Editor's Note: In this first part of a two-part series, Perrino and Class explain what roles a sales professional fills in a firm to help existing rainmakers reach even greater levels of success. They also give advice for how to hire a sales professional and how to fit them into the work environment.

What role can a sales professional play in helping an firms develop new business? Many executives have struggled with this question, wondering how they would reconcile their need to improve the firm’s ability to gain new clients with their appreciation for the fact that, in the professional services arena, the service and the service provider cannot be separated.

The answer to the aforementioned question is simple: While a sales professional has much to offer, he or she must always play a supporting role in the business development process. Accountants, for instance, will always have direct contact with prospects because they are, in a sense, “the product.”

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