The inaugural LMA Europe Conference kicked off with a fantastic session from Karen Freeman of DCM Insights where she delved into how the best professional services partners are adapting to using an activator approach to win , retain and grow client relationships.

The Current Problem - Client Loyalty is waning.

According to a survey conducted by DCM Insights. Five years ago, 76% of clients preferred returning to familiar partners, but that number has dropped to 53% today and is projected to fall to 37% within the next five years.

The DCM Insights research also highlighted five distinct business development profiles, Expert, Confident, Activator, Debater and Realist and discovered that partners categorised as ‘Activators’ were the highest performers. They also found that "embracing Activator behaviours can boost the average partner's business development performance by up to 32%.

The Activator Playbook: Commit, Connect, Create

Commit – Activators treat business development as essential. They carve out time weekly, engage consistently with clients and prospects, and use the CRM to track and follow up on opportunities.

Connect – Activators are natural networkers. They build and leverage strong relationships with clients, prospects, and colleagues to uncover and convert new opportunities, not just for themselves, but for their teams too.

Create – Activators stay informed and initiate proactive, value-driven conversations with clients. When outside their expertise, they connect clients with the right experts. They focus on future needs, knowing that today's outreach can lead to tomorrow's work.

Top Tips for Deploying Activator (and Other Initiatives)

Towards the end of the session, Karen shared her insights on how to successfully implement Activator within a law firm. Many of her recommendations are relevant for rolling out any kind of technology or change initiative.

1. Slow Down to Speed Up
Ensure the initiative is clearly tied to your firm’s broader strategy. Start with a focused pilot, find a small group of champions and build from there. Involve leadership from the beginning to build credibility and secure early buy-in.

2. Promote Endorsement, Not Enforcement
Leverage pilot success stories to gain wider support. Use your internal champions to advocate for the initiative. When engaging senior leaders, the message doesn’t need to be, “You must lead by doing,” but rather, “Your endorsement and encouragement to take part will really help.”

3. Inspire, Don’t Just Oversee
Focus on inspiring action through real success stories rather than micromanaging outcomes. Show how participants are personalising their use of the tool. Karen emphasised that “measurement follows belief” get people bought in first, and the results will follow.

4. Lead with the 'Why'
Make sure participants understand the purpose, not just the process. Connect the initiative to client needs and firm strategy, and highlight what’s in it for individuals, like growing and retaining key relationships.

5. Encourage Personalisation
This isn’t about turning everyone into the same kind of “Activator”, it’s about helping individuals develop the behaviours and skills that work for them. Focus on practical upskilling in a few core areas, not wholesale transformation.

6. Create a System of Nudges
Keep the initiative front-of-mind with a regular rhythm of content: weekly tips, short stories, and easy-to-use, mobile-friendly resources. Karen recommended the EAST framework for nudges:

• Easy
• Attractive
• Social
• Timely

Example of Success: Bird & Bird
Karen wrapped up by highlighting Bird & Bird as a standout example of best practice. The Activator rollout there is led by the formidable Raya Blakely Glover, who began by launching Activator with 400 global partners.

Key elements of their success:

• Multi-channel internal comms led to 15% higher engagement compared to other campaigns.
• A custom-built Sales App, created by the MBD team, made Activator content and tips easy to access.
• Targeted internal communications increased app usage and overall engagement with the programme.