Business Development Director

Berlin Patten Ebling•Sarasota, FL

About The Position

The Business Development Director (BDD) for Estate Planning & Probate serves as the strategic business development and sales leader for Berlin Patten Ebling’s Estate Planning & Probate practice group. This role is responsible for driving sustainable growth by managing attorneys as a sales team, developing and executing attorney-specific business development strategies, and ensuring consistent, measurable activity that results in new matters and long-term referral relationships. The Business Development Director is not the primary salesperson. Instead, this role identifies prospects and referral opportunities, facilitates introductions, sets initial meetings, and manages attorney follow-up and relationship maintenance. Using HubSpot as the primary CRM, the BDD oversees pipelines, tracks activity, enforces accountability, and measures performance against defined KPIs, with a focus on generating qualified opportunities, growing attorneys’ books of business, and delivering measurable return on investment.

Requirements

Bachelor’s degree required
Must possess a valid Florida driver’s license and be able to travel between firm offices and within assigned territory as needed
Proven experience in business development, sales management, or revenue growth roles
Experience managing professionals or revenue-generating teams
Strong understanding of pipeline management and performance metrics
Exceptional communication, organizational, and follow-up skills
Ability to work independently while collaborating across teams
Comfortable with public speaking and relationship-driven environments

Nice To Haves

Experience using a CRM to manage deals, track KPIs, and enforce accountability is preferred

Responsibilities

Attorney Business Development Leadership: Serve as the primary business development manager for assigned Estate Planning & Probate attorneys. Manage attorneys as a sales team by setting expectations, directing outreach efforts, conducting regular check-ins, and monitoring follow-up and performance. Partner with each attorney to develop an annual business development plan that includes goals, target referral sources, and activity benchmarks. Coach attorneys on relationship development, referral conversations, and effective business asking.
Pipeline & CRM Management (HubSpot): Own and manage the Estate Planning & Probate business development pipeline within HubSpot. Monitor pipeline health, deal progression, and performance metrics, and prepare regular reports on attorney activity, conversion trends, and revenue impact. Ensure all attorney business development activity, meetings, referrals, and opportunities are accurately logged and maintained in the CRM. Assign and track follow-up tasks to attorneys to ensure timely and consistent engagement with referral sources.
Lead Generation & Referral Development: Identify and cultivate new referral opportunities with financial advisors, CPAs, trust officers, senior living communities, funeral homes, and related professionals. Schedule and coordinate introductory meetings between attorneys and prospective referral sources. Develop and execute outreach strategies to expand referral networks within the assigned territory.
Strategy, Planning & ROI Oversight: Track and evaluate the return on investment for business development initiatives, events, and campaigns. Establish annual business development goals for the practice group and continuously adjust strategies throughout the year based on performance data and market conditions. Collaborate with Marketing to align campaigns, training opportunities, and messaging with business development objectives.
Events, Training & Public Presence: Strategically plan and execute business development events and attorney trainings designed to generate qualified leads and strengthen referral relationships. Coordinate attorney presentations and public speaking opportunities. Attend and participate in firm-hosted, community, and industry events, including some evenings and weekends, as required. Assist Marketing with managing the Estate Planning team’s guest list for the firm’s annual Post Holiday Madness Party, a mandatory client referral event.
Professional Representation & Firm Values: Represent Berlin Patten Ebling professionally and consistently in the community. Uphold the firm’s vision, mission, and values in all interactions. Actively pursue professional growth and continuous improvement.