What differentiates the rainmaker? A recent study confirms that rainmakers work more hours, are more involved in professional associations and are more likely to hold leadership roles.

Our anecdotal observations in law firms over the past two decades about what differentiates top rainmakers who generate enough work to keep themselves and associates busy from lawyers who struggle to generate enough business to fill their own time every year have been confirmed by a national survey.

In short, the rainmakers "speak, join and party."

And, one third of those rainmakers devote an average of 15 hours or more every month to those activities while another 20 percent devote 11 to 14 hours.

The survey revealing all of this was conducted by the Legal Sales and Service Organization (LSSO) and included 450 women lawyers who were split into two groups for comparison. (Our observation is that the survey results are equally applicable to men.) The rainmakers in the survey averaged about $800,000 of annual originations while the so-called "less successful" group averaged $327,000 of origination.

While both rainmakers and less successful lawyers were active in bar associations, community and trade associations, rainmakers were far more likely to take leadership roles both there and in non-profits (in which 70% reported also being active.) This was true whether the lawyers reported the activity was designed primarily to seek new clients directly or establish new referral sources.

We have long counseled our attorneys to take leadership roles. Simply attending events is not enough — serving on the board or as a committee chair allows/forces a lawyer to seek out other members and create working relationships. In the process, they demonstrate the qualities that prompt others to recommend or hire them.

Equally telling in the survey results was that rainmakers demonstrated twice the propensity for public speaking over their less successful counterparts. Interestingly enough, the passive tactic of publishing ranked low as a business development tool for both groups.

Finally, rainmakers were two to three times more likely to network and ask clients and referral sources for introductions to others. That's no surprise — the most successful sales people have always been those who were willing to socialize and "ask for the order."