Can’t Miss Marketing
Lawyers often ask me: Where should I start with business development? How do I make the best use of my rainmaking time? Are you out of your mind to suggest I spend that much time on business development? (The minimum is an hour a week, and the time commitment rises as your years in practice increase. […]
What do you say when you ask for business?
A client recently confided that he had never actually asked for business from a potential client. Surprised (since I knew that his $275,000 book of business hadn’t just happened), I asked what he meant, and he responded that asking for the business means saying something like, “I’d like to handle that for you.” A flat, […]
Mind-Set Matters
The Power of Professionalism The Seven Mind-Sets That Drive Performance and Build Trust Lawyers and those who work with lawyers have taken to debating whether law is still a profession or whether it’s “just” a business. The substance of the debate matters deeply: without attention to the business aspects of a legal practice, the practice […]
Client Care: The Good, The Bad, And The Just Plain Ugly
Studies show that happy clients tell very few of their friends about great client care experiences, while unhappy clients tell (on average) seven other people about problems they experienced. I’d like to share three client stories that I’ve labeled the good, the bad, and the just plain ugly, each with lessons you can learn about […]
Fatal Mistakes That Doom Rainmaking Efforts
Several potential client consultations over the last few weeks have put me in mind of the old story about the tortoise and the hare. We all know the lesson, that slow and steady wins the race, and the same is true in business development — though consistent is a more accurate word here than slow. […]
Billable Time Or Biz Dev…Or Both?
Last week, I delivered a business development workshop for an Atlanta law firm, and gave my recommendations about how much time lawyers should spend on business development. Although the exact number depends on several factors, in general I recommend 1-5 hours a week, with more time suggested for more senior lawyers. Some participants bristled at […]
If It Ain’t Broke, Break It
John Kotter, a noted expert on leadership and change management, fervently believes that attachment to the status quo is a silent but deadly killer. In A Sense of Urgency, Kotter demonstrates through numerous examples that organizations stall and atrophy as change fails. Kotter’s bottom line? If it ain’t broke, break it. A Sense of Urgency […]