Visualize Success: More Examples of 2010 Successes

I share a few more of this year's real life successes to help lawyers visualize their own definition of success for 2011 and how they can get there. (As always, I've used fictional names for privacy purposes.)

Charles' solo practice grew steadily this first year after he left the firm. By providing excellent legal advice and services and expanding his contacts, he continues to get more referrals, to be hired by other firms for specialty work, and to get repeat business from happy, satisfied clients.

Tamra's niche work continues to increase as she finds ways to let people know what she focuses on and of her accumulating successes. Despite the economy, she had record setting months financially this fall after many years of practice.

By achieving a very challenging personal goal this year, Ally realized that with the right plan she can also take on significant professional challenges that she never would have tried before. And just as she formed new habits to achieve her personal goal, she is creating new habits that help her more efficiently manage her case load.

Matthew created procedures to streamline his work and have more control over it. He focused on building his own practice and set boundaries for when and what he would do to service his partners' work. He raised his visibility and increased his credibility. As a result he took a worry free vacation and brought in more new business and more revenue than ever before after many years in his firm.

Samantha overcame a paralyzing fear of public speaking this year. She now even almost looks forward to her next presentation. Her tremendous growth in this area spills over to her professional presence and confidence within her firm as well. Her value as a partner is being acknowledged more than ever.

Hannah interviewed and was hired for her dream job this year. She overcame an unexpected rough start by focusing on what was most important. Now, thanks to her intelligence, humor, common sense and work ethic, her star is rising at a record setting pace.

If you would like to make changes in 2011 and reach your own definition of success, please contact me.

Listen Up, Lawyers: 5 Rules For Really Listening (per David Winter)

Communicating includes listening. Communicating with your clients, partners, other colleagues, other lawyers, potential clients etc., includes listening to them. Since communicating is a relationship skill, when you improve your listening, you will improve your professional and personal relationships. How does that sound?

David Winter, a successful plaintiff's lawyer in metropolitan Detroit and a friend of mine, shared some of his advice on listening this week. Like the #1 rule for losing weight, Dave's 5 rules for listening are simple but not easy.

"Let’s get one thing straight, listening isn’t waiting for the other person to stop talking so we can provide a rebuttal. Listening is understanding, interpreting, and paying attention to what is said. The pathway to successful listening is outlined by five rules. Learn and practice them and your career as a lawyer will become a much more rewarding experience, professionally, personally and financially.

The rules I follow are:

• Listen to why something is important to the speaker.


• Confirm you understand the speaker’s true meaning.


• Ask for explanations, don’t assume.


• Don’t offer opinions.


• Edit out internal responses."

Learn and use these rules in 2011. Notice what happens.

If you would like coaching on your professional relationships, please contact me.

Your Year In Review and 2011 Preview

What are you most proud of from 2010?

When I asked my lawyer clients this question last week and this week, almost all of them said they are most proud of how they have taken more control of their practice, career or work day this year. And almost all of them say they did this by developing better business practices, asserting themselves more and raising their profile within and/or outside of their firm. To start making changes, they had to be brave, step outside their comfort zone and stop doing what wasn't working.

Take time this week or weekend to list 100 accomplishments (yes 100!) from 2010 - - large, small, professional, personal, events, actions, tangibles and intangibles, whatever. No one but you needs to see your list. This is a time to be proud of yourself and who you were this year.

So acknowledge yourself and your year. You will see that you accomplished more than you realize and more than you give yourself credit for. You will also more clearly see what you want to accomplish in 2011, who and how you want to be, and how you will make it happen.

Congratulations on 2010 and best wishes for 2011.

If you are ready for coaching to make 2011 your best year yet, please contact me.

New Associates in Law Firms: Year 1 Business Development Plan

"People do business with people they know, like and trust." Successful franchises survive on this maxim because they are known to consistently provide a good quality product or service. In fact, most successful businesses depend on this principle, including successful lawyers, financial advisors and pediatricians, barbers, hair colorists and babysitters.

Last week I worked with new associates in law firms about how to use this principle to form a basic business development plan for their first year as a lawyer. We talked about the following elements of a plan:

1. Your Reputation (in marketing terms a.k.a. your "brand"): decide now what you want your reputation to be inside and outside of your firm by the end of 2011 and what specific steps you will take to develop that reputation. Be as specific as possible when defining your ideal reputation for your first year and how you will achieve it.

2. Your Network: identify ways to strengthen your existing relationships, rekindle former relationships and establish new ones - - inside and outside of your firm, personal as well as professional.

3. Marketing: learn ways to appropriately let people know what you do as a lawyer. This can include in person, on your business card, through your profile and status bars on LinkedIn, Facebook or other social media, your bio on the firm website, your email signature block, information at the end of your articles, etc. For example, even as a brand new associate, you should practice a brief self-introduction, a.k.a. an elevator speech. Know what services you and/or your firm offer and the types of clients with whom you work. In other words, know how you and your firm help and who benefits.

Just as you should with respect to developing your legal knowledge and substantive skills as a lawyer, watch and learn about business development from lawyers you admire.

You will probably hear and learn that there is no secret formula or a sure thing when it comes to getting clients and developing business. But credibility and visibility are two keys to generating business. So start taking steps to become known, liked and trusted inside and outside of your firm. It's a great time to start.

If you are interested in coaching to get started now, please contact me.

Holiday Parties: Go With a Purpose and a Plan Even If . . .

Networking Survival Tip for Lawyers this Holiday Season: go with a purpose and a plan even if it is a purely social and non work related party.

If you just want to relax, have a good time and talk with your friends, that is your purpose and your plan. Permit yourself to do just that and you will. You will be guilt-free and relaxed.

Similarly, if you are going to a work-related party that you will log as business development time, know your purpose for attending and how you will achieve it. Maybe you want to catch up with five people you haven't seen in a while. Perhaps you want to meet three potential referral sources. How about a new client as a result of attending this party? By going with a purpose and a plan, you will spend your time more effectively and you will be that much closer to getting what you want.

Another word of advice - - only ask for a business card from people you actually connected with and enjoyed meeting. If you can't imagine ever having coffee with someone, sending them an email, or putting them together with someone else, save yourself time and angst afterwards. You don't have to get their card.

Business Development for Lawyers: Real Life Examples of Successful Behaviors

Lawyer Patrick provides value first every day. He does this for clients, prospective clients, referral sources and potential referral sources. He doesn't keep score and he doesn't expect anything in return. He goes out of his way to help people. This practice philosophy took time to begin paying off but now it always pays off in engagements, referrals, information or other opportunities. Sooner or later it always pays off.

Lawyer Anya engages with her target market at least twice a week. She has coffee or lunch with people in her target market and attends other events for them. She provides information and puts people together for their own benefit. She looks for and creates opportunities to help her target market. She is increasing her visibility and building her credibility in that market. It took well over a year but now she regularly gets new clients from her efforts, and she can track the clients to those efforts.

Lawyer Karla approaches every day with a business development attitude and belief that she can succeed in getting more clients. She is in court several times a week. She always sees and looks forward to the opportunity to be a great lawyer for her clients in the courtroom. She always sees and looks forward to the effect that has on her reputation in the courthouse. She always looks forward to meeting new people while she is there. She has the same philosophy in situations beyond the courthouse. Her confidence and success attitude, combined with her open, friendly way with people, create opportunities for people to approach her, seek her help or at least want to get to know her. She gets referrals from her clients and from other people who meet and see her in action in the court. She also gets referrals from other professionals and friends who know of her client relationship skills and her courtroom skills.

Of course, these lawyers have other components in their marketing and business development plans. But these three examples demonstrate how choosing and commiting to a behavior, and doing it over and over and over again, leads to success.

What new behavior would you like to establish? What will lead to your success? If you would like coaching to get you there faster, please contact me.

Public Speaking: Examples From the Field

This past week a first year associate, a senior associate, an experienced partner and my fifth grade niece demonstrated four basic skills of all good public speakers:

1. They calmed and focused themselves by taking a deep breath before they began.
2. They spoke conversationally, varying their tone and using emphasis where appropriate.
3. They smiled and made eye contact with the audience as much as possible instead of looking down at their notes.
4. They engaged the audience with their own enthusiasm for the subject.

None of the four are Toastmasters or Dale Carnegie instructors. They aren't graduates of those groups or similar ones. Some of them used to be very reluctant public speakers. At least three of them have recently spent time focused on improving their public speaking skills. They spent that time well and it shows.

People paid them compliments about their various presentations and their ability to convey information naturally and simply. People acknowledged the speakers' knowledge level as well as their ability to relate to the audience. People acknowledged their organization. People approached them afterwards to ask follow up questions and to thank them. People singled them out to acknowledge them as being good speakers.

One of the formerly very reluctant ones even surprised herself this week with her own idea for a follow up presentation to a niche group of potential clients. "Holy cow!"

Two lessons:
1. You can and will become a better public speaker by working on it.
2. You can stand out by being a good public speaker.

Bonus: you may even start to enjoy public speaking. Imagine that.

When do you want to get started?

If you would like coaching to start being a better public speaker, please contact me.

Public Speaking Tips: Presenting Awards

In the last several months I've seen numerous lawyers present awards at various events. Simply put, we can all improve. For some people, improvement starts with these basic do's and don'ts.

How to Present an Award:

1. Do prepare by researching the award and the recipient. If possible, talk with the recipient ahead of time, even if it's only a few minutes before the presentation. The audience can tell from your remarks and body language whether you've met the recipient. Isn't it nicer when you can tell that the presenter has personally met the recipient and knows more than how to pronounce the person's name? Don't admit that you just met the person for the first time a minute beforehand.
2. Do state the significance of the award, even if it's an award that you think is obvious such as the Pro Bono Spirit Award. Also, if the person after whom the award is named is present, acknowledge his or her presence. I saw a lawyer forget to do this earlier this year - - at least one good reason to have a written outline no matter how familiar you are with the award and the winner.
3. Do state the criteria for the award.
4. Do describe how the recipient met the criteria and how he or she was chosen.
5. Do say you are [fill in the blank] to present the [XYZ] Award to [recipient's name] as you gesture warmly toward the recipient to welcome him or her up to receive the award.
6. Do know where the award is and have it ready. Don't hunt for it on the table behind you. It's not an afterthought.
7. Do handle the award as if it is valuable.
8. Do smile and make eye contact with the recipient as you hand him or her the award.
9. Don't read verbatim from the recipient's list of accomplishments. Choose highlights relevant to the award, tell a story or be conversational in other ways.
10. Don't call the recipient to the podium before you make your remarks. We've all sympathized with award winners standing awkwardly at the front of a room while they are praised. Don't impose that on anyone!

Last, if you are nervous, stay focused on the award and the deserving recipient instead of yourself. Put your energy into honoring him or her!

If you would like coaching to start being a better public speaker, please contact me.

Elevator Speeches & Lawyers

What is an elevator speech and why do you need one as a lawyer? Never mind why it's called an elevator speech, just remember two things:

• It is a short, memorable description of what you do and who you do it for.
• It is a marketing tool.

You need to have it ready for any time you meet someone new and they ask what you do. You also use it when you introduce yourself in front of a group.

Focus on the benefits you provide. To preclude snap judgments about lawyers and generate interest, focus on the benefits or results you provide and for whom. For example, when asked what you do, you could say "I am a tax lawyer". A more meaningful answer might be "I help small businesses reduce their taxes and be more profitable. I am a tax lawyer."

Connect with your audience. To be more memorable, take your listeners into account and, if applicable, adapt your description to them. For example, "I help small businesses like yours reduce their taxes and be more profitable." An estate planning lawyer could say to a new parent "I help new parents get at least a little more sleep by getting plans in place and having peace of mind. I am an estate planning lawyer."

Have energy. If you are bored with your own introduction, your audience will be too. If you don't believe in what you do, your audience won't either. Find the words that work for you, practice them with other people, and then try them. It's natural to keep revising your introduction until you are really comfortable. To keep from trailing off and keep your energy up, keep it short.

Hint: to find your energy and the words that work best for you, consider what you like most about what you do for your clients.

The keys are keeping it short, simple and descriptive - the benefits of what you do and for whom.

Contact me for a single coaching call to develop and practice your self-introduction. elizabeth@yourbenchmarkcoach.com or 734-663-7905.

Marketing 101 For Lawyers Without a Marketing Plan

Here are marketing basics I discussed with a group of 12 mediators-in-training today. The group was a mix of lawyers, educators, accountants, business people and others, all of whom had loosely formed ideas about how they want to use their mediator skills. Our time was limited to one hour. As we talked they filled out their worksheet with information that made sense to them personally.

If you keep meaning to put together a marketing plan, but never get around to it, limit yourself to 15 minutes right now and use this outline. The bullet points are just ideas to get you thinking.

Even if you are way beyond Marketing 101, take a fresh look at who you want as clients and ask yourself how you can sharpen your focus. Take a fresh look at your tactics and your tools and ask yourself how you can be more effective.

I. Your Target Market - Who Do You Want To Reach?

• Who needs your services?
• What kinds of people or situations do you like to service?
• Where do you already have opportunities, a lot of connections, a knowledge base, or a reputation? (i.e. Based on your work history, education, extra curricular activities, family, etc.)

II. Your Marketing Tactics - How Will You Reach Your Market?

• Networking through personal contacts, associations, etc. related to your target market?
• Referral sources (list them by name and/or by occupation)?
• Online technology (website, blog, email, e-newsletters, LinkedIn, Facebook, etc.)?
• Writing and/or public speaking?
• Advertising?
• Low tech, low cost placement of marketing material (community bulletin boards, etc.)?

III. Your Marketing Tools - What Will You Use?

• Register your name as a domain name. Even if you don't use it, no one else can.
• Create a Google profile for yourself.
• Business cards.
• LinkedIn - a simple, no cost way to start a professional presence on the web.
• Prepare a 30 second elevator speech.
• Website
• Blog
• Brochures
• Twitter

Choose marketing tactics and marketing tools that fit you. Put your plan in writing. It's not a plan unless it's in writing. Go with your strengths, stay focused on your target market, and get started by taking one small action step and then another and another . . . . The key is to stay focused on your target market.

If you would like coaching to develop a marketing plan that works for you, please contact me.

October is Pro Bono Month

October has been designated Pro Bono Month by the ABA, the State Bar of Michigan and many other states to highlight the need for and importance of pro bono legal assistance.

As a result of a pledge by the Board members of the Detroit Metropolitan Bar Association, I've signed up for training at the end of the month in order to take on a pro bono domestic violence case. I'm looking forward to dusting off my litigation skills but I expect that a d.v. case will be very challenging in many ways. It's a way to stretch my comfort zone, learn something new and hopefully do something important legally and personally for someone else. I'll report back as this goes along.

If you want help finding or taking on a pro bono case, contact the State Bar, the Detroit Metropolitan Bar Association, or your state bar, local legal aid office or local bar association. Many law schools have students available to work on a matter with you through their pro bono programs.

Job Searches: Stand Out From The Crowd

Writer Mike Scott interviewed me for today's Detroit Legal News article for law students and new lawyers about standing out in today's tight job market. When he called me, I thought of all the law students and recent graduates who spend most of their job search time and effort looking for and responding to postings online, and/or sending out hundreds of unsolicited resumes to employers where they know no one. I wanted to share my advice that this isn't the most effective way to spend all of your time and energy.

Law students and recent graduates should assume that if they are doing this, then hundreds of other law students and recent graduates, if not more, are responding to the same postings and sending out unsolicited resumes to every firm in their city or county. Thousands are doing the same in every state and part of the country.

Develop A Strategic Plan.

If you don't think your chance of getting a summer or permanent job through on-campus interviews or job postings is very likely, regardless of the reason, you need to develop a strategic plan for your job search. It should be a strategic plan similar to the business development plans that lawyers should create and implement to get new clients and more business from existing clients.

1. Figure out the market you will target, whether you know anyone in that market and why you are a good fit for that market.

2. Know yourself. Know what strengths you bring to an employer, and your unique attributes and experiences. If you aren't sure of your unique attributes and experiences and/or true demonstrable strengths, ask for help from people you trust and people who love you. Get their input on who you are when you are at your best.

3. Build on your strengths. If you are a leader and organizer type, find a way to get involved leading or organizing something related to your target market. If you are introverted and a great writer, let your target market get to know you through your writing. Bar associations and legal newspapers are frequently looking for more articles - submit yours without waiting for an invitation. If you like to volunteer, pull yourself away from searching for job postings online and allocate time each week to volunteering within your target market. ie. volunteer to help in some way at legal aid clinics, local or state bar association offices or events, fundraisers held within the legal community, law related golf outings, etc.

4. Be yourself and let others get to know you. In this tight job market, it is very important to get to know people who do what you want to do and/or who can refer you to others. And the most important part of this is to let them get to know you. You want to stand out in their minds.

Sitting at your computer responding to online postings or stuffing envelopes with cover letters and resumes isn't the most effective way to let people get to know you. Be honest with yourself. When you look at your cover letters and resume, what makes you stand out?

People do business with people they know, like and trust. They refer people they know, like and trust. And they hire people they know, like and trust. If you dedicate time during your job search doing things within the legal profession that you enjoy and that you are really good at, you will develop professional relationships with people who can help you now and throughout your career. You will stand out in their minds.

By building on your strengths, you'll also be gaining unique experiences and attributes that make you stand out. Think of the effect on your self-confidence, your resume and your reputation. You'll be building a great foundation for your career.

I've met hundreds, probably even thousands, of law students and recent graduates through my years of private practice, my coaching practice and all of my bar association activities. The law students and recent graduates who stand out in my mind are relatively few.

They stand out for various reasons, none of which are grades. Rather, essentially they stand out because they did things that let me get to know them. They are the ones who took initiative, asked me questions, talked with me after presentations, volunteered, took on responsibilities, got involved, asked me for help, showed up and mattered, and/or took advantage of opportunities or created opportunities for themselves and/or others.

They had different confidence levels and personalities. Not every one was a Type A, an extrovert, a leader or even a joiner. Even if I had only a few conversations or contacts with them, I got to know much more about them and their abilities than the hundreds or thousands of others who blended in because they didn't do anything to make themselves stand out in my mind.

What can you do to make yourself stand out to people who can help you in your own job search?

Here is a link to the interviews in today's Detroit Legal News by writer Mike Scott.