Rainmakers and persons of influence know

substance + publicity = accelerated success.

Publicity is the nature result of marketing; therefore, marketing is a key part of LawMapping™ for Success. Being an effective “self- marketer” is one way you can have some control over your career and a greater chance of “smoothly” transitioning to new opportunities as you become a more senior and seasoned attorney.

Marketing and business development are long-term investments for which it sometimes takes years to realize the biggest returns. So … remember, it is all about creating a long-term marketing plan, staying focused and being consistent.

Successful marketers (aka rainmakers) are masters at expanding their circles of influence (thus leading to an increased demand for services) through deeply listening to others and developing a highly relevant and powerful self-introduction.

Here’s a little more on these two very important skills.

1. Active/Deep Listening: Listen carefully and deeply to the issues your clients, prospective clients and other people you meet are facing.  This puts you in a great position to look for and find ways you (or your firm) can add value.  Oftentimes, it is not important to be compensated whenever you add value.  Develop a reputation for being thoughtful and insightful at every instance and you will reap the rewards for your generosity.  

Personally, it has certainly been true that really trying to add value whenever I can often leads to others adding value to my life in interesting and surprising ways.

2. Powerful Introductions: Develop a solid 30 second introduction (aka - an elevator speech). If you are a solo practitioner, your 30 second introduction should emphasize the benefits of working with you – not simply what you do. If you work for a larger law firm, develop a “pitch” about how your firm (or particular group) serves the need of your target market.

So, there you have it … two effective ways to accelerate your lifelong journey of marketing, business development and establishing relationships that lead to accelerated success.

Always ~ Live with Passion!

Coach T.C. Coleman

Want to accelerated your success in a structured manner designed to help you reach maximum impact and accelerated success??  Register for our high-impact UpwardAction Wednesdays Teleclasses today!  Each class is jammed packed with powerful and practical information.

If you enjoyed this post, make sure you subscribe to my RSS feed!

Strong relationships are critically important when becoming a “center of influence” and and ultimate rainmaker.

The first step to becoming a “lawyer of influence” is mastering the art of building strong relationships. For junior associates - there’s no better place to start than with the key partners at your firm.

Here are a few steps to get you you started-

1. Accept the fact that as a junior associate the partners at your firm are your primary clients.

2. Focus on your client and do you best to meet their needs and goals!

3. Never miss a deadline (even if it requires an all-nighter).

4. Immediately return calls and emails from partners and outside clients.

5. Take time to clearly understand your partners’ expectations and objectives for each assignment.  Believe me, getting started on a project before you have a clear picture of what the partner expects is a recipe for disaster.  Regardless of your level of discomfort,  it is much better ask lots of questions upfront so that you are clear about the task at hand.  You want to avoid (whenever possible) having to go back and clean up errors caused by your misundertandings and wrong assumptions.

6. Develop great attention to detail. Only turn in your absolute best work to partners, regardless of any assurances that your draft will be considered just that -a draft.   Once you hand your work product over to your partner (or the client) - it is no longer a draft … reallly … .

7. Ask for additional support when you need it.  Do not wait until the last minute and you are pressed for time to ask for help.

8. Be flexible and willing to “pitch-in” as necessary when needed on big (or small) projects.

Admittedly … following the tips above will not lead to greater work-life balance.  They will, however, help you develop strong relationships with your key partners.  And, strong relationships with key partners will certainly serve you well.

We’ll write and post a few realistic work-life balance articles for law firm associates over the next several weeks.

Until next time … Take GREAT Care!

Coach TC

If you enjoyed this post, make sure you subscribe to my RSS feed!