Law Practice Today

Whether you have been practicing law for a day or a decade marketing and client development is an essential component to your professional success. While the primary responsibility for bringing in new business at most firms rests on the shoulders of the partners, junior and mid-level associates need to learn business development skills and incorporate them into their professional activities from the start of their careers.

This seems especially challenging for women. According to the ABA’s “Women Attorneys and Business Development” study, a majority of attorneys report that being a woman has negative consequences for their business generation. Men are generally perceived to be better at self-promotion and asking for business than women. Yet in numerous measures of personality traits, women consistently score higher on important marketing skills, such as the ability to form and develop relationships, than men.

The reality is neither sex is better at marketing then the other. Both male and female attorneys express a distaste for marketing activities and offer up similar excuses for not doing it such as, “I don’t have time,” or “I am not good at it.” Those excuses can more accurately be translated as “I don’t want to” or “I don’t know how.” Negative self-talk makes it difficult to distinguish between real barriers and imagined ones and establishes self-fulfilling prophecies. Anything and everything is possible with the right mindset.

The best business developers are people with strong communication skills who genuinely like people and want to help. They put people at ease from the outset which makes conversations flow and relationships develop naturally. Strong business developers naturally combine the “feminine” behaviors of being empathic and asking open-ended questions with the “masculine” behaviors of confidence and self-promotion to position themselves as a resource to help clients (or potential clients) solve their business problems and “promote” themselves in a way that feels natural. Effective business developers understand the importance of promoting the benefits of using your services (which is client focused) rather than the features of your product (which focuses on you!)

At the most basic level, client development simply means consistently delivering excellent work product. Be cognizant of the client’s critical business issues and be accessible to answer questions and concerns as they arise. Good client service is the easiest marketing tool; it is the surest way to ensure repeat business.

Client development also requires being on the alert for new business opportunities by staying abreast of legal, business and economic trends. The internet makes it easy to conduct such on-going research. There are databases containing information about industry trends, specific company profiles, blogs, etc. Also by reading trade papers, attending conferences and meeting regularly with people in the know, you will build a strong network of resources and position yourself well for future business development opportunities.

You can start building your network by developing relationships within your organization. Volunteer for committee assignments; attend events; if you have one - eat lunch in your cafeteria. Be sure to establish a presence within your organization. Then, set a goal of establishing a set number of new acquaintances outside the firm every month. Join professional associations (think beyond the American Bar Association and local bar organizations to include industry groups), attend alumni events and participate in community activities to meet people and expand your professional network.

Remember, effective business developers have effective communication skills. You need to think about what you want to say when you meet new people. What information do you want to share with your contacts about your Firm/Practice group and your skills and knowledge arenas. How will you get the conversation started?

Master the art of small talk. It aids in the business development process and it is simple to do even if you are an introvert. If you read a newspaper or watch CNN or FOXNews, you are ready for small talk. Use your observational skills to spark a lively, personal exchange no matter the setting. Consider one of the following three methods to get a conversation started.

Share an observation. Comment on a current, relevant news event or the situation at hand. Remark on the facility, food, organization, traffic, parking dilemma, etc. Remember, the comment ought to be positive and upbeat. Look for those bridges that have led the two of you to be in the same room.

Ask an open-ended question. (EXAMPLES: "How long have you been a member of this organization?" "How do you fit into this picture?" "How do you know the bride or groom?” Be careful not to fire off too many questions; you want to engage people in a c onversation, not make them feel like they are being interrogated.

Reveal something about yourself . Disclosing something about you helps to establish approachability. (EXAMPLE: "I have worked here for 3 months and have never been to the 48th floor.") Volunteering information about you will make the other person feel safe about doing the same. Be careful not to reveal anything too personal that may burden the listener. (EXAMPLE: "My spouse just asked me for a divorce.")

There is a natural rhythm to small talk. It should be interactive. After the initial introduction, the flow is probe, response, comment.

EXAMPLE:

Introduce: “I don’t believe we’ve met. I’m Kate McShane with XYZ Firm?”

Probe: “Who are you with?”

Response: “I’m Jack DeMario, with the Acme Corporation.”

Comment: “I’ve heard great things about Acme. They are always listed as one of the top companies to work for.”

Probe: “What do you do there?”

Response: “I’m VP for Human Resources.”

Comment: “So you’re the one responsible for all those happy employees! Congratulations.”

Response: “Thanks. We are proud of our team.”

Even if the other person does not ask you any probing questions, you will be able to move the conversation forward. Volunteer information about yourself or the Firm. (“I’m in the employment group at XYZ.”) Naturally, the comment and follow-up probe should be based on what was said.

In any networking situation, it is wise to ask great questions and get others to do most of the talking. When it is your turn to talk, be mindful not to reveal proprietary information or spread gossip. Use good judgment. Imagine that everything you say is being piped into your boss’s office.

EXAMPLE:

Probe: “Do you have an extensive legal department to handle employment matters or do you use outside counsel.”

Response: “We’ve used ABC Firm in the past, but weren’t happy with the level of service.”

Comment: “My firm has a very good employment group. I would be happy to introduce you to one of the partners. Here is my card.”

Business cards are a must in order to facilitate the exchange of information with people you meet. Place your business cards in an easy to reach place. You may want to invest in an attractive card carrying case. Once you have established rapport and decided you are interested in exchanging cards, offer yours first. People will typically return in kind. If there IS something you want from this person, decide whether it is appropriate to ask at that moment or if it would be sufficient to exchange cards and follow-up at a later date.

Often, the better option is to follow up with an email or phone after the event.

Your goal should be to cultivate the relationship so it blossoms over time rather than make “the ask” too early. Jot notes on the back of business cards to ensure you remember what was discussed and determine what the best approach might be. You should always be looking for places to plant seeds but you must use your judgment to determine whether it is best to probe further right there or to wait and follow up later.

Be sure to always have a client development task on your To Do list to fill in any downtime. Some examples of things you can do include:

• Update your bio for Firm website
• Forward alerts to key clients
• Arrange lunch meeting with (client or potential client)
• Join 1 Association
• Learn Firm’s marketing infrastructure to make sure you are taking full advantage of all available resources
• Call/email a friend or colleague just to say hello and “check in”
• Review Firm marketing materials
• Review industry trade papers/websites

By establishing specific, measurable client development goals you can identify small, manageable tasks to take action and slowly alter your belief system from “I don’t want to” or “I don’t know how” to “I can” and “I will.” With a new and improved attitude and belief system, you are now ready to incorporate business development activities into your life.