The worst of the recession may be behind us, but we're not out of the woods yet.

The recent economic meltdown is still sending shock waves, and hitting people where it hurts most - their wallets.

The issue is credit.

Many people - particularly business owners - still can't get it.

According to a small business report survey, roughly 34% of small businesses are unsure if they'll be able to access credit this year.

Even worse, 15% said that a lack of credit will prevent them from hiring more employees.

This report is a good indicator of what lawyers and other business professionals are up against this year, especially as it relates to clients and prospects.

Money is tight. Business and revenue are still a concern.

The good news?

We're all in the same boat.

After you read this small business report, you'll realize that ALL OF US face the same hurdles.

Challenging times though call for a plan of attack!

What's yours?

Visibility, or lack thereof, is a common problem for lawyers who work in mid-to-large sized law firms.

Attorneys have a tendency to believe that colleagues will be eager to cross-sell their services.

They're wrong.

It happens often than you might think.

Why?

They fear the competition. Or,  they just don't know what you do.

Whatever it is that is preventing other lawyers from touting your services - now is the time to take a good look at yourself and your visibility within the firm.

Before people will refer work to you, they need to be clear about what you do.

Sara Holtz, author of Bringin' in the Rain, offers very sage advice on how to maximize your visibility.

Holtz writes that lawyers need to embark on an "internal PR campaign" by following these simple 8 steps:

1. Set clear objectives.

Ask yourself why you want to increase visibility. Do you want to build your book of business? More referrals?

2. Highlight what you want to be known for.

Try to develop a clear message highlighting the desired reputation you want among your colleagues.

3. Get to know your target audience.

Who will your message reach?

Once you answered that question, summarize your strategy into one sentence.

For example: I want to educate the partners in my practice group about my recent success negotiating a complicated lease for a biotech company so they will refer their technology clients with real estate needs to me.

4. Cultivate relationships within your target audience.

Ask questions about their practice, really get to know them.

Take the opportunity to share your strengths and emphasize why you're a good choice for a referral.

5. Share what you've learned.

Don't be shy about sharing what you've learned in a recent success case with others who might be interested.

6. Present to other practice groups.

Be sure to focus on issues that are useful to them and their clients.

7. Spread the word.

Talk up your achievements to other lawyers using in-house newsletters, ect.

8. Speak at all-firm or all-practice group events.

Again, make sure comments should be relevant to the group.

Raising your profile won't happen overnight. It takes time and diligence. But once word of your talent spreads across the firm - watch out!

Your book of business may burst at the seams!

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Why Won't my Phone Ring?

The new year is almost upon us. It's time to reflect on the year gone by... and what lies ahead. Chances are you're thinking about ways to grow your practice and your profits.

Thankfully the experts from ABA LPM are way ahead of us. Janis Alexander, Ed Poll, and Mark Robertson have outlined the following quick tips to help get our bottom lines fat and happy in 2012.

1. Develop a cash-flow statement.

A cash-flow statement is your firm’s single most important financial statement. It will project when you will need to borrow money, hustle for more business or increase collection efforts. It will also tell you when you will have sufficient reserves to make the capital investment you’ve wanted or to increase your own draw.

2. Use an electronic timekeeping system.

The efficiency, extra speed and greater accuracy of an electronic timekeeping system makes it far better than the traditional handwritten timesheet. And be sure to enter time as you go from task to task! Trying to create entries for work done earlier in the day much less in the distant past is very time-consuming and won’t be accurate or complete. Lawyers who contemporaneously docket time capture a significantly greater portion of the work they have done—up to 20 percent or more. Also, spend a few minutes at the end of the day reviewing your dockets, and make any necessary corrections or additions while things are still fresh in your mind.

3. Send out e-statements.

Reduce postage and stationary costs AND facilitate faster payment by sending out bills electronically. And, be sure to send the statements by no later than the 25th of each month, so clients can enter your statements in their systems and pay you in the following month’s accounts payable check run.

4. Make your bills client-friendly.

Your bill is the most important piece of paper you send to a client. Make sure it is easy to understand and indicates how the fee was calculated. Do a reporting letter explaining what you have done to help clients better understand the value of your work for them.

5. Reassess your rates.

Review your hourly rates once a year and determine whether the rates should change. If you are going to change your rates, don’t make small changes. For example, increase them from $180 to $225, not from $180 to $185. If current clients object to rate increases, tell them you will charge at the old rates if they pay up front. This ensures you get paid and also keeps clients happy.

6. Keep debt in check.

Make limited use of borrowing and carefully preserve your lines of credit. Borrow for long-term projects, for capital growth and for increasing the size of the firm. Do not borrow for payroll or short-term project funds that should be taken from current cash flow. And never borrow for partners’ compensation.

7. Accept credit cards.

Make it easy for people to do business with you by accepting credit cards for payments and retainers.

8. Brush up on your time management skills.

Manage your time effectively so you can dedicate more hours to billable work. Schedule a meeting with your assistant at or near the start of each day, so you both get up to speed on the tasks at hand and avoid wasting time interrupting each other all day. Identify your most productive time of day and try to block it off in your calendar, so you can protect it from meetings and the like in favor of getting bigger tasks done. Also, at the end of each day, plan for the following day before you go home.

9. Don't work for clients who won't pay.

Bad clients are bad for business. Don’t take on new clients without a retainer, especially for litigation, and remember to stop work if the client will not pay you. Allocate the time and resources you would have spent on the non-paying file to work on other matters, or dedicate that time to marketing or other efforts to improve your firm.

10. Investigate alternative billing.

Investigate other billing alternatives by weighing the risks and rewards from the eyes of both the client and your firm. For example, your fee amount could be based on end results—such as closing a deal with favorable terms.

The new year is a great time to re-evaluate what's working - and what isn't - in your practice, particularly when it comes to finances. Making just a few small changes in your billing and accounting methods could yield BIG results in 2012.

Adapted from article Financial Tips: 25 Quick Tips for a Healthier Bottom Line by Janis Alexander, Ed Poll, and Mark Robertson.

More resources from Top Lawyer Coach:

Move Beyond the Billable Hour

Price Yourself to Win More Business

Show Me the Money!

Tackle the Time Crunch

Klick Ditches Email for a New Staff Support System

Imagine starting your work day without email. I'm talking about zero messages, not even an inbox!

Sounds unheard of, right?

Well, it might be to you and me - but not to the people at Klick.

Klick is a digital marketing agency based in Toronto and it's serious about productivity and collaboration. So serious in fact, the company ditched internal email altogether and began using work tickets.

Work tickets are very common in the technical support world, but are hardly used in other professional sectors. Using a work ticket, an individual articulates a need, assigns it to another person, and includes all relevant information. When the task was completed the ticket is routed back to the originator for verification.

Aaron Goldstein, Klick’s Chief Operating Officer, says, "Work tickets create the necessary level of accountability while overcoming two of the biggest weaknesses of email: Knowledge can get lost in a person’s mailbox and prioritization is basically nonexistent since inboxes assume that most recent equals most important."

But that's not all.

Klick went a step further, building it's own workflow management system...

Keep reading this article at Inc.com: The Company That Outlawed Email.

Tell me, do you think work tickets could replace internal email in some law offices and legal departments?

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You probably have a lot of  parties to attend during the next few weeks.

You want to be the life of the party and really let your hair down.

But wait - stop right there!

Throw your visions of spiked egg nog and dancing on tables out the window.

Office holiday parties can tarnish your brand if you let the liquor flow too freely or forget that professionalism never stops mattering.

Have fun, but  please don't end up wearing the lampshade!

Miss Manners herself, Emily Post, offers this etiquette advice for all holiday party goers.

1. Limit drinking.

Sure, it's okay to have a glass of wine - but don't have 5 or 6.

People who drink too much at office parties take the risk of seriously harming their professional careers. Stay in control and limit your drinking.

2. Be prepared for small talk.

If the thought of party small talk makes you sweat, don't panic.

Simply think before you speak.  Have a list of potential talking points in mind that will help you get a conversation going. Try to avoid yes or no questions.

"What are your plans for the holidays?" will generate a more detailed response than "Are you traveling for the holidays?"

And remember, the wallflower near the buffet is probably looking for a conversation just as much as you are.

3. Don't forget about your spouse.

Often, spouses and significant others are invited to holiday parties, too. Give them a heads up on bosses and colleagues who are likely to be there.

At the party, don't ditch them. Make them feel included and comfortable.

Also, make sure you introduce them to your important workplace family.

4. Thank your host.

Always be a gracious guest by thanking the host of the party, as well as any of the people who worked to plan the event.

A verbal thank you is sufficient, so is an email. A hand-written note, however, will make you stand out and it will convey a deeper level of warmth and sincerity.

So go ahead, relax a bit this holiday season.

But be sure to do it with your best foot forward and ALWAYS keep manners in mind.

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Three-Point Call to Action Serves as an Example for Lawyers and other Businesses.

The recent passing of Apple Co-Founder Steve Jobs has led a lot of professionals to reflect on the entrepreneurial legacy he left behind. There's no doubt that Jobs created an empire. But it's how he created that empire - and the people who helped him - that should make people stand up and take note.

By 1977, as Jobs and and his business partner, Steve Wozniak, were busy taking orders for the very first Apple I and looking for venture capital as they developed the Apple II, the men brought on investor Mike Markkula into the business. Markkula injected $250,000 into the company, became a third partner, and sat down to write, "The Apple Marketing Philosophy." It's a three-point call to action that has served Apple for decades, and can also be a prime example for your business practices.

Point No. 1: Empathy
Apple should strive for an "intimate" connection with customers' feelings. "We will truly understand their needs better than any other company," Markkula wrote.

Point No. 2: Focus
To be successful, Apple should center its efforts on accomplishing its main goals, and eliminate all the "unimportant opportunities."

Point No. 3: Impute
Apple should be constantly aware that companies and their products will be judged by the signals they convey. "People DO judge a book by its cover," Markkula wrote. "We may have the best product, the highest quality, the most useful software etc.; if we present them in a slipshod manner, they will be perceived as slipshod; if we present them in a creative, professional manner, we will impute the desired qualities."

It's important to note that with this marketing philosophy in place, Steve Jobs was able to take Apple to the next level. Jobs pioneered Apple's customer first marketing plan. And, instead of creating products they wanted to make, Jobs aimed to produce products that addressed consumers' needs, feelings and motivations.

Are you doing the same for you clients? Perhaps it's time.

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5 Drivers that will Keep You Smiling Around the Office

If you think a big paycheck is the only thing that'll make you happy at work, you're wrong.

Being satisfied and HAPPY in the workplace is easier said than done. Many factors come into play when it comes to lifting our spirits, making us feel included, and most of all, keeping us in engaged in the work that we do.

Whether business at the firm is booming, or the economy is on the verge of collapse - you can be happy at work no matter what outside factors loom.

In fact, empirical research proves it.

The Wall Street Journal recently conducted a study on the topic and discovered these five drivers of happiness at work.

1. Contribution.

This is about what you do, so it’s made up of some of the core activities which happen at work. Like having clear goals, moving positively towards them, talking about issues that might prevent you meeting your objectives and feeling heard when you do so.

You’ll do all this best when you feel appreciated and valued by your boss and your colleagues. So it’s not just about delivering: it’s about doing that within collaborative working relationships too.

2. Conviction.

Keep going even when things get tough, so that you maintain your energy, motivation and resources which pull you through.

Key to doing this is feeling that you’re resilient, efficient and effective.

3. Culture.

Performance and happiness at work are really high when employees feel they fit within their organizational culture. Not fitting in a job is very draining and de-energizing.

If you’re in the wrong job, you’ll find that the values mean little to you, the ethos feels unfair or political and you don’t have much in common with your colleagues.

4. Commitment.

Commitment matters because it taps into the very reasons why you do the work you do. You should feel like you’re doing something worthwhile, and have a strong intrinsic interest in your job.

5. Confidence.

Too little confidence and nothing happens: too much leads to arrogance and particularly poor decisions. Without greater levels of self-belief, there will be few people who’ll take a risk or try anything new. And you can’t have confident organizations without confident individuals inside them.

How does the science of happiness apply to you and your work situation? The Wall Street Journal is offering personalized reports. Complete the quick questionnaire and find out whether you're really truly satisfied at the office.

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5 Rules to Live By When Building a Lasting Client Partnership

Good client relationships are crucial to sustaining a lucrative law practice.

That's why learning how to nurture a new client partnership is WORTH YOUR TIME AND COMMITMENT!

Focus on these five rules for building - and maintaining - a healthy relationship.

1. Say "we."

The word we fosters togetherness.

It makes the listening client feel connected to you. It also gives a subconscious feeling of "you and me against the cold, cold world."

2. Use "you" liberally.

Begin every appropriate sentence with "you."

It will immediately grab your client's attention, and they will often respond positively because you have pushed their pride button.

Think, comm-YOU-nicate!

3. Don't touch a cliche with a ten-foot pole.

Clients cringe at cliches. Trite, over-worn phrases shout lack of imagination.

So, if you are feeling fit as a fiddle, happy as a lark, or high as a kite, just remember that using common cliches around uncommonly successful people brands you as UNCOMMONLY COMMON.

Roll out some clever phrases instead!

4. Pause before you speak.

Silence - the pregnant pause, the white space of conversation - works!

Silence brings the words around it into high relief. It suggests those words matter, making them effective and memorable.

It's hard to resist talking enthusiastically and often, but that makes you appear too eager and too inclined not to listen.

5. Don't use a naked "thank you."

People use the bare, curt "thank you" so often that it becomes a throw away.

Don't let the words "thank you" stand naked and alone. Always make it thank you for something.

For example: Thank you for being such a good client.

This practice will have positive effects. People will listen and appreciate your gratitude.

Bottom line: SINCERITY and INCLUSION are the threshold characteristics of effective relationship building.

3 Ways to Defend Yourself Against Rejection

Rejection is a tough pill to swallow, but it is inevitable in the business world. Living in fear of rejection is something many people do. They play it safe, never speaking up or putting their ideas out there. Unfortunately, in an effort to save themselves pain, these people are doing more harm to themselves than good.

How?

Little risk means little reward.

The key is to think about rejection in a entirely different light.

Here are three ways to defend yourself against rejection, soothe the pain - and make you braver.

1. Expect it.

Anticipate rejection. It's as simple as that.

This will challenge you to set a high benchmark to what you do and force you to push forward. And, if rejection does arise, you'll be able to handle it better because you already prepared for it.

Do your best, while preparing to handle the worst.

2. Maintain control.

There are two focuses of control in life — external focus, which refers to anything outside our sphere of influence, such as our environment, colleagues, and society. Internal focus refers to what’s within our sphere of influence — our thoughts, feelings, actions, behaviors, etc. Most people will adopt a high external focus of control in the face of rejection, which serves absolutely no purpose other than to feel down about yourself. Not only that, you’re also relinquishing your power to others.

The best way to handle rejection is to maintain your focus of control. Focus on the things you can take action on.

3. Understand rejection is progression.

Contrary to popular belief, rejection is progression, not a step backward. Rejection is actually a step forward to knowing what people want, what’s out there in reality, and how to improve ourselves to achieve our goals. Rejection is actually your partner in growth.

Rejection is nothing to be afraid of. It does not mean you have failed. It does not mean everything you have done has been a complete waste of time. It means it's time to move forward - onward and upward!

Adapted from article How to Be Rejection Proof by Jessica Stillman.

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Source: Inc. Magazine

Inc. Magazine Names its Top Leadership Books of All Time

Everyone needs a dose inspiration now and then, and the following books recommended by Inc. Magazine leave no stone unturned on the topic of leadership.

Build your business bookshelf with them, learn from them, and be inspired to LEAD.

1. On Becoming a Leader, by Warren Bennis.

This thought-provoking classic of business literature draws from hundreds of interviews to help answer the question: What is a good leader? Professor Bennis, a pioneer in leadership studies, casts his net wide, examining the psychological and philosophical attributes of thinkers, scientists, executives, and entertainers who all share an ability to unite people in a common purpose.

2. Onward: How Starbucks Fought for its Life Without Losing its Soul, by Howard Schultz.

The charismatic billionaire's tale of how he helped Starbucks claw its way back to the top of the java-chain is engrossing. The hits-and-misses Schultz recounts ring familiar to anyone with even a passing familiarity with the chain and provide an honest look at the pitfalls of trial and error. Schultz's own rise from a rough Brooklyn childhood to Fortune 500 CEO is also a touching backstory.

3. Delivering Happiness: A Path to Profits, Passion, and Purpose, by Tony Hsieh

This fun-loving entrepreneur may be as well-known for his unconventional management principles as he is for his Zappos shoe empire. Tony Hsieh’s high-minded manifesto: The workplace can and should be a place where employees find personal fulfillment. To that end, Hsieh focuses on fostering happy, passionate, and communicative staffers.

4. Wooden on Leadership: How to Create a Winning Organization, by John Wooden.

Easily the most successful college basketball coach in history, 10-time NCAA champion John Wooden was beloved by UCLA players and fans as both a coach and mentor. His “Pyramid of Success,” a triangular diagram illustrating 25 behaviors he saw as critical to personal achievement, is widely cited by management consultants and team-builders worldwide. Though Wooden authored seven leadership books, this one most pointedly applies to the workplace. Wooden offers both concrete tips—each chapter concludes with a bulleted list of actionable steps—and “big picture” inspiration.

5. Primal Leadership: Realizing the Power of Emotional Intelligence, by Daniel Goleman.

In this analytical take on managerial success, the psychologist credited with popularizing the concept of "emotional intelligence,” looks at its application to leadership. Through dozens of case studies, Goleman builds a convincing argument that the best leaders are—for lack of a better term—in touch with their feelings. Individuals with what he calls "resonance," the ability to channel emotions in a positive direction, are by and large the most effective and inspiring.

What are your top picks for books on leadership? Send me your thoughts.

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