Bringing in business is no longer optional. It’s a reality that can feel daunting to many. Most lawyers think (and many say it out loud!): “I didn’t go to law school to be a salesperson.”
OK… that may be true, but in today’s legal business, every lawyer needs to learn how to make themselves visible and ask for business if they want a thriving practice.
Most lawyers know they need to foster productive relationships and build recognized reputations. But when they are buried in client work, finding time and motivation to develop the right habits can feel impossible. The result? Lackluster outcomes, frustration, and stress.
There is a better way! Lawyers – you don’t need to go it alone.
Working with a trusted business development coach helps lawyers focus relationship development efforts in a way that optimizes outcomes. The results can be empowering.
If you are nodding along, thinking ‘this sounds like me’ but you aren’t sure what’s next, here are a few thoughts:
When Should You Engage A Business Development Coach
The short answer: when you’re serious about achieving growth. Needs vary over the course of a career, but there is never a wrong time to engage a coach.
- Newer attorneys: You need to build relationships now that will pay off later. A coach helps you start early so connections mature alongside your career growth, fueling future referrals.
- Newer partners: You just shifted from receiving work to generating it. A coach helps you navigate this transition so that you may start earning origination credit and build enduring client relationships.
- Established partners: You’re ready to maximize your remaining practicing years. A coach helps you break through to the next level or build revenue that feeds others in the firm.
There’s no “perfect” time to hire a coach. It’s often when your current approach isn’t getting you where you need to be any longer.
What Can You Expect From Working With A Coach?
Accountability: My clients often tell me that one of the biggest benefits of working with me is the gift of accountability. A strong business development coach not only helps you set short- and long-term goals, they keep you focused on actionable steps while providing safe spaces to talk about your challenges and successes.
Customized Plans: There is no one way to bring in business. Each lawyer develops work differently and with varying degrees of success. By working one-on-one with a coach, you will come to understand what works best for you. By crafting a marketing and business development plan that is uniquely aligned with your strengths, your chances of success increase.
A Sounding Board: Sometimes you just need someone you trust to listen to you objectively. A business development coach does not need to be a lawyer, but they do need to be knowledgeable about the legal industry and how it intersects with the business world. You also need to choose someone you feel at ease with, but who will honestly assess scenarios. Sometimes just talking through a strategy crystallizes an approach that you may not have thought about before.
Future Planning: Thinking ahead helps you to be opportunistic and maintain consistency. One of the hardest things to accept is that business development takes time. Because of this long runway to obtaining legal work, it’s important to be thoughtful and deliberate in your approach. A coach helps you shape short-term initiatives to support your long-term goals.
Make Your Move
Business development doesn’t have to be mysterious or torturous. With the right guidance, it can become a systematic, manageable part of your practice. The lawyers who succeed aren’t necessarily the most natural at business development, but they are always the ones who commit to a process and make a consistent effort.
Seriously, why go it alone when you don’t have to?