I see two huge mistakes among lawyers eager to build a book of business: the urge to jump into action without designing a plan, and the tendency to plan and revise and plan some more without ever moving to action. Today I’ll offer another perspective on planning, from Dwight Eisenhower: In other words, when circumstances […]
Surprise! Today’s newsletter is a pop quiz. Who are your best referral sources? List the top 10 right now. If you are a more junior lawyer in a law firm and don’t yet have your own clients, list the senior lawyers for whom you do the most work. How easy did you find it to make this […]
I have a quote for your consideration today: There’s plenty of talk about the lack of client loyalty these days, and much of that is well-founded. That doesn’t mean that client loyalty doesn’t exist, though. I’d suggest that the basis of loyalty is trust. When a client trusts that you will act in his […]
One simple question for you today: are you making progress toward your business development goals… Or are you making excuses? Here’s the tricky part: progress doesn’t necessarily require massive action, and action doesn’t necessarily equate to progress. Take a minute and get honest with yourself. If you don’t like what you discover, do something different today. Making progress can be […]
After I finished writing last week’s article on the relationship between the generative power of language and your business development activity, I found several other articles discussing a similar topic. I highly recommend you check Michael Hyatt’s 3 Ways You’re Giving Up Power with Your Words: How the Way You Speak Can Sabotage Your Success. […]
One of the keys to building a successful law practice is adopting an entrepreneurial approach, regardless of your practice setting. In other words, whether you’re a sole practitioner or the newest hire in a gigantic firm (or anywhere in between), you must recognize that you “own” your practice, and you must act accordingly. That means: […]
I confess: I’m one of the thousands and thousands of people who are thrilled that Netflix is finally streaming Friends. The early seasons were especially clever, taking all kinds of language out of context for comedic effect. (Stick with me, I do have a business development point here!) In one episode, Chandler accuses Joey of […]
Regardless of your area of practice, you almost certainly spend a big chunk of your time persuading someone to do something. In addition to persuading a decision maker (a court or opposing party, perhaps), during the course of a day you probably attempt to persuade colleagues about a plan of action (or a destination for […]
The ABA is offering a free trial membership, including membership in one substantive Section, if you join by January 31. Whether you’re looking to develop your substantive skills, to add another activity to your bio sketch, or to build new relationships, the ABA offers tremendous benefit. I’ve been active since I was in law school, […]
Clients often tell me that they don’t feel motivated to do business development work. Although I understand on one level, it surprises me every time simply because I don’t believe that any successful person relies on motivation to succeed. Motivation is a transient emotion that typically doesn’t last through the tough, make-or-break spots. I often wasn’t motivated […]