
Marketing, creative and advisory businesses
Our clients range from founder-led firms to established organisations across the UK, Europe and North America.
Our BD Services
What does Done For You mean?
Done For You is for firms that want momentum without distraction.
We take ownership of defined BD activities — such as pipeline building, account development, opportunity shaping or bids — and deliver it on your behalf, aligned to how your firm actually works.
You stay focused on delivery. We keep BD moving.
What does Done With You involve?
Done With You is a collaborative approach, for when your people need to developed their BD mindset, skillset and confidence.
We work alongside your leadership and BD teams to deliver tailored BD workshops and webinars and mentor and support your people to improve their confidence and commercial conversations.
You build capability while seeing progress in real time — not theory or training for training’s sake.
When is Done At Pace the right option?
Done At Pace is designed for moments that matter, when you need a specific BD problem solved quickly. When BD momentum has stalled, opportunities are being missed, or your team are flat out delivering & have no one driving growth.
It’s focused, time-bound and outcomes-led — bringing clarity and traction quickly, without creating unnecessary complexity.
How We Work
Do you still offer BD strategy?
Yes — but we approach strategy as a tool for action, not a document.
Our work focuses on:
What to prioritise
Where effort will pay off
How BD actually happens day-to-day
Strategy only matters if it changes behaviour and results.
Do you help with client development and cross-selling?
Absolutely.
We help firms:
Identify the right accounts to focus on
Spot realistic cross-sell opportunities
Turn insight into confident, commercial conversations
The goal is simple: more value from existing relationships, without forcing it.
Do you provide training or upskilling?
Yes — within the Done With You approach.
Rather than generic BD training, we focus on:
Practical skills
Real client situations
Language that feels natural and credible
The aim is confidence, not scripts.
Do you offer diagnostics or assessments?
Yes. We often start with a BD Healthcheck to understand:
What’s working
What’s getting in the way
Where effort is being wasted
This gives us a clear, shared view of what to change — and what to leave alone.
Results & Impact
What results can firms expect?
Clients typically see:
Clearer priorities
Stronger pipelines
Better quality conversations
Increased confidence across teams
Most importantly, BD becomes simpler, more consistent and easier to sustain.
How do you measure success?
Success is measured in outcomes, not activity:
Opportunities progressed
Relationships strengthened
Revenue influenced
Confidence improved
If it doesn’t move the needle, we don’t keep doing it.
Practical Information
Where is RSP based?
We’re based in the United Kingdom and work with clients across the UK, Europe and North America.
How do we start working together?
Start with a conversation.
Get in touch via our website or email info@russellsp.com and we’ll explore:
Your growth plans
What’s happening now
What’s not working
What you want to change
Which approach — Done For You, Done With You or Done At Pace — fits best
Who founded Russell Strategy Partners?
Darren Spevick founded Russell Strategy Partners, bringing decades of experience helping professional services firms grow in a way that is commercial, credible and human.