The sun is setting on the day of the generalist:
Today, a powerful personal brand is essential to business development.

When you head out to buy a car, a kitchen appliance – or even a cup of coffee – chances are pretty good that you’ve already narrowed the field down to a small number of choices. How does this happen? A powerful tool called branding.

We choose products that offer the level quality we are looking for and have successfully differentiated themselves from the rest of the pack. In any given market segment, brands “live” on a ladder of priority. A product can be on rung number one, number two or number three – or somewhere underneath among the undifferentiated masses of ‘also-rans’. If you are not in the top three in your market, you need to make some changes.

Lawyers are no different. It is equally possible for lawyers to brand, and successfully take to market, a professional service. In this case, each individual lawyer, group or firm should be viewed as a “service solution” – akin to a “product” – that needs its own, exclusive brand.

How is it possible for you to define and differentiate your personal brand when there are so many lawyers out there? One of the best ways to stand out is to create a new category. This is not easy, but the rewards are well worth it. This approach works equally well for individuals, groups and law firms.

The firm Tedford & Henry, for example, has successfully branded itself nationally in “fire science litigation.” As of this writing, if you do an Internet search using these terms this is the only firm that shows up. If you are a client looking for help in this area, would you think that they know more about fire science litigation than their competitors? Probably so.

Another way of branding is to really focus on one area of the law – and get really good at it. Quinn Emanuel, for example, grew from four attorneys to more than 200 attorneys by branding themselves in one area – business litigation. This is their focus and, according to their web site, they win 92 percent of their cases. Once again, if you are a client in need of business litigation, would you think they win more than the average firm? Probably so.

In the past, a lawyer – or a law firm – could be an unfocused generalist, knowing “just enough” to be moderately competent in a great number of different areas. The generalist’s expertise, in other words, is broad and shallow.

In today’s highly competitive market for legal services, however, buyers want to hire an expert – someone who has focused his or her career on solving the specific legal problems that arise in a particular industry. In other words, they want a lawyer whose expertise is focused and deep – a lawyer with a brand. The brand gives them comfort as well as the assurance that they have made the right choice.

A commodity product can only charge commodity prices; a branded product can charge – and receive – premium prices. A brain surgeon earns a lot more than a general practitioner. The more specialized you become, the more your services are perceived to be valuable.

Another benefit of branding is the fact that a good brand not only promotes your services, but also creates a barrier against entry by others into your field. If you are number one, two or three in the area you have carved out for yourself, others will have a very hard time stealing your business.

Creation of your personal brand is an essential first step in the process of business development; all other steps (personal marketing, converting inquiries to engagement and trusted-adviser status) build upon this one. Some people can create a personal brand on their own; others benefit from the guidance and perspective of a business development coach.

The heart of a personal brand is found at the place where your legal skills, your passions and the needs of the marketplace intersect.

In assessing your legal skills, you need to objectively consider your strengths and weaknesses as a lawyer. As part of this process, consider the kinds of matters or cases you most enjoy, the kinds of clients – and industries –you most like to work with and your current reputation as a lawyer inside and outside your group or firm. Are there additional personal or professional skills that you need to acquire in order to be the best?

Next, consider your passions. Why did you decide to practice law in the first place? What industries are you drawn to? What do you want to change in the world? Which issues really upset or excite you? What are your outside interests or hobbies? What about community organizations that you belong to?

Also consider the factors that make you unique. These can include your gender, personality type, ethnic background, level of ambition, undergraduate degrees, law school, geographic origins and previous careers. Other factors might be the business interests of your parents, siblings or spouses (where you doubtless have extra insight). If you take guidance from your passions and interests, you will be much happier throughout your career path.

Finally, consider the marketplace. Where is the economy headed? Where is there a demand for what you do best and enjoy most? You can focus on a particular industry that interests you, or even a particular sub-section of that industry. You can focus on a particular size of business. You can focus on a particular part of the country – or even a particular business development district or neighborhood.

For example, you might choose to create this brand: “I am the leading legal expert who helps large real estate developers navigate the tricky rules and regulations that hinder their project being built quickly and within budget in the Greater Denver area.”

This description becomes a “verbal business card” that you can use in any networking situation. Isn’t a statement like this much more likely to generate a useful conversation than the simple and more common alternative, “I’m a lawyer”?

Once you have created a personal brand, a coach with experience in the professional services sector can help you build on this brand to enhance your visibility and credibility, develop more business and create life-long business relationships.

Are you the right ‘type’ to be a successful law-firm business developer?
Coaching helps you build on your strengths.

When it comes to business development in the legal industry, many attorneys feel that they don’t have the right “type” of personality to be top rainmakers. They feel that they must try to match the stereotype of being outgoing and social – equally comfortable speaking before a crowd or “working” a room full of strangers.

Truth be told, there is no one personality type that predicts a successful law-firm business developer. There are many differences among normal, healthy people. The secret to success is to determine your own type – and then work on the business development activities that take advantage of your unique strengths.

Personality type theory is based on people’s innate tendencies to use their minds in many different ways. These tendencies, over time, turn into patterns of behavior that can either advance or hinder your career.

To determine your type you need to take one or more of the many personality and/or behavioral assessments that have been designed for this purpose. In our experience, the best all-purpose personality assessment is the Myers Briggs Type Indicator, based on the theory of personality type developed by famed psychologist Carl Jung.

There are many benefits and applications of the MBTI assessment. For business development purposes, this instrument allows you to better understand yourself and your strengths as you interact with others and the world around you.

In addition, an understanding of the MBTI helps you “read” the personality types of your clients and prospects – how they prefer to receive and process information and make decisions. This knowledge helps you structure your communications for the best result.

The questionnaire-based MBTI measures the ways people naturally prefer to direct and get energy (extraversion or introversion), take in information (sensing or intuiting), make decisions (thinking or feeling) and organize their external world (judging or perceiving). There are no “right” or “wrong” results; each of the 16 types identifies normal and valuable human behaviors.

The results describe the characteristics of each type, and list its strengths, areas for development and impact in dealings with other people – including how to use differences constructively in a team setting. A successful business developer can be any “type.”

According to research by Lawrence Richard, based on surveys of more than 3000 attorneys, more than half of all lawyers are represented by just four types – ISTJ (introvert/sensor/thinker/judger), ESTJ (extravert/sensor/thinker/judger), INTJ (introvert/intuitive/thinker/judger) and ENTP (extravert/intuitive/thinker/perceiver).

The characteristics of an ISTJ, for example, are: quiet, serious, earn success by thoroughness and dependability; practical, matter-of-fact, realistic and responsible; decide logically what should be done and work toward it steadily, regardless of distractions; take pleasure in making everything orderly and organized – work, home, life; and value traditions and loyalty.

Doesn’t this sound like everyone’s image of a hard-working lawyer?

However, another of these common types among lawyers is ENTP. The characteristics of this type are: quick, ingenious, stimulating, alert and outspoken; resourceful in solving new and challenging problems; adept at generating conceptual possibilities and then analyzing them strategically; good at reading other people; bored by routine, will seldom do the same thing the same way, apt to turn to one new interest after another.

It is easy to see why there is no “one size fits all” business development plan that would fit both of these personality types – much less all 16 types in the MBTI array.

Another useful tool is the Personal Interests, Attitudes and Values Assessment. The PIAV instrument measures the relative prominence of six basic categories of beliefs and values – theoretical, utilitarian, aesthetic, social, individualistic, and traditional. Each value is ranked as being strong, situational or indifferent.

The beliefs and values measured by this instrument determine why you behave in a certain way. It is obvious that there is room for considerable variation among individuals who have been asked to accomplish the same task – develop business.

To measure behavior, coaches often use a tool called DISC, which explores behavioral issues (observable language) across four primary dimensions: Dominance (how you respond to problems and challenges); Influence (how you influence others to your point of view); Steadiness (how you respond to the pace of the environment); and Compliance (how you respond to rules and regulations). The DISC results deal with how a person behaves.

In law firm business development, there is no single solution that will work for the wide range of personality types at a law firm. That is why many large-group “training” programs are often ineffective. A good coach can use the results of these and other assessments to help a lawyer develop a customized plan for business development that builds on the strengths of his or her unique personality type.

Who does the feeding? Who gets fed?
Coaching can help you climb the law-firm food chain.

A legal career is an organic thing – constantly evolving. The identity (beliefs, capabilities and behaviors) that make you a good associate differs dramatically from the identity that makes you a good working partner – or a good firm leader.

As shown in the chart below, many aspects of your identity must change as you move up the law firm “food chain.”

STAGE/IDENTITY	“FEEDING” ABILITY	MANAGEMENT	INFLUENCE IN FIRM
Super Partner	Feeding firm (only 1 or 2 in a firm)	Managing many and/or firm	Very High / Firm-Wide
Supervising Partner	Feeding self, many associates and partners	Managing entire complex cases; has management role	High
Working Partner	Feeding self and some associates	Managing entire complex cases; may have other management duties	Medium
Service Partner	Not feeding self	Managing some cases and some associates	Low
Senior Associate	Being fed	Managing some aspects of cases	Minimal

In many cases, this growth is a haphazard rather than a deliberate process. No conscious thought is given to the changes that are necessary as you fully step into each new identity.

Successful lawyers at every identity level understand and embrace the need for constant growth in all three areas – beliefs, capabilities and behaviors – as they progress through their careers.

Successful law firms understand that they must cultivate an environment in which this growth can take place. By doing so, these firms can enjoy the increased revenues that result when lawyers maximize their personal and professional growth.

The transition to each new level poses unique challenges – for individual lawyers, teams and the law firms that manage them. A professional coach works with individuals, teams and firms to successfully navigate these transitions.

Without this kind of help, lawyers can become stuck in an identity rut – never becoming the best lawyers, team members and leaders that they can be.

They may have progressed to the next level in terms of business development while retaining the fear and insecurity associated with the previous level. In other words, their capabilities and behaviors have changed – but not their belief in themselves.

One primary behavior that needs to change throughout your career is how you ‘feed’ yourself, your group and your firm – by bringing in new business.

At the bottom of the law-firm food chain, a new associate is fed by others while learning the hands-on aspects of practicing law. The new associate doesn’t have to search for work; it appears, usually in plentiful amounts, on his or her desk.

At the next stage, the senior associate is still being fed. He or she has learned the basics and is managing parts of a matter or case. Senior associates who want to make partner are focusing a lot of their efforts on this goal.

As senior associates become service partners, they fall under the direction of supervising partners; in this capacity, they may manage some cases and associates. Usually, service partners do not bring in enough new work to feed themselves. They usually have little role in firm management.

Law firms are most successful and profitable when the majority of their partners are working partners – bringing in enough business for themselves and ‘feeding’ a number of associates as well. A working partner manages entire cases and assumes some firm-management duties.

The transition that takes place as a senior associate or a service partner is asked to become a working partner is the most difficult – and can be very traumatic. Suddenly, you are cast out of the cave with the expectation that you will bring back a buffalo to feed the tribe. And you don’t know how to hunt. How could you? Business development is not taught in law school or in most law firms.

A working partner who has mastered the art of developing new business becomes a supervising partner – feeding a number of service partners and many junior and senior associates. At this stage, you are expected to manage entire complex cases and play an active role in firm management. You are well-known in your profession, your industry and your community – and a lot of work comes to the firm through your reputation.

The danger that arises at this stage is complacency. With plenty of “food” coming in, the supervising partner may no longer feel the need to generate new business. You have worked hard for a long time and your interests are changing; perhaps, for example, you want to ‘give back’ to the community through public service. At the same time, your children may be almost grown and you see one last chance to spend time with them.

At the top of the law-firm food chain is the “super” lawyer with a huge book of business that feeds many lawyers within the firm. Super lawyers are rare; there may be one or two at a firm. At this stage, their focus may change to strategic planning, leadership and the firm’s external relationships. However, many lawyers find it difficult to transition from “lawyer” to “leader” – to hand over their hard-won books of business, with confidence, to the next generation of leadership.

Successful navigation of each level of the law-firm food chain demands growth in your professional and personal identity. If your identity grows, you can advance in your career. If it does not, you can be left behind. If you, your team or your firm has reached a plateau, coaching can help.

In a pitch meeting, it is better to catch:
Be receptive to anything the potential client is poised to deliver.

Most lawyers are very proud of what they do – as individuals, as groups and as law firms. They attended good law schools, got excellent grades, mastered the practice of law and achieve good results for their clients. And they are just bursting at the seams with the desire to tell potential clients all about it.

The tendency to start a business development meeting talking about yourself, your group and your firm is a natural one – but one that should be done selectively, in very small amounts, and only after you have taken the time to determine the needs of the client. The focus must be on the potential client, the problem that is keeping the client up at night, and how you can help the client solve that problem.

But what do most lawyers do about a business development meeting? Put it on the calendar. Two hours before the appointment, ask marketing to pull together “the usual materials about the firm.” On the way to the meeting, chat with a colleague about who will deliver which parts of the dissertation about the firm and its services. At the meeting, spend most of the time “presenting” the qualifications of your firm and talking about how successful it is. On the way back to the office, congratulate each other about how well it went – “we made a lot of good points.” Wait. Two weeks later, wonder why the firm didn’t get the work.

By comparison, in any successful business development interview the potential client will be encouraged to talk more than 75 percent of the time in response to careful questions posed by the lawyer. The lawyers will be listening, mirroring body language, taking notes and asking follow-up questions to generate even more talk by the potential clients.

In other words, a business development meeting is not about you. It is all about the potential client.

Research the potential client. The first step in preparing for a business development meeting with a potential client is to start early and do your research. Much information about any company is available on the Internet – via the client’s web site, content searches and case-filing searches.

Probe the potential client. Additional information should be acquired by calling the potential client prior to the interview and asking, point blank, about the company’s goals, culture, emerging challenges and legal needs. This always makes a favorable impression. Also, find out who will be participating in the meeting. Then, go back to the Internet to find out as much information as you can about these individuals.

Know the potential client’s industry. Any prepared materials should demonstrate – without getting bogged down in war stories – how your firm has successfully solved problems for clients like them in industries like theirs. Generic firm, group and biographic materials can be included – but only as supplemental materials.

Mirror the potential client. The law-firm’s team should mirror – without looking artificial – the team of the potential client, including the number of individuals, age, gender, ethnicity, language, communication style and dress. Business development at this stage is all about relationships, and people find it easier to be persuaded by people who are similar to themselves. That said, team members should not be selected to be mere window-dressing; they should be the actual individuals who will be doing the work.

Focus conversation on the potential client. At the meeting, well-prepared participants should ask specific questions about the potential client, its market, its administrative structure, its operations, and its business and legal challenges. The answers should be used to generate follow-up questions.

When you understand the problem, switch gears and “leave it all on the table.” Act as if the potential client has already hired you and provide advice of value that demonstrates exactly how you and your colleagues function as trusted advisers. Remember – if they could have done this on their own, they would have. Anything you can give them in a two-hour pitch meeting will not eliminate their need for outside counsel. At the same time, they will notice and appreciate your willingness to be of assistance.

Follow up with the potential client. When the business development meeting is over, try to leave with a specific next step – something like, “Can I call you in a week to see if you have any additional questions?” Do not wait around passively for the potential client to contact you. When you return to the office, send a thank-you letter, along with information about any additional subjects that might have come up in the meeting. Follow up with a schedule of regular contact to continue to build the relationship.

De-brief the potential client. You will either get the work or you won’t. In either case, have someone de-brief the client. If you get the work, find out what it was about your presentation that turned the tables in your favor. If you don’t get the work, find out what you could have done differently to bring about a different outcome.

Plan for the next potential client. Often, it is easier to have someone who was not on the business development team do the de-briefing interview. Use this information to continuously improve your presentation skills. Even if you are not hired to solve a particular problem, continue to find ways to add value to the potential client. There will be additional opportunities down the road.

Successful law-firm business developers know how to turn the spotlight away from themselves and shine it on the potential client and the potential client’s problems.

It takes a lot of hard work to woo a new client,
Here are ten easy ways to lose one.

The acquisition of new clients is the reason behind the existence of any business development plan – at the individual, group or law-firm level. Once a new client has been wooed and won, the task becomes not only retention, with the goal of broadening and deepening the relationship, but also turning your clients into advocates for your services.

After all, research shows that it takes as much as seven times the time and money to acquire a new client as it does to get more work from an existing client. Once a client has made a commitment to you and your firm, be sure to avoid any mistakes that might jeopardize the health of the fragile new marriage.

Often, lawyers and law firms lose business because they stop “courting” their clients and take them for granted. Here are ten sure-fire ways to cool off the relationship with an existing client:

While the work is on-going:

Ignore preferences. When your business development efforts have been a success and a client makes the decision to use you and your firm, take some time to find out how the client prefers to do business. What is the client’s communication style – buckle right down to business or spend a little time on social pleasantries first? How do they prefer to communicate – telephone, fax, snail-mail, extranet? What kind of documentation, in which format, do they require? Which billing format works best with their accounts payable system? By asking up front, you demonstrate concern and prevent misunderstandings down the road.

Don’t communicate. Determine how often a new client wants to hear from you. Some want regular updates to pass along to their superiors; others prefer to hear from you only at pivotal junctures. You never know unless you ask. Do not veer from the agreed-upon matter or case strategy without discussing this deviation with the client. There may be a good business reason why the client prefers the original plan. Find out who should receive copies of which kinds of communications.

Be unavailable. When asked about the reasons they fire lawyers and law firms, general counsel consistently rank non-responsiveness at the top of the list. In fact, one of our attorneys – who has a $40 million book of business – ranks responsiveness as his number-one success criterion; he returns all calls within one hour. When a client contacts you, he or she must receive a timely response. Set the expectations up front. The response doesn’t have to be the answer to the client’s question; you can simply say that you are working on an answer. The response doesn’t have to come from the lawyer; someone else familiar with the work can acknowledge the query and let the client know that a lawyer will be contacting them shortly.

Be too busy. Each client wants to be treated like he or she is your most valued and important client. When you are speaking with someone about work in progress, never act overwhelmed (even if you are) or indicate how busy you are with work for other clients. Focus fully on the client and the conversation at hand. If your clients think that you are currently operating at capacity, they will not ask you to do more work.

Bill for everything. You want your clients to think of you as a trusted adviser. This is never going to happen if a client imagines the clock running every time he or she is interacting with you. Do not bill for short phone calls. Spend time in off-site business and social situations. Drop by the client’s office for an “off the clock” chat and tour.

When the case or matter is complete:

Forget to say thank you. When the work is done, thank the client for the opportunity – letting the client know that you are very interested in continuing the relationship. This requires a hand-written note, at the very least – something more personal and more substantial than an e-mail. An initial project provides the foundation on which build a more enduring relationship.

Fail to conduct an end-of-matter interview. When a matter is concluded, conduct an interview to discover what worked and what did not work, and use this information to continuously improve your relationship with the client. Few clients will actually call you to share their concerns; the interview format gives them permission to do this – and provides you with valuable information. Do not be defensive; just listen. Make sure that you take concrete steps to correct any shortcomings in the process and let the client know exactly how you did this. Thank them for their honesty.

Don’t keep in touch. Cultivating a client relationship is a lot like dating – it takes a lot of courtship behavior over time to make a real impression. When you see an article a client might be interested in, put it in the mail with a note. When you have tickets to an interesting presentation in their field, invite them as your guest. If your firm is giving a seminar on a particular subject, ask them to co-present with you. If a breaking news story hits their industry, call to determine the impact on the client’s business.

Ignore the personal. In the upper reaches of the business development process, you will have a personal as well as a professional relationship with your life-long clients. Do nice things for them. Make notes about their families, community involvement and interests. Use these non-business-related aspects of their lives to keep in touch – without any expectation of business in return. These are the kinds of activities that earn you good clients – and good friends, as well.

Don’t make referrals. You are investing a lot of time and effort in business development efforts; so are your clients. Always take the opportunity to refer work to them, making personal introductions, just as you hope that they would refer work to you. Always take the opportunity to bring the people in your network together for mutual benefit. Your clients will appreciate the effort, and you will develop emotional bonds with them that are almost impossible to sever.

Many lawyers pay a lot of attention to potential clients during the courtship phase – when they are trying to woo new business. Once they are in the fold, the relationship becomes more business-like. This is a mistake. Continue to court your existing clients with the same intensity as new clients – or you will lose them.