The subtitle of Daniel Pink’s recent book To Sell Is Human is The Surprising Truth About Moving Others. I’m not entirely sure that the truths shared in the book are altogether surprising, but the book puts a human, approachable face on a necessary skill that suffers from a bad reputation. Pink starts by proving that… Continue Reading
Category Archives: Client development
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Posted in Client development, Coaching for lawyersMARK YOUR CALENDAR: Complimentary Webinar Do you believe any of these rainmaking myths? I’m a great lawyer, so clients will seek me out. I don’t need to do anything special to bring in business. I’m in my first few years of practice. I don’t need to worry about business development yet. I don’t want to… Continue Reading
Why You MUST Track Your Rainmaking Results
Posted in Client development, Coaching for lawyersHow do you track the results you get from your business development efforts? I recently spoke with a potential client and asked that question. Her response? ”I don’t need to track my results. I know what’s working.” She had a $25,000 book of business, and based on our conversation, I suspect she could triple that… Continue Reading
Welcome!
Posted in Client developmentWhat greeting do your clients receive when they contact your office? Do clients feel that they’re welcome? Or are they left with the impression that they’re interrupting something more important? How your staff handles client contact (or how you handle it, if your practice doesn’t include staff members) will have a significant, though probably unspoken,… Continue Reading
Find Your Weekly Minimum
Posted in Client developmentWhat happens to your business development activity when you get busy? If you’re like many others, you may find that it slips. I’ve had more than a handful of clients who hire me to ramp up their rainmaking, and they succeed — right to the point that they’re so busy they pause and start backsliding…. Continue Reading
I Did The Work… Now What?
Posted in Client development, Legal marketing blogsYou’ve put in your dues. You’ve worked hard to become the accomplished lawyer you are now, and you have all manner of credentials that demonstrate your expertise. You’ve worked with a variety of organizations and individuals, you’ve written articles and book chapters, and you may even have served a turn teaching. How can you leverage… Continue Reading
WRA 12/10/09: Finding out who’s naughty and nice
Posted in Client developmentIt’s the time of year for holiday specials, and last night’s offering was Santa Claus Is Comin’ to Town. And while I enjoyed the story and the theme, I was dumbfounded when I realized that there’s a bit of a link between Santa and client development! If you remember the lyrics to the song, you’ll… Continue Reading
WRA 12/1/09: Are you doing it wrong?
Posted in Client development, Special offersI recently spoke with a lawyer who had tried a variety of business development activities, all to no avail. She’d written articles, she’d taught seminars, she’d advertised, she’d attended some networking events, she’d posted her profile on various social networking sites, and so on. But after all of that, she didn’t have any results to… Continue Reading
Weekly Rainmaker Activity 11/24/09: Give thanks for referrals
Posted in Client developmentIt is, perhaps, a bit of a cliché to focus on gratitude during the United States Thanksgiving week. Nonetheless, the theme is so important to business development that, cliché or no, that’s the focus for this week’s Weekly Rainmaker Activity. I’ll begin today’s lesson with a story. After I’d been in practice for several years,… Continue Reading
Will you make 2010 your best year yet in practice?
Posted in Client development, Coaching for lawyers, Special offersJoin the Lawyers’ Business Development Boot Camp On last week’s call Business Development Made Simple, I introduced the Lawyers’ Business Development Boot Camp, a 7-week program that’s designed to harness the opportunities that come at the end of 2009 to propel you into your best year in practice yet. The Boot Camp includes several… Continue Reading
Weekly Rainmaker Activity 11/16/09: Get accountable
Posted in Client developmentLast week I was in Greenfield, CT, attending my business mastermind meeting. Once a quarter, I meet with 12-16 other entrepreneurs and business owners working in a variety of fields, and we spend time working on our businesses. These meetings have helped me to look beyond the day-to-day work and have prompted the development of… Continue Reading
Invitation for Complimentary Teleconference
Posted in Client development, NewsPlease join me on Wednesday, November 11 at 12:30 PM ET for a complimentary teleclass, “Business Development Made Simple.” Do you have all the business you want? During “Business Development Made Simple” I’ll share my rainmaking system, including: How to make the most of your networking (with action items you can implement during the upcoming… Continue Reading
Weekly Rainmaker Activity 11/2/09: Holiday cards
Posted in Client developmentLast week’s discussion of personal vs. impersonal holiday cards ruffled some feathers. I heard from more than a few people that it takes too long to write a personal note and sign personally. I don’t agree, if only because it seems to me that clients, referral sources, and potential clients merit at least a few seconds’… Continue Reading
Weekly Rainmaker Activity 10/25/09: The holidays are coming!
Posted in Client developmentThe holidays are just around the corner, and today’s WRA calls for you to begin planning ahead. Do you send cards or gifts to your clients to mark the holidays? As you no doubt know, current clients and referral sources are your most immediate route to more business. Because business development is all about growing… Continue Reading
Weekly Rainmaker Activity 10/19/09
Posted in Client developmentToday’s rainmaker activity is a quick one. You are on LinkedIn, right? If not, your activity is obvious: get your profile up right away. LinkedIn has over 38 million users, most of whom are professionals of some sort, and because of the site’s popularity, there’s a decent chance that your LinkedIn profile could land at or near… Continue Reading
Weekly Rainmaker Activity 10/12/09
Posted in Client developmentOne-on-one meetings with individuals offers one of the best opportunities for business development, and attending organizational meetings and networking opportunities gives you the chance to meet a lot of people in a short time. That’s ideal – if you’re meeting the right people. How can you identify the right organizations for your purposes? First, refresh your… Continue Reading
Weekly Rainmaker Activity 10/05/09
Posted in Client developmentOne of the comments to last week’s WRA post about checking written materials for client-centric language requested an example of a “good” paragraph and a “bad” paragraph. Because of my travel schedule, I knew I wouldn’t be able to respond until today, so today’s WRA offers the requested examples. Please note: these examples are drawn… Continue Reading
Weekly Rainmaker Activity 9/28/09
Posted in Client developmentWhat written marketing materials do you have? Examples include a website, a one-page description of your practice, a newsletter, articles, and so on. For this week’s activity, choose one item for review. (Although I would generally include a biographical sketch as written marketing material, exclude it for this week’s purposes.) As you read your marketing… Continue Reading
Weekly Rainmaker Activity 9/21/09
Posted in Client developmentPop quiz: Who are your best referral sources? List the top 10 of each 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. Were you able to make the list? This information should… Continue Reading
Weekly Rainmaker Activity 9/14/09: More on introductions
Posted in Client developmentLast week’s WRA focused on the language to use in introducing yourself to potential clients and others. This week, let’s look at the substance of the introduction. Many lawyers seem to fall into the habit of the “just the facts, ma’am” introduction, which goes something like this: “Hi, I’m Bob Smith. I’m a litigator with… Continue Reading
Weekly Rainmaker Activity 9/7/09
Posted in Client developmentWhat kind of language do you speak when you’re talking with potential clients and referral sources? I don’t mean English or Spanish, but whether you use “jargon” or “regular” language. As with most anything else, each has its place, but you must select the appropriate language intentionally. If you’re talking with lawyers or legally sophisticated… Continue Reading
Who Is Your Ideal Client?
Posted in Client development, Coaching for lawyersWhile in Teton National Park last week, I noticed a trend among serious hikers. I parked at several trailheads during my vacation, and I noticed that the parking lots for the more intense hiking trails featured a surprising number of Subaru cars, all with outdoorsy names like Outback. I’ve never seen so many Subarus in… Continue Reading
Weekly Rainmaker Activity 8/31/09
Posted in Client development, Coaching for lawyersA primary benefit of being active online (by having a website with a biographical sketch and having articles relevant to your practice published online, for example) is that potential clients have an opportunity to learn something about your before meeting you. Whether your name surfaces by referral or by an internet search, it’s a safe… Continue Reading
Do you sponsor? (And WRA, resurrected)
Posted in Client development, Coaching for lawyersDo you know how to get the most from your sponsorships? I was interested to see this article from The National Journal, with the headline, “No More ‘Chalets’: Legal Marketing Focuses on Building Business. Good idea, no? Sponsorships can be good avenues for business development, but simply posting a firm name on a tent at… Continue Reading