Redefining the Successful Rainmaker with Karen Freeman

Karen Freeman is Chief Product Officer at DCM Insights and one of the authors of the Activator research published in Harvard Business Review, titled "What Today's Rainmakers Do Differently."  That article was named one of HBR’s top 10 reads of 2025. At DCMi, she is one of the global faculty and responsible for the company’s training products and diagnostics.  She has delivered the Activator research and training programs across the globe to clients in the legal, consulting, accounting, and talent advisory sectors.

Before joining DCMi, Karen was head of digital & analytics learning for generalist consultants at McKinsey & Company. She led a team upskilling roughly 17,000 consultants globally in topics including advanced analytics modeling, leading digital transformations, and agile methodology.

Prior to McKinsey, Karen spent 13 years at Corporate Executive Board (CEB) in research and learning & development roles. There, she led three best practice membership organizations, developing insights, advice, and benchmarks for Global 1000 functional heads in marketing, sales, and customer service. Much of the company's highest-impact research was spearheaded by the teams that Karen created. Several were published in Harvard Business Review and became the subject of two best-selling business books (The Challenger Sale and The Effortless Experience). Later, as Head of CEB University, Karen oversaw development and delivery of training sessions for more than 10,000 participants worldwide in sales, insight & advisory, and corporate roles.

Karen has an A.B from Harvard and an MBA from MIT, plays cello and piano, and currently lives in Arlington, VA with her husband and two children.

Book promo:

Today’s professional services sector faces sharp declines in client loyalty. And the “trusted advisor” model, once the gold standard in business development, no longer stands up to rapidly changing client expectations. 

A groundbreaking new study - The Rainmaker Genome Project – surveyed nearly 3,000 partners at professional services firms in law, accounting, consulting, executive search, investment banking, and PR, and revealed five profiles in business development (Experts, Confidants, Realists, and Activators).  

THE ACTIVATOR ADVANTAGE: What Today's Rainmakers Do Differently (HBR Press, 5/20/25) reveals why only one of these profiles—the Activator—consistently drives growth and profitability to win, retain, and grow client relationships in today’s disruptive environment.

Co-Authors: Matthew Dixon, Rory Channer, Karen Freeman, Ted McKenna

The authors explore the keys to winning and growing relationships: 

·         Behaviors: characterized by Commit, Connect, and Create.

·         Habits: engagement strategies from developing relationships to managing stakeholders.

·         Mindsets: self-determined, resilient, and focused on client needs.

·         Pivot Points: optimizing key moments like initial contact, pitching, negotiation, and navigating setbacks to build stronger relationships. 

 

Activators deeply embed business development strengths into their daily workflow, proactively leverage their networks and deliver value to clients—ensuring longer-lasting, more engaged relationships while preventing uncertain client buying behaviors.  

Socials:

https://www.linkedin.com/in/karenefreeman/

https://www.linkedin.com/company/dcm-insights/