Last week I spoke with a client who was struggling with his business development activity. Nate (as usual, the name and identifying details have been changed to protect his privacy) had experienced great success in converting acquaintances who heard him talk about the kind of matters he handles into clients, and he decided that if speaking casually to small groups works well, speaking formally to large groups would deliver even better results.
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I’ve been doing a lot of speaking and coaching lately on business development, and someone asked a great question: what are the top obstacles to rainmaking success?
I’ve identified three universal challenges. Do any of these sound uncomfortably familiar to you?
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When you talk, you want others to listen, right? Whether it's a now-or-never event (making a key point in an oral argument, for instance) or one in a long stream of communications (talking with a colleague about some aspect of a representation), getting your point across and making some sort of advance in what you're doing is probably at the top of your list every time you open your mouth.
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We're often faced with statements, actions, arguments, behavior, etc. that is galling in the extreme. Whether it's road rage, an annoying co-worker, or a whiny teenager, it's an unfortunate but safe bet that you'll feel angry several times a week. So how can you handle it when faced with provocation that would make the Buddha quiver with rage?
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One of the fastest routes to balance is to block out some time for yourself every single week. Aim for at least an hour two or three times a week, but everyone has a personal minimum that needs to be maintained. What's this personal time for? Anything other than work.
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I know you've been reading the negative legal news over the past few months. Some of you have been directly affected, and some fear that you might be hit next. Today's article presents the five steps that you must take now. These apply whether you're looking for a new job (voluntarily or otherwise), trying to make yourself more valuable so your practice will flourish or so you'll be considered indispensable at your firm, just starting out, a seasoned practitioner - you get the idea.
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Working on a bar association committee or project is a good way to get leadership experience quickly. The reason is simple: because of the number and variety of bar associations (the ABA, state, city/county, area-of-practice, group affiliations, etc.) and the number and variety of sections and committees within each, leadership opportunities are numerous.
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We all fall into periods of overwhelm, frustration, malaise, boredom, and so on. Sometimes it’s a few minutes, and other times the feelings can last for weeks. Hitting the reset button is a simple technique I recommend. Every person I’ve ever talked with has something that serves as the human equivalent of Ctrl-Alt-Delete.
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Anyone who hasn’t been living underneath a rock for the last few months is aware that the legal market is down for new hires and that law firms are cutting lawyers. Proof? Check the Layoff List published by the American Lawyer, which details layoffs at AmLaw 200 law firms. The lateral market is “officially flooded,” and legal recruiters and law students are being hit hard. Where’s the good news?
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Lawyers with whom I speak are often uncomfortable in rainmaking, especially in moving from a general conversation to one in which the lawyer might ask for a potential client's business. No one wants to appear pushy or desperate, and most lawyers have a natural aversion to selling themselves. A lawyer who's always self-promoting and trying to get business is not appealing. Nobody wants to talk with that kind of lawyer, and most of us don't want to be him or her.
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