It was a bad night for the Mad Men at Sterling, Cooper, Draper and the other guy. The firm’s number one client, Lucky Strike, accounts for 80% or so of the firm’s business. This is a precarious place for a firm, or a lawyer, to be. One client controlling this much of your business places your business in jeopardy every day. Roger Sterling found that out at dinner last night. Lucky Strike’s board of directors decided to consolidate all of their business, and of all their lines of business, into one firm … and it wasn’t going to be the boys of Sterling Cooper. Roger is later seen hitting the Rolodex (remember those, kids???) trying to drum up some business. It’s a little too little too late. After chit-chatting with the wife for a few moments, he finds out his client has DIED. UGH. This KILLS me every day. Not the client dying, but waiting until it’s too late. Marketing and business development isn’t about today. It’s about tomorrow. It’s about the pipeline. It’s about the future. You never know when that special, super-duper client the firm has had for 35 years, that has been handed down from senior partner to junior partner, decides that another firm is better suited for their work. To quote the Lucky Strike client, “I don’t owe you anything.” And that’s the truth. A client relationship is about today. Client development is about tomorrow. If you ignore either, you risk failure.