Law Consulting Blog : Cordell Parvin's Law Consulting Blog : Coach & Consultant For Lawyers & Law Firms : Business Development, Career Planning

Recently, I made a two hour presentation on client development for some new partners in a large international firm. My presentation was an overview and was filled with lots of information.

While I waited to catch my plane back to Dallas, I sent the new partners an email that captured the 10 main points we discussed. They found what I sent helpful and I thought you might as well.

1. Client development has changed. It is more focused than ever on the client and becoming a remarkable lawyer in the client's eyes.

2. Your clients expect you to understand their industry, their company and them individually.

3. By reading what clients read and belonging to organizations they belong to, you are best positioned to identify their problems, opportunities, internal and external changes that require legal help.

4. Prepare a business plan with goals to focus your attention and not waste time.

5. To become a "go to lawyer" in the eyes of your clients and potential clients, writing and speaking on their problems, opportunities, internal changes and external changes is the best "bang for the buck" use of your non-billable time.

6. Connectors are best suited to get business by being active in the Bar and/or community and building as many relationships with diverse groups of people as possible. Are you a connector? To see, take the test in Malcolm Gladwell's book "The Tipping Point." If you do not have the book, you can find it at his website: http://www.gladwell.com/tippingpoint/tp_excerpt2.html

7. Client development is a contact sport. Be purposeful about staying in touch with your contacts.

8. Clients hire lawyers more than law firms. You get considered based on your profile and you get hired based on how well you build trust and connect with the decision maker.

9. Clients are not satisfied with the level of service they receive. It is important to be responsive and to understand their industry company and representative. Think of ways you can enable the client representative to do his or her job more effectively.

10. Make client development a habit and try to do something, no matter how small, each and every day.

A few weeks ago I was asked by a senior partner in a firm for my description of the ideal lawyer for client development coaching. I quickly responded that I want lawyers who are like Tiger Woods. The senior partner laughed and said that Tiger Woods does not need coaching. I noted that even though Tiger Woods does not need a coach, he in fact has one. My mentioning Tiger Woods had little to do with his ability and way more to do with his desire. Tiger Woods is the greatest golfer in the world and likely to be the greatest of all time. Yet, each and every day Tiger Woods focuses on "getting better." If you have that kind of desire I know you will find getting, keeping and expanding relationships with clients both fun and rewarding.

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In December, 2006, I posted my ideas on making 2007 your best year ever. I received a lot of feedback from lawyers who found that post helpful. Many of my thoughts have not changed. I want to share those and some new ones as we start the second month of 2008. Are you willing to go on a journey with me and see if it makes 2008 your best year ever?

Some lawyers I know have not given a lot of thought to what they want. Instead they focus on what they don't want and typically see those things in more detail. Some lawyers know what they want, and even have a fair idea of what to do to get it, but they do not have the commitment or the discipline to actually go after it. It reminds me of people who start diets and join workout facilities in January, and, even though they know better, they are back to their old eating habits and skipping exercise by March 1. Like last year, I have some questions and my Top 10 Tips. If you are interested, I want you to answer the following questions about yourself. You can email your answers to me if you would like my thoughts.

Here are my questions:

1.  What would be a homerun for you in your career and your personal life for 2008?

If you are challenged answering this, think about what you want to accomplish in your career this year, what you want to learn, what would be enriching relationships with family and friends and how you want to live your life.

2.  Picture in your mind, you in January 2013. What is happening in your career, your family and your personal life? Write down what you picture yourself doing then.

3.  What is the one thing you could do in 2008 that you have not done before, that would have the greatest impact on your career and your life? 

Several years ago, I decided that the one thing for me was to use my time more wisely. I also decided that I needed to plan my time each week and write down what I planned to do.

4.  If you know what you want, what is holding you back? Don't say your firm or other things over which you have no control. Instead, focus on what you can control.

In my case, I know I lack self discipline, and more than anything else, I waste time on things that don't lead me toward my professional or personal priorities.

5.  What are you willing to do to achieve what you have described is important to you?
I like the quote attributed to a wide variety of college football and basketball coaches. "Most people have the will to win, few have the will to prepare to win."

Here are my Top 10 Tips:

1. Write down what you want to accomplish in 2008.  Then prioritize your list of what you want to accomplish.
 
2. Prepare a Plan with written goals so you use your non-billable time wisely. I can provide you with two different templates to consider. 

3. Decide on one area to learn that will enable you to be a more effective lawyer in your field. One year I decided to focus on communication to juries. I bought every book I could find on the subject, listened to every tape and read every article. 

4. Get a group of your colleagues together to talk about the main points of leading business books that will make you more effective. If you send me an email, I would be happy to send you my list of books that will make the biggest difference in your career and life. More importantly than reading the books is actually implementing 2-3 things as a result of reading the books. 

5. Use your time more wisely and effectively. Time is our most valuable resource. Whether we care to admit it or not, our challenge is not that we do not have enough time. Instead, our challenge is that we do not use the time we have based on our priorities. Occasionally, I challenge myself to write down things I do - or things I should do that by not doing them - wastes my time.
 
6. Think of ways to apply the 80-20 rule. Let me give you examples so you can think about it. Twenty percent of the things we do create eighty percent of our success. What is that twenty percent for you? Eighty percent of a typical lawyers business comes from twenty percent of his or her clients. Which of your clients generate eighty percent of your business? 

7. Decide how much non-billable time you plan to spend developing your career and client base in 2008 and divide by 50. Each week give yourself a report card on whether you spent the number of planned hours and how well you spent it. 

8. Get more face time with clients and prospective clients. One of the lawyers I coach has discovered that each and every time he meets in-person with a client, he comes away with a new matter either right then or shortly thereafter. 

9. Develop your elevator speech. Send me an email that tells me all I need to know about you to recommend that a potential client hire you. Why am I suggesting this? First, if you do not know why a client should hire you, the clients clearly won't know either. Second, this will cause you to think about your elevator speech. How many times have you met people who ask what you do? Telling them you are a litigator, or a corporate lawyer or a tax lawyer may be absolutely accurate, but it will not likely get you very far.
 
10. Get a friend in your firm or outside your firm who will be like a success workout partner. Why do this? It is just one good way you can hold yourself accountable. When I had a workout partner, I was way more likely to show up at the fitness center even when I did not feel like it.

11. Make client development a habit. Do something each and every day, no matter how small. The lawyers in one firm I am coaching came up with a list of 33 potential small client development activities they could do each day. Can you come up with your own list?

12. Finally, and perhaps most importantly, spend more quality time with your family without feeling guilty. When you are with your family, be in the moment with them. Focus on them both externally and internally. Do not let your mind wonder. One of my first mentors was known as a hard worker. Yet he spent more time with his family than any of the partners in the firm. How did he do it? Put simply, he did not waste time on things that were not his priorities. You can spend more time with your family, if you spend your billable and non-billable time more efficiently and more effectively based on what is most important to you.

I am still really enjoying posting client development thoughts for the day on my Mac computer. Over the weekend I posted one about setting goals and what I have learned from Brian Tracy's books. Today I posted one about making your friends your clients and your clients your friends. I hope you will find these thoughts helpful. Go to http://web.mac.com/cordpar and check it out.

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The attorney in this Little Things Matter story is not a travel agent. He took a little time to give his client some tips that would make his client's NOLA trip more successful. By the way, you may want to keep the tips in case you plan a NOLA trip - I know I'm keeping them.

The client told me he was going on a trip to NOLA.   Given that I went to school there for 7 years, I took the time to send this email unsolicited.  It was very much appreciated.

Hotels:

1. W on Poydras - Right next to the casino and has a great bar by the name of the Whiskey Blue.   It's expensive, but worth considering if you have Starwood/Amex points or a highly compensated general counsel.


2. The Ritz Carlton on Canal - They give great rates if you're a shell employee.  I've stayed there before as a "Shell employee."  We can discuss over dinner.


3. The Windsor Court -  I am staying there in October for $200 a night.  Great hotel right next to the W.


4. The Intercontinental on St. Charles - This is just two blocks from Canal street and a bit more low key.  I have stayed there many times and they have great rates for a 4 star hotel.

Restaurants:
 
Dinner:

1. NOLA - In my view, the best restaurant in the City.  It's an Emeril (sp?) restaurant.


2. Redfish Grille - A bit more casual, but great food.  Right on Bourban Street near Canal.


3. Jaquimos -Uptown near Tulane.  Very good food.

If you want to go fancier, consider Commander's Palace, Antoines, Gallatoires or Arnaud's.  Also, you might consider a drink at the "old absent house" on Bourbon before dinner.

Lunch:

1. Mother's on Poydras - Best Cajun/soul food in town.  Worth the wait.


2. The Gumbo Shop - In the quarter.  Very solid.


3. Camillia Grille - Uptown by Tulane.  This is a NOLA institution.

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On this last day of 2007, if you haven't already started planning what you want to accomplish in 2008, this would be a really good time to start.

When I was billing 2000 hours I did not have time to study or understand why some lawyers are successful and have a great family life and why others are not. I also did my client development activities instinctively and some things worked very effectively while other things did not work quite as well.

Now, that I am coaching and working with lawyers, I have a much better idea of the attributes of the most successful lawyers who also have a family life and I understand better why certain client development efforts work. While each of us has unique talents, weaknesses, ambitions and practices, and there is no magic pill or formula, there are principles that I urge you to think about and try.

On my webpage you will find two articles I wrote that were published this year. They both focus on how a lawyer can make 2007 his or her best year ever. The second is kind of a shorter version of the first. I believe becoming more successful begins with our attitude. When we talk to our self do we say: "Yes, but..." or "Sure, how..." do we say: "My problem is..." or "my opportunity is..." do we say: "I don't have time to..." or do we say: "I will find time to..." Next, we must have clarity on what we want in our career and in our life. Our time and energy are our most important assets. If we do not have clarity, we waste precious time. For me to have clarity, I think on paper with written goals and a plan for using my time. Take a look at the two articles as you ponder what you want to accomplish in 2008.

Next, we need to focus on what our clients need. They do not want to be sold on how good we are or our firm is and they do not care about what we do. They hire us to solve their problems, help them achieve opportunities or deal with internal or external changes. To be relevant, what we do has to address those issues or it doesn't matter. The best way to figure out what potential clients need, is to identify your target market and make sure you understand their industry.

We need to build our profile. To borrow a quote: "Being the best in the world is seriously overrated." Over time think about what you can be the "go to lawyer" doing. It should be something clients need and you are passionate about. Building our profile gives us the opportunity to build relationships with clients and potential clients. Client development is all about relationship building. When we become more successful we need to build a team. Young lawyers who will later work with you will be thinking "what is in this for me to work with...?"

Finally, we need to plan our personal time at the very least as well as we plan our work time. We need to be in the moment, not answering blackberry emails, and when we are with our kids, we need to be doing things with them rather than for them. You will see in this Boston Globe article that my grown daughter brought that point home to me well. http://www.boston.com/jobs/news/articles/2006/07/02/businesss_new_task_turning_off/

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Laura is a lawyer who I coached when I was in charge of attorney development in my old law firm. One night she and her husband were eating dinner with Nancy and me and Laura shared with me that at the end of each day after she put her two children in bed, she was absolutely exhausted and dreaded starting the same grind the next day. Like many lawyers I know, Laura rarely got up from her desk while at work. She frequently ate lunch at her desk and spent most of her time focused on her computer screen. When I heard Laura describe her typical day, I suggested that she read the book: The Power of Full Engagement: Managing Energy, Not Time, Is the Key to High Performance and Personal Renewal by Jim Loehr and Tony Schwartz. I have both the written book and the audio version and I urge you to read or listen to the book if you end each day exhausted.

I love a point the authors make early in the book. They say: "To be fully engaged, we must be physically energized, emotionally connected, mentally focused and spiritually aligned with a purpose beyond our immediate self-interest. Full engagement begins with feeling eager to get to work in the morning and equally happy to return home in the evening and capable of setting clear boundaries between the two."

The authors assert there are four key energy management principles:
1.    Full Engagement requires drawing on four separate but related sources of energy: physical, emotional, mental and spiritual
2.    Because energy capacity diminishes both with overuse and with underuse, we must balance energy expenditure with intermittent energy renewal.
3.    To build capacity, we must push beyond our normal limits, training in the same systematic way that elite athletes do.
4.    Positive energy rituals-highly specific routines for managing energy-are the key to full engagement and sustained high performance.

Chapter Ten of the book is titled: "Taking Action: The Power of Positive Rituals." In that chapter the authors note that "a growing body of research suggests that as little as 5 percent of our behaviors are consciously self-directed. We are creatures of habit and as much as 95 percent of what we do occurs automatically..." They point out that great performers all rely on positive rituals to manage their energy and achieve their goals. They suggest that these great performers have rituals that optimize their ability to move rhythmically between stress and recovery.

How did reading this book change what I was doing? First, I divided my lifetime goals into four categories:
•    physical/economic
•    mental and growth
•    emotional and relationships
•    spiritual

Second, I decided to get up from my computer and least once an hour; I quit sending emails to someone who was just down the hall from me; I quit eating lunch at my desk; and, I changed my exercise routine to include interval training. Finally, I tried to create positive rituals including getting up early to workout, setting aside time to work on client development and spending Saturday afternoon with my daughter, Jill and playing golf each week with my wife, Nancy.

The book includes a full Corporate Athlete Performance Development Plan. Interestingly, I found many of the same steps in the plan that I included in the Personal Performance and Development Plan I had prepared for associates in my firm.

Are you exhausted each day? If so I urge you to read The Power of Full Engagement and make the changes suggested by the authors.

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Here's another Little Things Matter that demonstrates how much it counts for you to remember little things your client or potential client tells you. The attorney in this story not only remembered what her potential client told her, she did another little thing that mattered.

I had a phone coaching session with Cordell yesterday and I mentioned that I had been focusing the last 30 days on in-person client visits. I have also been trying to incorporate the "give away" idea Cordell has discussed. I have had a lot of fun getting to know my clients and potential clients on a more personal level. I wanted to share with you the following, in the hopes that it may inspire and/or assist you in your efforts.

I ran into a long-time acquaintance recently, we'll call her Mary, who I had not seen in some time. "Mary" and I got to talking and I learned she had recently become engaged, is planning a wedding, and is also in the process building and buying a new home. "Mary" mentioned that she had not found time recently to work on fitness and that she wanted to get back on a fitness program before the wedding. She also mentioned her plans to rent her existing home to a tenant. A week or so after my meeting with "Mary", I was in a bookstore looking for a specific book. While there, I thought about "Mary" and remembered a health eating/fitness book I had read. I called "Mary" and stopped by to see her after work, where I presented her with a small gift bag with the book and a note. She was very touched, could not believe I had remembered her mentioning her desire to become more fit before the wedding, and could not thank me enough. She has already asked me if I can prepare a lease and to review the contract for her new home."

We all know it's important to listen to what your clients tell you. We all know we need to listen to what they say about their legal issues. That's a big part of being a good lawyer. But if you want to build relationships with your clients, you will want to listen to what they say about themselves. Then you'll know what little thing to do that will matter.

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Over Thanksgiving weekend I received an email from one of the lawyers I am coaching. His email and my reply are below.

I wanted to follow up on our call yesterday to get your thoughts on year end planning.  Specifically, when you would do your year end planning, what areas would you focus on?  Thanks, and I look forward to receiving your thoughts.

I do it between now and end of year. I especially like this weekend and the time between Christmas and New Years because I can relax and focus.

Here is my focus:

1. I look back on what I have accomplished this year: What did I learn? What did I do? What results did I get? What could I have done better?

2. What do I want to accomplish next year? What goals? Why important to me? What do I want to learn? What do I want to do better? What would be a homerun for me?

3. What actions do I need to take? I always try to list 25. When will I do each?

I write all of the answers to these questions and my list of 25 actions. Why is that an important step?  Studies have shown that we are far more likely to do things we have committed to writing. We are also far more likely to do them when we set a date certain.

What year end planning are you doing?

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I have received lots of feedback and ideas on holiday gifts and cards. After posting Little Things Matter last week, I received this email from a lawyer I am coaching. Here is her good idea:

Cordell,

You talked to me (and others) about "the little things," so I decided to add a personal touch for a couple of gifts.  I hope it's not too corny.
 
The one and only crafty thing I do is make these amazing Christmas wreaths using a fresh wreath and adding a lot of other stuff, like fresh fruit/cinnamon sticks, really nice ribbon etc. -- hard to describe but really classy (Think Williamsburg).  You'd pay north of $150 for something like it at stores.  So, I'm doing one of those for my number one client contact (who is on maternity leave) and sending it to her home with a wreath hanger.
 
For a rental car company client, I'm doing two "car themed" wreaths (with hangers) that my two contacts can hang on their office doors.
 
I will send you pics when they are done.

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This weeks Little Things Matter exemplifies the phrase "less is more." The attorney who provided this story saw that how much detail you have in your presentation may seem like a little thing, but to his audience it mattered.

I was giving a conference last week end in Canada.  I was running late Friday in the preparation (I was rushing to finish a 20 page text) and I wanted some visual support as well, so I had asked a junior lawyer to extract from the draft of my text a power point presentation and to put it on the Firm format.
 
She did a very good job, based on the model of the firm.  Format is blue on gray, with all the points duly recorded.  This promised to be a classic presentation.
 
Will was doing the English counterpart next door and he sent me his power point Friday PM.  His presentation was a mere 12 pages, with pictures and a few highlights.  It was not meant to reflect all of his speech, but rather to illustrate a few key points in a very attractive and visual way.  It struck me that Will (a Cordell alumni) had followed Cordell's recommendations!!
 
I flipped it back to the junior lawyer saying I wanted something Cordell-like.  I gave her a 5-minute crash course on what I meant!  She ran for an hour on google "search images" and prepared a superb short and sweet presentation, which I could use here and there to put some colour in the audience, while speaking freely about the substance of the speech.
 
Both Will and my presentation were major blasts at the conference, with people telling each of us what good speakers we were!

What little things can you change in your next PowerPoint that will matter to your audience?

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For many years I have said as lawyers we focus too much on what we do and not nearly enough on what our clients need. How can we learn what our clients need? Put simply, if we do some research and listen intently, they will tell us.

Two of my friends with Patton Boggs here in Dallas, Charlie Miller and Ronna Cross, recently published an article titled: "Capturing the Voice of the Client." You can find it at http://www.pbdi.org/Originate/default.asp?Action=GetDetails&ArticleID=31. I urge any lawyer who represents businesses to read the article. It will show you ways to capture the voice of your business clients.

Reading the article caused me to think again about the voice of our individual clients and client representatives. In law school we were taught to "think like a lawyer." Imagine if we had also been taught to "think like a client." We would be in a far better position to help our clients. To "think like a client" we must work on being empathetic and walking in our clients' shoes and we must build trust and rapport with them.

According to Wikipedia, empathy is defined as one's ability to recognize, perceive and feel directly the emotion of another.  For us it is the ability to look at things from our client's perspective. It is very important for us to understand how our client or client representative views the matter we are handling and what is important to them. Keep in mind that for a business client our legal work is in the context of their business and for an individual client, our legal work is in the context of their life.

Habit Five, in "The Seven Habits of Highly Effective People," by Stephen Covey, is: "Seek First to Understand, Then to be Understood." That is a great habit for lawyers to follow. Covey points out that only a small percentage of people engage in empathetic listening. Most of us are figuring out what we will say instead of listening intently to what our clients are telling us. Covey also urges readers to diagnose before prescribing. Far too many lawyers want to demonstrate their brilliance before the client has finished describing the situation.

How do we diagnose? We need to ask questions and listen intently. Here are some questions or statements we can use:

• Tell me about...


• What is it like...


• Tell me more...


• Help me understand...


• Can you give me an example of...


• How did you...


• Bring me up to date on...

Sometimes our clients will tell us one thing, while their body language is telling us something different. In his book "The Likeability Factor," Tim Sanders points out that the first step to understanding how others feel is to recognize their emotions which, with practice, can be read on their faces long before they tell us how they feel. Sanders references the work of Dr. Paul Ekman and includes a quote: "Facial expressions, even quickly passing, signal emotional expression. The face is the mind's involuntary messenger."  On his website, Sanders identifies seven facial expressions we should be looking for and what emotion they signal http://www.timsanders.com/downloads/faces.html .

How can you build your empathy skill set? There is plenty of information on the internet. Tim Sanders points out that many empathy training courses use movies as a device to understand feelings and gives readers a website for  recommendations: http://empathy.colstate.edu/films.htm. That website includes many other resources for learning to become more empathetic.

When meeting with clients, prepare the way Charlie and Ronna suggest in their article. Find out as much about what is important to your client or potential client as possible. During the meeting, build trust and rapport by asking questions and listening intently. Put yourself in their shoes so you can understand best how to help them. After the meeting follow up in some way that demonstrates you were paying close attention to the voice of the client.

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As you saw in last week's Little Things Matters, taking a little bit of time to send a card can be important.  This week you will see that sometimes you may want to do more little things that matter.

We are weaning work away from his long time corporate attorney.  That attorney is handling the acquisition of a company, and all I have ever done is tell my client what a good attorney he is and how he should use him as long as he is happy and getting good service. 

And in the meantime, I have done the little things.  I have learned more about his business, and I introduced him to numerous financing sources and options for the acquisition b/c he was about to pay $1M to a company to find financing for him.  My client has told me several times how appreciative he is that I am going the extra mile to help him find financing, and that his other attorney never offers this kind of help -- he just does the legal work. 

Even though it looks like Bill (who I introduced to him) will provide the financing, I have tried to find my client a back up plan, and Dave is helping.   I introduced my client to another client and friend who has a private equity fund, Hank Williams.  And I also introduced him to a quality, independent banker willing to take some risks on deals like this. 

I also sent my client information on a UT seminar I saw about doing business in India and China since he does business in both places. 

I predict we will continue to get more good work from them.  He just sent us a huge check for fees last month.

Here is an email I received from him:

Sam,

Thanks.

We made an offer of several Million to the seller with a upside of additional few million subject to forecast for the company.  Our VP is visiting the seller of the company in Phoenix this Friday. After this meeting we will know where we stand on this acquisition and will have to finalize the financiers.

Currently, Bill, who you introduced to us, is our best choice.  Today Dave offered to introduce BNP if we chose to go with a bank. Once everything is clear we can contact Hank Williams. Also, thanks for sending me the UT flyer on India and China. I have always felt blessed for being able to work in the USA, India and China - the best opportunities are in these countries.

Best Regards,
Client

This attorney is not just doing good legal work for his client, he is building a relationship with his client.  And he's helping his client build relationships with other to the benefit of his client. I also like that he is not tearing down the corporate attorney.  By staying positive about the corporate attorney, he builds himself up.

How can you do more little things for your clients that will matter?

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Last week I spoke at a firm's associate retreat on client development. I began by saying I had good news and bad news and I asked which they wanted to hear first. The associates picked the bad news. The bad news is that client development has never been more complicated. The good news is that a very small percentage of lawyers will actually do the activities that will enable them to build their client base. Some lawyers will never start developing business and others may start and then quit when they hit a dip or simply get bogged down doing billable work.

How can you increase your chances of doing the activities that will ultimately develop business? Here is my suggestion:

I often say: If you know what you want (not need) to do and have a good answer to the why question (why it is important to you)  you will far more likely have the commitment and discipline to do it, even when you hit a dip.  There is one other really important thing that will make you far more likely to do something. Many studies have shown that people are far more likely to do something if they in advance identify specifically what they intend to do and WHEN they intend to do it. So, anything you decide you want to do, you will far more likely do it if you also identify when you will do it rather than leaving that ambiguous.

I know many young lawyers have trouble identifying what they can do to develop business. If you would like some ideas on what you can do, send me an email. cparvin@cordellparvin.com

www.cordellparvin.com

 

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Have you thought about how much little things matter?  It's easy to get so focused on practicing law, doing good work, and accumulating billable hours.  We need to get these "big things" done.  However, there are plenty of examples of how important little things can be.

With the holidays approaching, this is a good time for us to think about the importance of little things. Each Friday for the remainder of this year, I'm going to post stories of attorneys doing little things that matter to their clients. Of course I will change the names to protect the innocent and edit the stories to preserve confidentiality, but the essence of the stories will remain intact.

I hope these blogs will help give you ideas on what you can do for your clients. And if you have a story to share, please forward it to me, it may help someone else.

Little Things Matter

An attorney I am coaching did a little thing that his client appreciated. It doesn't take much time to send your client a note or card but it will matter to the client.

I sent my client a card upon learning about the arrival of his new grandson. He responded by sending this email:

Thank you for taking the time to send the card regarding my family's new addition.  I have shared it with the family and it was sincerely appreciated by all.

What client just came to your mind when you read this little thing?  You may want to take a few minutes to send that client something that will matter.

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I will be speaking to groups of associates in two law firms in the next week. The topics generally will cover the secret of being a successful lawyer and having a fulfilling and active family life.

When I was billing 2000 hours I did not have time to study or understand why some lawyers are successful and have a great family life and why others are not. I also did my client development instinctively and some things worked very effectively, while other things did not work quite as well. I didn't have time then to sit down and analyze why.

Now, that I am coaching and working with lawyers, and researching and writing, I have a much better idea of the attributes of the most successful lawyers who also have a family life and I understand better why certain client development efforts work more effectively than others. While each lawyer I know has unique talents, weaknesses, ambitions and practices, and there is no magic pill or formula, there are principles that I urge you to think about and try.

I have written about those principles in previous Blog postings and on my web page you will find two articles I wrote that were published this year. The first was published by the New York State Bar Association YLD publication "Perspective" and the second was published by "Marketing the Law Firm." It is kind of a shorter version of the first. They both address some of the principles I mentioned.

As I have outlined on this page before, it all begins with our attitude. When we talk to our self do we say: "Yes, but..." or "Sure. How...?" do we say; "My problem is..." or "my opportunity is..." Next, we must have clarity on what we want in our career and life. Our time and energy are our most important assets. If we do not have clarity by having a written plan and written goals we waste precious time. Next, we need to focus on what our clients need. They do not want to be sold. They do not care about what we do. They hire us to solve problems, help them achieve opportunities or deal with internal or external changes. If what we do does not address those issues, the client will not hire us, no matter how good we are.

We need to build our profile. Over time it really helps to focus on a niche and become the "go to lawyer" in that niche. It should be something clients need and you are passionate about. One lawyer I am coaching sent me her revised plan. She identified clients and potential clients, what she could do for them, two specific areas she wanted to focus on and become the "go to lawyer" and a game plan to become recognized by the clients she wants to serve.

Building our profile gives us the opportunity to build relationships with clients and potential clients. At the end of the day, we get the opportunity to be considered based on our reputation and recommendations, we ultimately get hired based on how well we connect with our clients and build trust and rapport. Assuming we do high quality work, we keep those clients by understanding their industry, their business and their personal needs. I also say that I want my clients to be friends and I want my friends to be clients. So, the personal relationship we develop really does matter.

When we become more successful we need to build a team. Young lawyers who will later work with you will be thinking "what is in this for me to work with...?"  We need to treat them as if they are as important as our most important client because without their help we will not retain our most important client. We need to align their goals with our own and our client's goals, provide sufficient information in a timely way for them to do their work and then constantly give feedback.

Finally, we need to plan our personal time at the very least as well as we plan our work time. For me, Saturday afternoon starting with lunch has always been Jill's time. It is more challenging now that she is married, but we still try to spend that time together, now usually with her husband and my wife, Nancy, included. When we are with our family, we need to be in the moment, not answering blackberry emails. You will see in this Boston Globe article that my grown daughter brought that point home to me well. http://www.boston.com/jobs/news/articles/2006/07/02/businesss_new_task_turning_off/

I recently came across a report titled: How Superachievers Outperform Others by Dr. Donald J. Moine. I found it very supportive of what I have learned and written about how super lawyers outperform others. You can find it on the Selling Power webpage http://www.sellingpower.com. If you have trouble finding it or downloading it, send me an email and I will get it to you.

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Simple observation can be a powerful client development tool. In his book Making Rain, Andrew Sobel tells a great story about his son's interview with the head of admissions at a college to which he was applying. Sobel describes that at the end of the one-hour interview, his son said to the admissions director, "I notice you're wearing an Outward Bound pin. Are you a graduate?" "Oh, yes," she beamed. "This past summer I finally took one of their adult courses--it was something I had wanted to do for years." As Sobel points out, this story illustrates how you can break through when you make an emotional connection with someone. What does all this mean to lawyers? Put simply observation and doing your homework can be powerful client development techniques because it allows you to connect with the client on a personal level.

Here are some ideas on applying those techniques. Before you meet with a client or prospective client do your homework. Prepare for the meeting by finding out as much about the person and the company as you can. Where did the client representative go to college and law school? Where did he work before joining the client? Has he written any articles? When you arrive at the office, take a look at the coffee table books and magazines in the reception area. They may be industry magazines or may be books about the city or state of the business. Whatever they happen to be, they convey the client's interests or values.

Meetings in the client's office provide ample opportunity for observation. What is on the wall and shelves? Are there sports pictures, pictures of his or her kids, or works of art? What books are on the book shelves? Is the office neat and tidy or kind of messy?

With the information you gather by observation you can find ways to connect with the client. You can subscribe to trade publications, send things you find that will be of interest to your client, and read some of the books that interest you.

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"Are your star associates staying with your firm?

Are they learning the skills that make them valuable to your clients?

Are your partners behind the effort to train and develop the associates?

What are effective ways to train and develop them? 

I got the opportunity to answer these questions during a presentation to managing partners at an annual bar association meeting. I loved the title they gave me. It gave me the opportunity to focus on how to connect with the 'next generation,' make the business case for developing them, and then give specific ideas on how to do it."

The above quoted text is from an article I wrote for the October 2007 issue of The Practical Lawyer. In Developing the Next Generation of Remarkable Lawyers, I ask and answer those questions. If you want to read more about this important topic, you can download an advance copy of the article from my website:

www.cordellparvin.com

While you are at my website, feel free to look at and use the other articles and information I have on the site to help you and your firm in developing your attorneys and furthering the success of your firm.

After you have read the article, please come back to this blog and post any comments you may have about developing the next generation of remarkable lawyers.

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As you may know, my wife, Nancy, started playing golf when she was about 40. I should not give her age now except to say she is younger than me. Currently her golf handicap hovers between 1 and 3. When we play golf together, she plays from the men's tees and typically shoots between 78 and 82. I can't remember ever shooting an 82, much less a 78.

Why is Nancy such a good golfer? Sure, she is an athlete. But, more importantly Nancy really works at it. Most men golfers I know rarely practice and when they do, they typically have no specific plan for their practice. Nancy practices frequently and has a plan when she practices. While listening to her iPod, Nancy will practice bunker shots, or putting, or flop shots. Each time she practices, she focuses on certain shots. When I am in a bunker near the green, I am worried about either leaving the ball in the bunker, or putting it through a picture window of the home beyond the green. When Nancy is in a bunker, she is focused on where she wants the ball to land. Before entering the bunker, she will take two or three practice swings to get the feel of how she wants to hit the ball.

So what does Nancy's golf have to do with us as lawyers? The principles are the same. If you want to become a great trial lawyer and you are not trying cases, you actually have to find ways to practice opening statements, or cross examination, or final arguments. When I was a young lawyer I read as many actual cross-examinations as I could get my hands on. Then, I would create a scene and outline how I would cross exam the witness.

Client development skills can be learned the same way. If you want to learn how to network, go to events where you can practice. In fact, go to a networking event and approach strangers and introduce yourself. If you want to become a better public speaker, speak in public. Consider joining a Toastmasters International club, or starting your own speaking club. If you want to become a better writer, write and have someone review it and offer a critique. There are plenty of editors and senior lawyers who are retired, who would gladly critique your writing.

It is already time to start thinking about 2008. What are your plans to get better?

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I recently listened to the book The Tipping Point: How Little Things Can Make a Big Difference by Malcolm Gladwell. He is also the author of another book I like titled Blink: The Power of Thinking Without Thinking. I recommend both books.

There are three main points in The Tipping Point. The first is the "law of the few". The second is "The stickiness factor." The third is "the power of context." In this Blog, I will explain how these points apply to lawyers and client development.

What is "the law of the few"? Our success in client development can be a result of people with a rare set of gifts that help create tipping points. Gladwell identifies three types of people: (1) Connectors, (2) Mavens and (3) salesmen.

Connectors know lots of people. You know the type. No one is a stranger to them. Connectors are important not just because of the number of people they know, but also the kinds of people they know. They know people in different worlds. Connectors are masters of "weak ties," meaning many relationships that are not deep ones. Connectors are important to us because they spread the word to a wide group of people with whom they have weak ties.

A "maven" is someone who accumulates knowledge. They do the research most of us don't want to do and they find joy in passing along what they learn. If you have written an article about an important topic, a maven is the type most likely to find it. Salesmen are charismatic people who can persuade others even when the others are not convinced of what they are hearing. They can sell anything. Based on two studies, Gladwell notes that little things can be as important as big things. Second, non-verbal clues are as important; or, more important than verbal clues. Finally, persuasion works in ways we do not fully appreciate. It is not always the obvious eloquence; it can be way more subtle. Great salesmen connect with their clients in a variety of non-verbal ways including non-verbal enthusiasm, confidence and emotional expressiveness.

Gladwell notes that charisma can be measured and refers to the Affective Communications Test created by Howard Friedman, a psychologist at the University of California at Riverside. I found the test in a book, but it is copyrighted. Friedman reports that the test identifies those who "are generally popular (even if they are shy) and influential, because of their ability to transmit emotions through nonverbal cues."

I was intrigued by the studies done on charisma and Dr. Friedman's test, so I did more research. I found a UK PRESS RELEASE: MYSTERY OF CHARISMA REVEALED BY FAMELAB STUDY. Based on the findings of the press release, how can you successfully make your emotions contagious? Do so by:

• Using an open body posture - keep arms and legs uncrossed and your hands away from your face. 


• Holding your hands apart with palms forward or upwards when talking.


• Letting people know they matter and developing a genuine smile think about something that you like about the person.


• Nodding and briefly touching people on the upper arm when you talk to them. 


• Building visual pictures in people's minds by using memorable visual analogies.


• Keep altering the tone and pace of your voice - keep it upbeat and only slow down to create tension or emphasize a point.

What is "the stickiness factor?" This is the message that will be delivered by the connectors, mavens and salesmen. In the context of our legal marketing, the message must address problems, opportunities, internal changes or external changes our clients and potential clients are encountering. Otherwise, our clients and potential clients simply will not care.

What is the "power of context?" Gladwell gives as an example the book: Divine Secrets of the Ya-Ya Sisterhood by Rebecca Wells. When the book first came out, sales were relatively slow. A year later the book came out in paperback and sales began to pick up. Women showed up for book signings in groups and they would have Rebecca Wells sign multiple books. Wells began to see mothers and daughters coming in together. Later, national media attention, articles in magazines and television appearances vaulted Rebecca Wells to a star status. The power of context here is the role that groups play. Okay, what does "the power of context" have to do with client development? In my case, it meant that I had a far greater chance of being hired if I gave a presentation on an important topic to contractor members of an association than if I only met with one contractor. It was also important that the presentation deal with something that was important to the contractors at that moment.

There is a very interesting Washington Post article that I believe further addresses the power of context. The Washington Post had internationally acclaimed Violinist Joshua Bell play at a Washington Metro stop while dressed in jeans, a long sleeve tee shirt and baseball cap. The test was whether in an incongruous context, ordinary people would recognize his genius. Interestingly, in the 45 minutes Bell played only seven people stopped to listen for at least a minute. Twenty seven gave money totaling $32. The Post noted that in a music hall, Bell earns $1000 a minute. I gather from reading the article that we are so busy and in our own world that we don't take time to listen to one of the world's greatest musicians. You can find the article on the Washington Post website. It is well worth reading to get a better idea of the importance of context.

So, what can we learn from The Tipping Point and how can we use it to develop more business. First, we need an idea that "sticks." It must be a solution to our potential clients' problems, opportunities, internal changes or external changes. Second, to get the idea out there, we need to have it where mavens will find it and we need to get it in the hands of connectors who will spread the word. In my case, national and state construction association executives were my connectors. They spread the word to their members. Next, when we meet with people or give presentations to groups, we need to connect with them in a non-verbal emotional way. Finally, there must be a context for what we are trying to communicate that makes it important to those hearing or reading our message.

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A few years ago one of my clients recommended I read Ken Blanchard and Sheldon Bowles' book "Raving Fans." I read it and thought it was a great book on client service. So, I bought dozens of copies and sent them to clients and sent them to the Jenkens & Gilchrist office administrators. Some of our offices developed "Raving Fans" programs in their offices. Staff members each read the book and brainstormed how they could better serve our lawyers and clients and make each group "Raving Fans." Then our offices started giving awards to members of the staff who had provided the most extraordinary client service. Then we created a firm wide award that we called the "Henry Gilchrist Award." Our awards usually centered on a fabulous vacation to a place our staff members might not visit on their own.

Why does any of this make sense? When we give our staff an opportunity to create "Raving Fans" service ideas, they realize that what they do is important to our firm success. It was amazing to see the energy generated by this program. By the way, Blanchard and Bowles realized this also. The next book they co-authored was "Gung Ho." In order to have clients who are "Raving Fans," you must have "Gung Ho" folks providing the service.

I often thought we should recognize associates in the same way. Having associates who are "Gung Ho" will help us make our clients "Raving Fans."

Click here to get Raving Fans or Gung Ho

 

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When I set goals I do a lot of brainstorming with myself, and with my wife, friends and mentors. I like to ask myself who, what, when, why, where and how questions. Try these when you are setting goals.

The Who Questions:

Who is important in my life?

Who do I want to benefit from what I am doing?

The What questions:

What are my strengths?

What are my challenges?

What do I want to accomplish?

What do I want to learn?

What do I want to experience?

What contribution do I want to make?

What do I want to have?

What do I want to earn?

What am I most passionate about?

What do my clients need the most?

What do I need to do to accomplish my goal?

The When Questions:

When do I want to accomplish each goal?

The Where Questions:

Where do I want to live?

Where do I want to visit?

The Why questions:

Why is each goal important to me?

And why is that important to me?

The How Questions:

How do I want to accomplish my goals?

How do I want to live?

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I walked in the snow flurries over the weekend (not supposed to be this way in Dallas in April) and listened to the current Business Week Savvy Selling Podcast: 

http://www.businessweek.com/mediacenter/podcasts/savvy_selling/current.html 

I like this podcast and listen each week.  Each week columnist Michelle Nichols interviews a sales expert. This week she interviewed Warren Greshes, a motivational speaker and author of  The Best Damn Sales Book Ever.  He made some points that fit very well with what I am trying to teach lawyers and what I have done myself.  First, he talked about motivation.  I believe I am able to motivate people when I speak, but as Greshes points out that is external motivation and it does not last.  I try to share ideas, techniques and strategies with lawyers to help them find their inner motivation. That is the one that lasts.  I know when I think of my major definite purpose, asking why it is important to me and then asking what I need to do to accomplish it, I become motivated to go for it. 

Greshes also emphasized the importance of having an activities plan.  I recently looked at  my 1999 Marketing Plan.  In addition to having a business development goal, it was filled with activities I could check off as I did them.  When you have an activity plan, it helps you feel you are accomplishing things even when the big file has not come in the door. 

When I coach lawyers on client development, I share with them stories of when I was able to figure out a potential problem my construction clients might encounter and find a way to help them before they were even aware of the problem.  Warren Greshes tells an amazing story that is included in his book.  The story is how Peter Rosengaard, a life insurance agent, sold a life insurance policy with a death benefit of $100 million on the life of entertainment entrepreneur David Geffen.  When Peter Rosengarrd discovered that MCA, the large entertainment company, had just purchased Geffen Records for $600 million, he realized that David Geffen was the single, indispensable, driving force behind Geffen Record Company and that if anything ever happened to David Geffen MCA's  $600 million purchase would be worth very little.  Listen to the podcast to learn how Mr. Rosengaard was able to make contact with the CEO of MCA and identify the problem and offer the insurance policy solution before the CEO had thought of the problem.

What problem may impact your clients and potential clients and how can you help them deal with it?

Click here to get The Best Damn Sales Book Ever

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I read each book Stephen Covey writes. I not only read them, but I also recommend that each lawyer I am coaching read them and I frequently buy multiple copies and give them away. Stephen Covey's son, Stephen M. R. Covey recently authored "The Speed of Trust: The One Thing that Changes Everything." I recommend that you read the book. 

Covey asserts that both character and competence are vital to trust. The first wave of trust is self-trust, which includes: integrity, intent, capabilities and results. The second wave is relationship trust. For lawyers this is about client relationships. There are a great number of character and competence behaviors. I will let you buy the book to get the complete list. I will merely discuss a few of the behaviors and describe the importance to lawyers.  

The first character based behavior is to "talk straight." What does that mean for lawyers? First and foremost it means telling a client when we are not the best lawyer to handle his matter. It might be outside our area of expertise, or someone might be able to handle it at a far lower cost. It is important that we convey to clients that we are putting their interest first and we can do it by talking straight with them. 

One of the competence based behaviors is to deliver results. For us to do this, we need to clarify what the client is seeking at the beginning of the engagement. Then, we have to "talk straight" with the client about his chances of obtaining the desired results. If we tell the client he will be able to get the result he desires, then we must deliver. Getting results also includes meeting the agreed expectations on the amount of the fee, or conveying to the client when something has caused the fee to increase. 

One of the character and competence behaviors is to listen first. As lawyers we need to thoroughly understand our client's problem before we start offering advice. In law school we are taught to speak, but not taught to listen. We need to learn to listen better. 

This book, like every other business book I read, does not have something on each and every page we can apply to our legal careers. So, if time is an issue for you, I suggest you read it the way I read business books. I skim the book from cover to cover and then go back to the parts of the book that I decided were particularly relevant to me. 

 

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I have learned from my coaching of senior associates and junior partners that many young lawyers don't know where to start with their client development efforts. They mistakenly think they need to sell clients, make cold calls and figure out other ways to solicit business. Since all of this is distasteful to most, they don't ever get started. 

In a nutshell, here is what I am trying to teach young lawyers: You cannot directly market or try to sell clients. The harder you try to sell the less successful you will be. Clients want to buy (or need to buy), but they do not want to be sold. Whatever you tell clients about how good you are or how your service is extraordinary, they will likely not believe it because your competitors are telling them the same thing. Clients do not want to hire lawyers who are ordinary. They want to hire lawyers who are extraordinary, remarkable and memorable. The game plan for successful client development is having the clients come to the lawyer as a result of creating something remarkable or being remarkable and having clients, potential clients and people who can refer business talk about the lawyer. Seth Godin, a marketing guru says that the premise of remarkable is to have non-compensated third parties become an evangelist for you and your services. 

In a world where law firms and lawyers all look alike, how can a lawyer stand out from the crowd and be remarkable, extraordinary and memorable? I teach lawyers how I did it and how they can do it. The first step in becoming remarkable is to determine what you want in your career. Second, you need to learn how to become credible by building your profile. Third, you need to learn how to determine your clients' and potential clients' views, biases, and perspectives so you can create something that will be noticed and be remarkable in the eyes of those who might hire you. 

Let me give you a personal example: In January 1983, President Reagan signed into law the Surface Transportation Assistance Act of 1982, which doubled the federal funding for highway construction. The Act included a provision requiring that not less than 10% of the funds must be expended with Disadvantaged (Minority) Business Enterprises. Overnight that quadrupled the amount that had previously been spent with those firms. It created a huge problem because there weren't enough qualified and adequately capitalized firms to do the new volume of work. I knew this would be a big issue, so I studied everything I could on the issue, put together a notebook and ultimately wrote a guide for contractors. I was then asked to speak at contractor meetings across the country. I was on a panel with a lawyer from the Federal Highway Administration who recognized I knew this program backwards and forwards. About a year later he received a call from the general counsel of the largest highway contractor in the United States asking who he would recommend to help them with a problem in Atlanta. He told them they had to hire me because I knew more about the law on minority contracting than any other lawyer. They hired me and for the next 20+ years they were my largest client. That is what client development is all about. Incidentally, the Disadvantaged Business Enterprise program 24 years later remains a huge legal issue. In the last year I was hired by the Associated General Contractors to write a "Tool Kit" to help their members comply with the law. 

Each young lawyer I have met can be remarkable if they are open to trying, and if they make a commitment to work at it. 

Have a wonderful New Year and think of how you can become remarkable in the eyes of the clients who might hire you. 

 

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I spoke with Andrea the other day. She is a partner I am coaching to build her real estate practice. She is also a jock. Recently her firm sponsored a foursome in a charity golf tournament and Andrea's foursome finished on top and won the $5000 first prize. Each member of the foursome will receive $1000 and the team will contribute another $1000 to the charity. 

Andrea and I talked about how to follow up with the two potential clients who were in the foursome. I thought she should buy golf balls and have the firm name, the event and the word Champions printed on the golf balls. I also thought she might bring the foursome together for some sort of fun golf outing or dinner. It might even be fun to invite spouses and have a dinner at her house. 

 

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Are you willing to go on a journey with me and see if it makes 2007 your best year ever? 

I contend that no matter how successful you have been in the past, 2007 can be your best year ever. I also contend that for most people, it is the small things that will make the biggest difference. If you are interested, I want you to answer the following questions about yourself. You can email your answers to me if you would like my thoughts. I will also give you my Top 10 Tips for Making 2007 Your Best Year Ever. 

Here are my questions: 

1. What are your hopes for your career in 2007? 

Create 3-5 goals that will lead you toward the hopes you have for 2007. 

2. What are your hopes for your career over the next five years? 

Create 3-5 goals that will lead you toward the hopes you have for your career over the next five years. 

3. What is the one thing you could do in 2007 that you have not done before, that would have the greatest impact on your career? 

Several years ago, I decided that the one thing for me was to use my time more wisely. I also decided that I needed to plan my time each week and write down what I planned to do. 

4. What is holding you back? 

In my case, I know I lack self discipline, and more than anything else, that was the most critical thing holding me back. I knew what I should do, but did not have the discipline to always do it. 

5. What are you willing to do to become more successful? 

I like the quote attributed to a wide variety of college football and basketball coaches. "Most people have the will to win, few have the will to prepare to win." 

Here are my Top 10 Tips: 

1. Write down what you want to accomplish in 2007. 



2. Prepare a Plan so you use your non-billable time wisely. I can provide you with templates to consider. 



3. Decide on one area to learn that will enable you to be a more effective lawyer in your field. One year I decided to focus on communication to juries. I bought every book I could find on the subject, listened to every tape and read every article. 



4. Read or listen to one book a month on success, client development or other topics that will make you more effective. If you send me an email, I would be happy to send you my list of books that will make the biggest difference in your career and life. More importantly than reading the books is actually implementing 2-3 things as a result of reading the books. 



5. Use your time more effectively. Time is our most valuable resource. Whether we care to admit it or not, our challenge is not that we do not have enough time. Instead, our challenge is that we do not use the time we have effectively. Occasionally, I challenge myself to write down things I do - or things I should do that by not doing them - wastes my time. 



6. Think of ways to apply the 80-20 rule. Let me give you examples so you can think about it. Twenty percent of the things we do creates eighty percent of our success. What is that twenty percent for you? Eighty percent of a typical lawyers business comes from twenty percent of his or her clients. Which of your clients generate eighty percent of your business? 



7. Decide how much non-billable time you plan to spend developing your career and client base in 2007 and divide by 50. Each week give yourself a report card on whether you spent the number of planned hours and how well you spent it. 



8. Get more face time with clients and prospective clients. One of the lawyers I coach has discovered that each and every time he meets with a client in person, he comes away with a new matter either right then or shortly thereafter. 



9. Send me an email that tells me all I need to know about you to recommend that a potential client hire you. Why am I suggesting this? First, if you do not know why a client should hire you, the clients clearly won't know either. Second, this will cause you to think about your elevator speech. How many times have you met people who ask what you do? Telling them you are a litigator, or a corporate lawyer or a tax lawyer may be absolutely accurate, but it will not likely get you very far. 



10. Some of you might think this idea is a little hokey, but try it anyway. Several times each day for a week, close your eyes and say to yourself as emphatically as you can: "I am the best and I love what I am doing." Psychologists, including sports psychologists have told us for years that affirmations and visualization can create peak performance. Our brains cannot distinguish between what we experience and what we vividly imagine. We are no greater on the outside than we think we are on the inside. Twenty years ago I read: Peak Performance: Mental Training Techniques of the World's Greatest Athletes by Charles A. Garfield and Hal Zina Bennett. I applied what the authors suggested to athletes to my law practice and I believe it works. 

There is something else I urge you to do in 2007. Spend more time with your family without feeling guilty. When you are with your family, be in the moment with them. Focus on them both externally and internally. Do not let your mind wonder. You can spend more time with your family, if you spend your billable and non-billable time more efficiently and more effectively. 

 

Tags: Being a Lawyer, Book Reviews, Career Development, Client Development, Emotional Intelligence, Having a Life, Interpersonal Skills, Tips

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I receive many questions from lawyers asking how to follow up or make a contact without appearing to be too pushy. Here is something I have done: 

I want you to try an experiment for the next 30 days. Take 30 minutes each day and search for something to send 5 clients or contacts. You can find something in newspapers, magazines, books, and on-line. When you send the article or book include a hand-written note: "I hope you will find this valuable" or "I thought of you when I read this." Make sure the note is on paper with your contact information. I think that is better than attaching or enclosing a business card. 

 

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I learned early in my career that your image matters. My first mentor taught me the importance of dressing as if you are successful. I have never forgotten his advice. When I joined the firm I had just gotten out of the Air Force so I did not have much of a wardrobe. I remember showing up one day in my suit wearing loafers. John, my mentor, came right to the point. He said my shoes looked like bed room slippers with my suit. I had a pair of wingtip shoes before the day was over. Recently I read "10 Simple Secrets of the World's Greatest Business Communicators" by Carmine Gallo. Simple Secret #9 is "Wear it Well." One of Gallo's main points in the chapter is that great communicators dress a little better than anyone else. 

Carmine interviewed Barbara Corcoran, who created a very successful New York real estate firm. She says: "I believe the best money spent is on things that create the image of success...perception creates reality." Donald Trump says: "The way we dress says a lot about us before we say a word." 

There are many books written about dressing for success both for men and women. If you are interested I will share a list of them with you. 

For now, I would not pretend to know how to advise woman lawyers. Barbara Corcoran says she wears brighter colors to help her stand out in a man's world. 

I do have thoughts for men. You need to have at least one very fine suit that is well tailored to fit you. I actually suggest you have a fine gray suit and blue suit. I wear tailored dress shirts and I think they are a good investment. Your tie is important. Many of us wear a tie that either went out of style or lost its luster years ago. That is a mistake. Finally, I suggest you wear well shined tie shoes with suits. You would be surprised by how many people will judge you unfavorably simply because your shoes are not shined. 

  

 

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As you may know, I subscribe to a magazine "Selling Power." As you would expect, it is for salesmen and sales managers. Yet, each and every issue I find something of value to lawyers. It only costs $27.00 for one year (6 issues) and is well worth it. 

In the November/December issue the cover story is "How to Stand Out in Any Crowd." Seth Godin talks about marketing, change and work. I was fascinated by the article and plan to apply some of Godin's points myself. 

According to the article Seth Godin likes to give things away and has built his career on it. I have long advocated that lawyers find things of value to give away. Whenever I write an article, I am anxious to give it away. When Godin wrote his first book he offered a third of its contents online at no charge. He got 175,000 responses requesting the free third of the book. Most of the 175,000 who received the free third of the book clicked the link built into the page and bought it, making it a year long best seller. Guess what I am planning to do with the three books I have written. 

Later in the article, Godin talks about three kinds of people. I will put it in the context of clients: 

1. Clients who don't need the services you or your firm offer. 

2. Clients who need the services you or your firm offer, but are using another lawyer or firm. 

3. Clients who are ignoring you. 

Godin says you can't market directly to the second and third group. "Instead, have them come to you." How do you suppose you can get them to come to you? Godin suggests you have to create something "remarkable." Jennifer Keller did just that. She created the "Easy Guide" which is a compilation of labor and employment laws on laminated cards which an HR person can attach to his or her monitor. Jennifer has the clients in the second and third category coming to her. 

What remarkable thing can each of you create that will get clients in those groups coming to you? 

 

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Many lawyers do not realize the importance of their firm bio that appears on the firm webpage. That is certainly illustrated in the exchange of emails below between a practice group leader and an associate. 

Practice Group Leader: 

It appears that our system does not have a bio for you. If this is correct, please check into this and make arrangements for marketing to prepare one for you. 

Thanks. Practice Group Leader  

Associate: 

No, I don't have one. Please have marketing draft one up.  

Thanks. Associate  

Practice Group Leader:  

It would be helpful for you to contact marketing since I cannot provide the necessary information.  

Practice Group Leader  

Associate:  

I am swamped with billable work, so the bio will take a far rear backseat.  

Regards, Associate  

Practice Group Leader:  

I like to start the day with a little firm management and perhaps some humor if I can find it. I thought I would start early with this one since you seem to be a very busy young man. My email to you and a few others was sent as a courtesy in my role as Practice Group Leader of the XXX Group, a group to which you are administratively assigned. 

Your firm bio is one of the primary means by which others in the firm and outside the firm learn about your considerable talents and make decisions about referring work to you. It has proven to be very helpful to many of us. 

However, the decision to have one or not is yours and as they say: I have done all I need to because "I am not your mama". So if you find the need to have a bio, do it yourself. 

Have a great day. 

 

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Recently I had the opportunity to speak to the women lawyers in a medium sized firm. Prior to speaking to them, I asked them to give me 1-3 questions I could help answer for them. Many of the questions I received focused on work-life balance. 

My Thoughts on Work Life Balance 

There is no such thing as work-life balance and even if there were, pursing it would be incredibly boring. Instead of seeking work-life balance, we should instead be seeking a life that is based on our priorities. We should also keep in mind that our priorities change over time. When you are single, you may want to focus on work and having fun. When you are married with children, you will most likely focus on time with your family. 

There is no way to add more hours to your day. Other than the weekend when daylight savings time "falls back" to standard time, there are only 168 hours each week. The real question is how well we use those hours to achieve our priorities. Suppose you sleep 8 hours a night, or 56 a week. Suppose you bill 40 hours a week and you invest another 10 hours a week on your career development, client development and other firm activities. That leaves 62 waking hours of personal time for family, fitness, community, church, recreation, hobbies, commuting and other activities. That is really a significant amount of time. How you spend the 10 hours a week (or whatever number) of investment time will ultimately determine the quality of your life. How you spend the 62 hours (or whatever number) of family and personal time will ultimately determine the quality of your life and family relationships. 

 

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Recently I was asked on a Thursday to make a presentation to the Dallas Young Lawyers Association Leadership Class at a luncheon the following Tuesday. Needless to say, I did not have much time to develop the presentation. I asked to meet with the organizers and I met with one of them late Friday afternoon, but I still wasn't sure how I could provide the greatest benefit to the class on Tuesday. On Monday morning I asked for a list of the 35 members of the class. When I received it, I sent each one an email asking for topics they wanted me to cover or questions they wanted me to answer. When I received responses, I replied and offered my thoughts on the topics each person mentioned. I learned later that one of the class members said: He was working the room before the room was assembled! Not bad... 

I hadn't really thought of it that way, but he was correct. Taking the time to send an email to each person and then replying to any emails I received in response, introduced me to the class members and let them know I cared about them. I have always approached my presentations to construction trade associations the same way. If I know who will be attending I like to reach out to each person and find out what is on his or her mind and what they would like to learn in the presentation. Then, I make sure I begin my presentation in a way that brings out what I have been told. 

Whenever we make presentations, the members of the audience are thinking: What is in this for me? To be successful both as a presenter and as a rain maker, our presentations must clearly address this question. I have found asking what attendees want to learn is a great way to make sure I will connect with the audience in a way that is meaningful to them. 

If you would like some specific examples of how I have begun presentations to connect with the audience, contact me. 

 

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The Who Questions: 

Who is important in my life? 

Who do I want to benefit from what I am doing? 

The What Questions: 

What are my strengths? 

What are my challenges? 

What do I want to accomplish? 

What do I want to learn? 

What do I want to experience? 

What contribution do I want to make? 

What do I want to have? 

What do I want to earn? 

What am I most passionate about? 

What do my clients need the most? 

What do I need to do to accomplish my goal? 

The When Questions: 

When do I want to accomplish each goal? 

The Where Questions: 

Where do I want to live? 

Where do I want to visit? 

The Why Questions: 

Why is each goal important to me? 

And why is that important to me? 

The How Questions: 

How do I want to accomplish my goals? 

How do I want to live? 

 

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1. Start broadly and work to specific goals.  

2. Think of your major definite purpose (what you want to accomplish), understand why accomplishing it is important (why), and your core values (how you want to live).  

3. Think of goals in the four aspects of your life. 

a. Physical/Economic 

b. Mental/Learning and Growth 

c. Emotional/Relationships 

d. Spiritual/Values/Contribution 

4. Brainstorm and write down as many potential goals as possible in each of the four aspects of your life. 

5. Just as you did for your major definite purpose, for each goal ask why achieving it would be important to you. 

6. When you come up with an answer to the why question, ask why again. 

7. If you do not have a good answer to the why question, discard that goal because you will not likely have the passion to achieve it. 

8. For each goal make a list of no less than 10 things you need to do to accomplish it. 

9. Share your written goals with your spouse, friends or mentor. 

10. Take the first action step right away so the train will leave the station. 

In 1978, I decided that my major definite purpose was to be the preeminent transportation (highways, airports, rail) construction lawyer in the United States. Why was that important to me? First, it was important because I wanted to be the "go to" lawyer in some niche. Second, I wanted to pick an area that was not a crowded field. Third, I wanted to use my government contract experience I had gained while on active duty in the Air Force. Finally, I wanted to work for highway contractors because three of my college friends were active in family owned highway construction businesses. 

I hope these ten tips help you find success in your goal setting. Please feel free to make comments or ask questions - one of my goals is to hear from you. 

 

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I receive many questions from lawyers asking how to follow up or make a contact without appearing to be too pushy. Here is something I have done. I want you to try an experiment for the next 30 days. Take 30 minutes each day and search for something to send 5 clients or contacts. You can find something in newspapers, magazines, books, and on-line. When you send the article or book include a note: "I hope you will find this valuable" or "I thought of you when I read this." Make sure the note is on paper with your contact information. I think that is better than attaching or enclosing a business card.  

Let me know how well this idea works for you. You may add comments to any of my blogs - please feel free to do so - I enjoy your feedback. 

 

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There comes a time in every lawyer' career when he or she needs to delegate work and supervise other lawyers. For me the need occurred when I was able to generate more work than I could do by myself. None of us are taught supervisory skills in law school or how to delegate work. As a result, we learn by trial and error. I learned that I had to be willing to relinquish control and willing to take more time to develop the junior lawyer' skills at first than if I just did the project myself. I hope the thoughts below will help young lawyers avoid the error part of delegating. To delegate work a lawyer must: 

1. Define the project that needs to be completed and establish a deadline and make sure both are understood by the junior lawyer. 



2. Make sure the junior lawyer has the training to be able to do his or her work and if not take the time up-front to do the training. 



3. Provide all the necessary information/documents needed to do the project. 



4. Have an open door policy so the junior lawyer is comfortable asking questions. 



5. Ask for periodic reports to make sure the junior lawyer is on track or simply ask how it is going. 



6. If possible, let the junior lawyer listen to telephone conferences or attend meetings about the project, even if the time is not billable. 



7. No matter how small the junior lawyer' portion of the project is, let him or her know that what they are doing really matters. 



8. Provide feedback both during the project and certainly after it is completed. 



9. In the feedback use criticism as an opportunity to teach and give praise for work that is well done. 



10. Ask the junior lawyer what he or she learned from working on the project. 

 

Tags: Mentoring, Tips

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Many attorneys are active in the Bar because they want to make a difference and further the purpose and values of the legal profession. Each Bar is unique but share a common mission. The mission of the State Bar of Texas is to support the administration of the legal system, assure all citizens equal access to justice, foster high standards of ethical conduct for lawyers, support and provide services to its members, enable its members to better serve their clients and the public, and educate the public about the rule of law. Members of the bar commit time, energy and resources towards achieving this goal. 

The following 10 ideas are meant to assist Bar leaders in their service to the Bar and its members: 

1. Identify one major goal you want to accomplish during your leadership and ask yourself how accomplishing it will make a difference. 



2. Develop a plan to accomplish your major goal. 



3. Identify the "inspirational lawyers" within your bar and find ways to use them to provide inspiration to others. 



4. Reflect on what it means to be a lawyer and how lawyers have contributed to our society. 



5. Find a way to publicize the contributions lawyers have made to our society and your local community. 



6. If there is a law school in your area, develop a mentoring program for law students, helping them learn to be lawyer and to think like a client. 



7. Develop a mentoring program for young lawyers. 



8. Develop programs for your members on career development, work-life integration and client service. 



9. Develop programs on "professionalism" that go beyond ethics. 



10. "Think outside the box" and try something that has not been done before. 

Hopefully each Bar leader will find at least some of these ideas useful. I am sure that some of the Bar leaders reading this blog are "inspirational" leaders and could provide other worthwhile ideas. Please feel free to add your comments. 

 

Tags: Mentoring, Tips

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How many of you end a letter with: "If I can help further, please do not hesitate to call me." I would be surprised if you get a call. I am reading: "How to Connect in Business in 90 Seconds or Less" by Nicholas Boothman. It has many great ideas for lawyers and I recommend each of you buy it. He has a couple of chapters on language and recommends we use positive language. How about ending your next letter with: "If I can help further, please call me."  
To find the book mentioned in this blog, go to our Resources page: http://www.cordellparvin.com/resources/resources.html

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