Knowing how to approach a conversation with a potential client can be a struggle. You want to know what his or her concerns and objectives are, but how do you make sure your potential client understands what you’re about and why you’re the right choice to handle the matter? Here’s the best two-sentence guideline I’ve […]
One truism about practicing law is that there’s never quite enough time. That’s especially true in two business development-related instances: When you’ve succeeded in securing a substantial amount of new work and you have to figure out how to get the billable work done without losing biz dev momentum, and When you’re working on a […]
Here’s a quote for you to consider. Sometimes when I speak with lawyers, especially those new to business development, they share all the steps they’ve taken…And I’m left with one essential question that I always ask in a more diplomatic way: So what? Activity is critical, of course, since accomplishment can exist only through activity […]
Don’t you love it when someone else is genuinely interested in your success? We all do. And we all know when interest is genuine, as opposed to when it’s self-motivated and faked. Genuine interest is tremendously appealing, while self-serving is off-putting and even alienating. Are you interested in your clients’ success? You don’t have to […]
A few resources to bring to your attention this week… Always looking for a better way to manage your time? Check out the Storyline Productivity Schedule. Designed to help you focus on what matters most (no brownie points for clearing your in-box of e-mail you didn’t need to read) and to arrange your days in […]
This is a longer article than usual, but if you’d like a step-by-step outline on how to get value from attending meetings and conferences, it’s worth your time to read. (1741 words, about five minutes to read) Attending a conference can be of high value for business development, or it can be an expensive undertaking […]
As a young litigation associate (about a million years ago!), I found tremendous benefit in getting feedback from a more senior lawyer who routinely observed my performance. The same was true as I moved into coaching, and even now, after more than ten years of coaching others, whenever I get feedback following observation, I always […]
You know that one-off meetings are likely to do little, so you always plan your follow-up strategy, right? It doesn’t matter whether you meet someone through formal networking, at a CLE seminar, or while you’re waiting for hours at the DMV… The best connections mean nothing if you can’t cultivate a relationship. (Unless, of course, […]
I had a conversation with a new acquaintance recently, to discuss opportunities for collaboration and to explore the potential for making referrals to her. I was looking forward to learning more about this person and her work. What I got was almost a monologue about what she’d done and how well things had turned out […]
You are likely aware of the distinction between urgent and important tasks in the context of time management. Assuming you have enough work to keep you reasonably occupied and compensated (even if that means doing work for someone else’s clients rather than your own), business development tends to be an important task, but not an […]