This Is Woman's Work with Nicole Kalil The Activator Advantage - What Today’s Rainmakers Do Differently with Karen Freeman | 370
Dec 15, 2025
Karen Freeman, Chief Product Officer at DCM Insights and co-author of The Activator Advantage, shares insights on transforming business development. She highlights why client loyalty is dwindling and the shift in buyer behavior away from trust. Karen outlines the importance of actively building pipelines, treating networks as assets, and consistently creating value. She introduces the Activator profile—commit, connect, and create—as essential for success, emphasizing that doing good work alone is no longer sufficient in today's landscape.
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Doing Good Work Is Table Stakes
- Doing excellent work no longer guarantees repeat business or loyalty from clients.
- Activators create opportunities proactively instead of waiting to be chosen by clients.
Client Loyalty Is Rapidly Eroding
- Buyer loyalty to incumbent professional service providers has dropped sharply over five years.
- Research showed willingness to return fell from 76% to 53% now and 37% projected in five years.
Buying Committees Change Decisions
- More stakeholders and procurement processes mean individual client champions have less control.
- Buying committees and procurement push price and formal processes into professional services.