Reviewing Last Year? Approach it Like a Bullfighter
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Successful individuals and organizations regularly review progress and evaluate how to do better. Here are some tips for improving that process. Plus, it’s more fun!
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What You Don’t Know About Holiday Cards and Gifts
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With Thanksgiving around the corner, many of you may be thinking about holiday cards and gifts for clients. I don’t know about you, but when I used to hear about companies that specialize in corporate gifts, I was always fairly dismissive, and didn’t really see the value added. Nonetheless, I have recently developed a friendship with a lovely woman, Gail Paul, Owner of To Be Announced, who has been in that industry for twenty years. So, I decided to quiz her about why someone like me (or my clients) should go through companies like hers rather than just relying on Google or word of mouth. This is what I discovered.
Read MoreMarketing Lessons from the Switch Witch
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The switch witch is the newest Halloween tradition. She also exemplifies a great lesson about business development. See how.
Read MoreDecision Making Mistakes to Avoid (Part 2)
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A discussion of the three decision making flaws that Chip and Dan Heath wrote about in “Decisive: How to Make Better Choices in Life and Work.”
Read MoreDecision Making Mistakes to Avoid (Part 1)
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What do a managing partner debating the merits of a prospective merger and a teenager planning his Friday night have in common? They’re both trying very hard to make the right decision. Everyone struggles with this, and of course, it comes up all the time in business development, as in other areas of life. People use pros and cons lists, professional consultants, tarot cards, and literally thousands of other approaches to decision-making; yet humans remain appallingly bad at it.
Read MoreTry this: The “Magic” Behind Discipline
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Recently, my clients have been asking me for pixie dust. Boy, do I wish I had a magic wand or super power that could keep people motivated and effortlessly on track with their goals. Despite my regrettable lack of supernatural powers, that is, essentially, one of the reason’s that people hire me, to help them stay on top of their business development activities. They see themselves as undisciplined. Clients get distracted by billable work, partnership issues, firm management, etc.
Read MoreTips for Finding a Mentor, Plus the Elephant
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Numerous studies and anecdotal evidence confirm the benefits of having a mentor to advise and encourage us in the workplace. Recently, quite a few people have been asking me about how to find a mentor. Here are some tips:
Read MoreUsing Support Structures to Make Your Work Easier
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Business development, management and leadership aren’t difficult because of the actual mechanics involved. Sure, there are a lot of variables and no clear answers; but just because there is a learning curve doesn't necessarily make something hard. Consider the possibility that if you are relating to a project or endeavor as “hard” or “stressful” it just means you don’t have adequate support structures. Business development may seem difficult, but if you had a buddy checking in with you every day to compare accomplishments, AND a monthly mastermind group to share ideas, AND a staff person handing administrative tasks, AND a mentor to give advice and make introductions, AND friends to commiserate with when things don’t go as planned, AND a coach to help you to communicate more persuasively… it would seem a lot more manageable, maybe even fun or easy. There has been a lot of research on the impact of social support on the body’s ability to deal with stress.
Read MoreNo-Lose Decisions: Moving Beyond Fear
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A classic paradox of free will is the story of a donkey that is both hungry and thirsty but is equidistant from a bale of hay and a trough of water. It can’t decide between the two choices and consequently starves. Absurd though this example may be, from time to time, most of us are guilty of making no decision, even when any of the available options would be an improvement over no action at all. Failure to make a choice is always disempowering. Yet, this issue comes up all the time.
Read MoreDragons, Fire & Miracles
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Context is everything. The attitude and underlying beliefs with which we approach projects or circumstances determine the outcome far more than any specific words we say or actions we take. When we put on green glasses, the world looks green. Red glasses turn it red. Whether you succeed in your business development efforts (or any other goals you may have) will depend largely on the lens through which you are viewing the situation. Consider this example. The other day, I was talking with a client about her business development plan, and she was terribly uninspired. Sometimes, we can focus on the activities that inspire us, but sometimes we just need to buckle down and take the actions that we would normally avoid like the plague. In this particular case,
Read MoreFive Tips for Advanced Conference Networking
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Networking is an art and, like all arts, there are many styles and degrees of proficiency. This week I am offering some advanced tips on how to leverage your attendance at conferences and similar events. Everyone knows that speaking at conferences provides exposure and credibility. However, most lawyers neglect other salient opportunities for connecting with potential clients, referral sources, and new partners. Next time, try some of these:
Read MoreTurkish Riot, Humor & Business Development
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Turkish Riot is an online video game in which the goal is to send as many tweets as possible before the police beat you up. It was created last summer, presumably as a lark, to mock the role of police violence in the Gezi political protests in Turkey. I’m not usually a fan of video games, but as someone living in the middle of Istanbul at the time, I thought it was hysterically funny. I’ve never made it past 17 tweets. Maybe you will do better. You can try it here:
Tear gas, water cannons, rubber bullets and political intimidation take their toll on everyone, but the Gezi protesters did an amazing job of using humor to stay energized and motivated.
Read MoreHe Who Talks First Loses
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Some people make a point of being quirky and memorable at networking events. What do you do? “I guide people through the jungle.” What do you do? “I peel onions.” This approach certainly has its merits. People are more interested in what you have to say if you are fun and entertaining. Plus, using analogies to explain abstract concepts may help them to understand what you do better. Yet, even the most brilliant elevator pitches fall on deaf ears 99% of the time. Why? If you make your pitch too broad, the other person will probably already know several people with the same specialty. On the other hand, if you make it very specific, most people will think they have no need for your expertise. The best advice I have ever heard about networking came from
Read MoreThe 20/200 Rule: A Rule To Increase Productivity
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Are your perfectionistic tendencies leaving you exhausted and overwhelmed? Here is a simple solution to help you manage your valuable time.
Read MoreSelling 2.0 – Helping is the New Selling
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Just as you sometimes read that 40 is the new 30 or brown is the new black, I propose that helping is the new selling. Large and small companies are catching on to the very basic human principle that we tend to like those who help us, and, of course, we prefer to do business with people (and companies) that we like. Last time I was in LA, my mother pointed out an “ad” that Allstate Insurance posted in the LA Times. The ad was really just a list of free gift suggestions, things that a person can do for others which make a difference for them, but which don’t cost the giver anything.
Read MoreLearn How to Focus Better: Lessons from Michael Phelps
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You may have heard that, as a child, Michael Phelps had attention deficit disorder, but was able to stay off of medication by swimming for hours every morning before school. At first, this may seem like a random bit of trivia or perhaps a recipe for helping children with ADD; but, it also points to a larger principle that applies to business development. By helping us to become more focused, balanced and calm, and by improving brain function, exercise enables us to be more present with others – listen better, adapt and respond to others’ ideas and concerns – all of which are essential for developing new clients, not to mention maintaining good relationships with existing clients.
Read MoreYour 2014 Goals: An Easy Trick to Stay Inspired
/Happy New Year!! You are probably still feeling excited and motivated about your business development goals for 2014. Hurray! Now, the key is to keep that enthusiasm from fading over time. Last year, my clients who tried this exercise reported that it made a huge difference in keeping them motivated and on track throughout the year. Regardless of whether you are a true rainmaker or a total newbie, whether you wrote a thirty-page plan for 2014 or haven’t yet committed anything to writing, this exercise is for you. (Note for those who skim, this is a two part exercise. Part one focuses on goals and part two addresses planning.)
Read MoreThe Human Side of Business Development
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With the recent wackiness of the economy, it is easy to get caught up in the drama and accept prevailing ideas about what is and is not possible. But when you get clear about where you stand and what you do have control over, you are in a much better position to take advantage of business development opportunities. I invite you to focus on the following: Do What You Do Best.
Read MoreKick 'em to the Curb: When to Fire Bad Clients
/This article focuses on business relationships, but really the same exercise is applicable for friendships, romantic relationships, etc. Just think of the “bottom line” as your happiness, contentment and achievement of your life goals. The only place where I do NOT recommend using this approach is for evaluating close relatives and spouses. You are busy. You don’t have time to waste on people (and businesses) that don’t add significant value to your bottom line. Do you have trouble making enough time for all your clients AND marketing? Are you having trouble deciding for which potential new clients you should offer special discounts? Then this exercise is perfect for you. This month I am introducing a quick trick to help you decide which of your clients you should “kick to the curb.”
Read MoreGive Me a Rock! How NOT to Manage People
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You may have heard of the “give me a rock” form of management. The boss says, “Give me a rock.” The employee finds a rock and presents it to the boss. The boss responds, “No, this isn’t what I wanted. Get me a bigger rock.” And it continues. “No, a rounder rock.” “No, a light colored rock.” Obviously, this is less efficient than, “Get me a round, light grey rock about the size of a bowling ball.” The point here is that we are often busy, tired and not focused adequately on the task that we are delegating. Then we become annoyed when someone fails to perform a task in line with our expectations. No one said humans are logical. So, here are ten simple steps for efficient and effective delegation.
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