If you’ve been feeling like business development has been stuck in a holding pattern all year, you’re not alone. For months, it’s been ghosted follow-ups and “not right now” replies. But lately? There’s been a subtle shift. Not a tidal wave, but enough ripples to make you look twice. Maybe it's a whale and maybe it's a mullet... but it seems like something is in the water.
Over the last two weeks, we’ve seen something we haven’t seen in a while: open job listings in The Bureau are creeping up after months of slow decline. It’s giving off early-pandemic-flashback energy, but in reverse. Remember when everything froze and everyone slammed the brakes? Then a few months later, they realized doing nothing was worse financially than the uncertainty?
We’re not declaring a turnaround, but there’s definitely a shift happening. Here’s what we’re hearing from across the community:
There’s tire kicking. A lot of it.
Pipelines are filling up, and a few opportunities are crossing the finish line.
Old proposals, even ones from years ago, are being dusted off.
Caution is still the name of the game for prospects, but interest is real.
And it’s not just noise:
Referrals and agency partnerships are on the rise
Smaller projects are landing
Bite-sized AI services are catching attention
Google and Meta remarketing are showing promise, but more shops are leaning into LinkedIn
And just about everyone agrees: in-person events are generating leads again
So we’re not popping champagne just yet. But if you look hard enough, you can see the frost starting to lift.
Maybe it’s too early to call it a comeback but there are signs. The clouds are a little darker and we're predicting some rainmakers will be happier in a month or two. And a good rain always leads to healthy growth.
If you’ve been weathering it quietly, now might be the time to re-engage, reconnect, and remind people what you’re great at. The opportunities aren’t pouring in, but they are there. And sometimes, this is how it starts.