Insights From Martha
We’ve all seen it happen at networking events — lawyers stick together, not interacting with anyone but their friends and colleagues or, standing alone like wall flowers looking as miserable as they feel. Not only is this behavior common, it’s a huge waste of time and squanders opportunities to meet potential clients and referral sources.
Read MoreWe are constantly thrown into new situations where we hardly know anyone in the room, or, if we see someone we do now, there are masses of strangers between us and our friends. We know we need to meet new people, but we dread introducing ourselves or forgetting the name of people we are supposed to know.
Read MoreConsistent, profitable growth is hard for law firms to attain and sustain. Revenues can go up and down leading to painful cash flow problems. Many law firms – big and small – are forced, at some point, to take a hard look at their business development efforts and ask, “Is our firm getting the best return on investment for what we’re spending on business development?”
Read MoreYou may think your personality is fixed from the moment of your birth. As a lawyer coach, I doubt it. I have seen clients change key aspects of their personalities in order to accomplish their rainmaking goals.
Read MoreWhen you are paying exorbitant rates to stay at luxury hotels and attend legal conferences and bar meetings that are out of town, you want a significant return on your investment from all the happy hours and mixers you attend. The best outcomes occur when you prepare in advance for that networking and do what it takes to make valuable contacts with prospective clients and referral sources.
Read MoreThe complaint I hear often from my lawyer clients is: “I just don’t have time for business development. I have too much work to do!” I reply as gently as possible, “Your pipeline is full now. Great! How much can you count on business always being this good?” Can you afford to neglect business development?
Read MoreSuccessful lawyers, regardless of what they lack—money, looks, or social connections—always radiate energy and confidence. Even the most skeptical clients find themselves enamored with these charming personalities. Those lawyers are the ones clients keep returning to for help, advice, and comfort.
So, it is worthwhile to ask these questions:
“What do they have that I don’t?”
“What makes those lawyers irresistible?”
Read MoreAssumption #1:
Once I land a new client, I don’t need to continue my marketing efforts. All I have to do is produce good legal work and be responsive, and the client will love me and keep coming back.
Assumption #2:
Now that I’ve succeeded in landing this client, I have to continue my marketing because it takes more than being a good lawyer to keep her….
Without exception, my lawyer clients ask me how much time they should spend on business development per week. My answer is:
That depends on how fast you want to land new clients! If you are in high gear and your goal is to grow your business by 15-20% in twelve to eighteen months…
Read MoreHold Your Own Feet to the Fire
The keys to success are self-discipline and accountability to yourself or to a coach. Decide what days and times you are going to plan your legal marketing activities and put those dates on the calendar just as though they are client appointments. Honor those times. Resist the urge to push aside your marketing time to later because, without establishing a marketing habit, later will never come…
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