Jaimie Field – Enlightened Rainmaking

In deference to the fact that today is St. Patricks Day, today’s Rainmaking Recommendation is about Luck.

The fact is that to be a Rainmaker it is not about being lucky, it is about doing the work necessary to become a Rainmaker.  Many attorneys will never become successful Rainmakers because they are unwilling to put in the effort which will make them successful Rainmakers.

Seneca , a Roman Philosopher & politician (5 BC to 65 AD) once said:  “Luck is what happens when preparation meets opportunity.”

Are you prepared?  Have you carved out time during your day, each day to perform one or more Rainmaking task?  Are you getting out of the office  and doing the work which will put you in the “right place at the right time?”   If you take forty-five minutes per day, every day during the business week, you will actually have more than 18 hours of marketing time per month.   Everyone has the ability to carve out that time from all of the wasted time necessary to become a Rainmaker.

Rainmakers do not rely upon luck; they have a plan which they put into practice on a daily basis knowing that all of the work will pay off.

Are you prepared to meet your “luck”?

Rainmaking Recommendations are sent the first and third Wednesdays of the month.  Theyare bite size tips that, when implemented will cause you to make rain. To learn more about Rainmaking, Goal Setting and Achieving the Life you want as an Attorney please contact Jaimie B. Field, Esq.

First, I must warn you that this is going to be a bit of a rant.

In January I wrote a blog post about cell phone etiquette.  It pains me to revisit this topic so soon, but I was moved by an experience I had at a networking event this week.

Second, I have to make an admission.  On Friday, I got my first “smart phone”.   This is a phone which allows me to get emails, text (for the first time), and surf the web.  Until this point I did not own a “dumb phone” which is characterized as a phone which has some multimedia capabilities – I had an “idiot phone” – the same cell phone I have had for more than 7 years.  All I did was get calls and voicemail on this cell phone.

So, now that I have joined the 21^st Century, and some may say the 20^th, I am not so sure this is a step up in my life.   I am not only an information junkie, but I am also a “twitterholic” (they say the first step in recovery is admitting you have a problem).  I tweet all the time.  But until yesterday, I was only able to do so when in front of a computer.  So when I was on the road, I gratefully gave up my tweets to actually have a life.  Now, I will have this ability to do so at any time…. Good thing?

Anyway, back to the meat of this post.  At this networking event, while standing and chatting with a small group, after I had been asked what I do for a living, I was asked the more effective way to work a networking event.  This is one of my favorite topics and one which I will discuss in a later post.  Suddenly, one of the members of the group pulled out his “smart phone” and started to respond to a text or email he had received.  I stopped talking.  After completing the message, he looked up and me and said:  “What?”

“Do you realize that what you have done is stand in a group and ignore the rest of us while you took that message?” I asked.

“Yes.” He said.

“Do you also realize that it makes the rest of us feel unimportant? And that you could have excused yourself to respond.” I continued.

His answer was:  “Yes, but I don’t care.  I was still listening to you.”

Now this really got my goat!  The fact that he did not care, that having his head down and typing, was an indication that he was not interested in what I, or anyone in the group, had to say spoke volumes in terms of his relationship building skills.  I have said it before, and I will say it again:  PEOPLE DO BUSINESS WITH PEOPLE THEY LIKE.

And how do you get people to like you?  While there are many ways to do this, one of the most important is listening intently to what they are saying.  This means that while you are at a networking event you do not become hostage to your Blackberry, IPhone, Droid or whatever other “smart phone” you are using.  I understand that some very important things may come up during a time when you are with others.  However, it only takes a moment to excuse yourself from the group and go to a corner to conduct your business.

Honestly, I truly hope, now that I have a “smart phone” of my own, I do not become so addicted that I forget that people have feelings.  I still fully intend on not being a slave to the sound of my Blackberry going off and people will have to understand that, while I will respond quickly, I will not respond immediately if I am not available.

Do you have any thoughts on this?

Rainmaking Recommendation #5  – Time is on your side

Standing in line?  Waiting for an appointment?  Delayed at the doctor’s office? Stopped dead in massive traffic?  Sitting on a train?

Those 10 – 15 minutes (or more) can be used productively to accomplish one or more              Rainmaking Activities

Almost everyone has time which is being wasted with waiting per day.  Take those formerly wasted minutes and use them to:

• Send a text,
• Make a call,
• Write a “Thank You” note or email.

In short  – Create or strengthen  a connection with a current or potential client or referral source.  Always have available a list of people (at least in your mind) with whom an extra bit of contact may change your career, lead to a new client or matter.

Never again say “I don’t have the time.”

Time is on your side if you use every moment creatively and productively.

What Rainmaking activities can you think of that you can do in a very short period of time?  Please comment below.

Rainmaking Recommendations are sent the first and third Wednesdays of the month.  They are bite size tips that, when implemented will cause you to make rain. To book a Rainmaking Seminar in-house for your law firm teaching you to achieving the life you want as an Attorney please contact Jaimie B. Field, Esq. – www.marketingfield.com