Rainmaking is converting those people into prospective clients by creating relationships.

Marketing educates your prospective clients and referrals sources about the services you can provide to them.

Rainmaking creates the relationships which allow your prospects and referrals to know that you can provide these services just for them.

Marketing uses a lot of reactive tactics to generate awareness of your services.  For example (this is not even close to an exhaustive list – there are more than 100 ways to get your services known):

• Advertising
• Blogging
• Websites
• Newsletters
• Articles

Rainmaking uses proactive tactics to get to know people personally which will allow them to make the decision to hire or refer you.  For example (Again, this is not even close to an exhaustive list – there are more than 100 ways to create relationships which will get you clients):

• Networking
• Referral Systems
• Entertaining for business (coffee/lunch appointments)
• Social Networking (yes, even online networking can be used for Rainmaking Purposes and will be covered in future blog posts)

So while Marketing will get you known, Rainmaking will get you clients.

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 learn more about Rainmaking, Goal Setting and Achieving the Life you want as an Attorney please contact Jaimie B. Field, Esq.

Did you know you can schedule an in-house, customized Rainmaking training workshop for your law firm? begin telephone or Skype individual rainmaking training from wherever you are in the world with Jaimie? Call or email for more information.

5 minutes here, 10 minutes there.

No matter what the event or appointment, they are always late.

However, being late is never acceptable.

When you are late, you are saying to other people that your time is more important than theirs.   This is not a favorable impression to make on anyone.

Being late also creates the impression that you cannot handle your schedule.

If you are too busy to make it to a meeting, a lunch appointment or a call on time, the person on the waiting end is going to be hesitant about trusting you with a legal matter that has time constrictions.   If it is a referral source, they may decide you cannot be trusted to treat the person they are referring to you with the respect they deserve.  You could potentially lose business because of your lack of ability to stick to your schedule.

Think about that last appointment you made with your doctor or hairdresser who kept you in the waiting room for more than 15 minutes over your scheduled appointment time.  You didn’t like that, did you?  Or what about the time you went to meet with someone new, a prospective client or referral source perhaps, who kept you waiting. What kind of impression did that make on you?

Your schedule is just as important as theirs, right?  How do you think they feel when you are late?

You have to find a way to stop this.  Whether it is the old trick of turning the clocks forward so that you are on time, or finding a way to stop doing what you are doing early enough to be on time.

If you do find that you are running late, or have gotten stuck in traffic, then please take the time to contact the appointment you have and let them know in advance.

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 learn more about Rainmaking, Goal Setting and Achieving the Life you want as an Attorney please contact Jaimie B. Field, Esq.

If each of these clients could refer just one good client to you, and then each of those new clients could refer one new client to you . . . . and so on and so on, how big would your book of business be?

Each time you finish a legal matter and say “goodbye” to a client, it only takes a short period of time before they begin to forget about the great work you have done.  “Out of sight, out of mind” is a truism.

Instead, find a way to say “Talk to you Soon.”

So how do you keep yourself in their minds at all times?  Keep in Touch.

There are so many methods Rainmakers use to keep in touch on a regular basis:

• Phone Calls
• Emails
• Newsletters
• Firm announcements
• Blog posts
• Holiday Cards

No, you should not become a pain in the butt and bombard them with spam, but you should find a method that works for you to keep in touch on at least a quarterly basis.

Let your clients know that you are still there even if they do not need you at that moment.  In fact, while they might not need you at that moment, they may know someone who does.

Recently, a couple of my clients have been giving me excuse after excuse after excuse (and that’s all they are – excuses) as to why they have not been doing the tasks they need to do to become the Rainmakers THEY have said they want to be.

Becoming a Rainmaker, bringing in new business or client matters is truly a commitment.

It takes work.  In fact, Rainmaking is very simple  . . . but it is not easy.  More importantly, it takes time and this becomes frustrating to many attorneys when they are not seeing results on an immediate basis.

Like any goal you set, you have to commit to its achievement, regardless of how long it takes.   It is like losing weight and getting into shape.  Just saying that you want to lose weight isn’t going to make it happen.  You need to start eating healthy and begin working out.   It is truly that simple but it is work.  If you are starting out looking like the Pillsbury Doughboy™, you are not going to turn into bodybuilder overnight.

If you don’t know how to be a Rainmaker, find the tools and teachers who can help you.

You can become a Rainmaker – you just need make a commitment to yourself and your career that you are going to do the things necessary to become a rainmaker and then keep doing the work.

(Starting April 2011, the attorneys who signed up to receive the Rainmaking Recommendation in their email have been receiving the current tip two weeks earlier than it is posted on this blog.  This is my way of thanking them for being a part of the group.  If you would like to see the current Rainmaking Recommendation before anyone else, please sign up to be a part of the list.)

Rainmaking Recommendations are sent the first and third Wednesdays of the month via email to a list of amazing  attorneys who have signed up to receive them.    They are bite size tips that, when implemented will cause you to make rain.  Previously the subscribers of the tips and the readers of this blog got the information simultaneously. They are not longer being  posted immediately to this blog.  As stated above, those who are subscribed will have the Rainmaking Recommendation two weeks earlier than those who read this blog.  To get these tips sent to your email before the rest of the world reads them, please follow the instructions for subscribing.

To learn more about Rainmaking, Goal Setting and Achieving the Life you want as an Attorney please contact Jaimie B. Field, Esq.

Did you know you can schedule an in-house, customized Rainmaking training workshop for your law firm? begin telephone or Skype individual rainmaking training from wherever you are in the world with Jaimie? Call or email for more information.

There are two types of people in this world.

• Those who get it done, and
• Those who make excuses.

Which are you?

Are you making excuses for the reasons why you haven’t been able to bring new clients or matters into your practice?

Do these sound familiar?

• I’ve been too busy to follow up,
• I haven’t had the time (to go to the networking event, or write that blog post, or be involved with Social Media,  etc)
• I don’t know how (to write a Rainmaking Plan, set goals, organize my office or time more effectively),
• They don’t call me back,
• They may say “no”,
• The weather has been awful so I haven’t been able to leave my office.

Are these and anyone of a plethora of excuses the reasons that you haven’t gotten it done?

If you have a multitude of “reasons” for why are you are not doing the activities which will bring you in new clients, you will never bring in new business.   Stop making excuses find the mentors or teachers who can help you and start making plans to be a Rainmaker.

Rainmaking Recommendations are sent the first and third Wednesdays of the month and then posted immediately to this blog .  They are bite size tips that, when implemented will cause you to make rain.  Previously the subscribers of the tips and the readers of this blog got the information simultaneously.  However, beginning in April 2011, those who are subscribed will have the Rainmaking Recommendation a week earlier than those who read this blog.  To get these tips sent to your email before the rest of the world reads them, please follow the instructions for subscribing.

To learn more about Rainmaking, Goal Setting and Achieving the Life you want as an Attorney please contact Jaimie B. Field, Esq.

Did you know you can schedule an in-house, customized Rainmaking training workshop for your law firm? begin telephone or Skype individual rainmaking training from wherever you are in the world with Jaimie? Call or email for more information.

Unfortunately, this is when many attorneys put their rainmaking activities on the back burner.  “I’m too busy right now,” is the reason they give.

They discontinue networking activities, they stop following up with prospective clients, they let their other marketing activities fall by the way side.  They are so busy trying to bill the hours of work that are now on their desk that they neglect to cultivate the relationships which will bring them more business in the future.

Big mistake!

Now is when you need to continue your rainmaking activities.  Not when you don’t have any business on your desk, but when you do.   At some point the case will be over, the project will be finished, the client will no longer need your services at this time.  Then you will find yourself desperate for new projects, cases and clients with which to work.

By lining up new prospective clients or matters with current clients on an ongoing basis you mitigate this risk.   You have the ability to stop the cycle of “feast or famine” as it relates to your book of business by continuing to market yourself and your services consistently and constantly.

*Many thanks to Fleetwood Mac and Classic Rock Radio which inspired this Rainmaking Recommendation when I heard this song.

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 learn more about Rainmaking, Goal Setting and Achieving the Life you want as an Attorney please contact Jaimie B. Field, Esq. If you would like to have these tips sent directly to your in box, please sign up here.

Did you know you can schedule an in-house, customized Rainmaking training workshop for your law firm? begin telephone or Skype individual rainmaking training from wherever you are in the world with Jaimie? Call or email for more information.

As a quick aside:

When you are at a networking event, first impressions count. From how you are dressed, to how you carry yourself, to the pitch of your voice, all of this goes into creating an impression when someone first meets you.

While I will address these facets of an impression in later blogs, this blog is specifically about handshakes and the long lasting impression that those can make.

Back to the networking event:

During the evening, I walked over to a group of people in which there was someone I knew. He kindly introduced me around the group. The first gentleman I did not know put out his hand to shake mine. When I took his hand, there was no grip. It was like having a cold, dead, clammy fish in my hand. I actually gripped his and had to do all of the work in this particular handshake. Please, try to imagine this and not cringe . . .

Not more than a few seconds later, after being a bit turned off by shaking hands with a cadaver, I was then introduced to a woman in the group who grabbed my hand with the force and strength of a vice grip and proceeded to pump it up and down with such vigor I had this mental image of someone priming an old fashioned water-pump.

It was between the dead-fish and the dislocated shoulder /crushed metacarpals that I decided to write this post.

When I was very young, my father imparted to me the importance of a great handshake. A great handshake begins when the web of your hand meets the web of another’s hand. The “web” is the span of space from the top of your thumb to the tip of your index finger. Once joined, grip firmly enough to hold but not to crush, shake several times while maintaining direct eye contact. Sounds surprisingly simple and yet, not always done.

Handshakes have the ability to convey confidence, poise, and capability. But they also have the ability to create wrong impressions as well. So I did a bit of research on the web to see what others had to say. There are more than 2 million results as to what handshakes may mean.

The Dead Fish: This type of handshake could convey a type of lackadaisical attitude, like you just don’t care about meeting the other person. On the other hand (pun intended) it could convey the fact that you are timid and frightened.

The Bone Crusher: This handshake says you are trying to dominate the other person, to show him/her how strong you are. Many men engage in this type of handshake to try to prove they are the “alpha-dog” in the situation; when a woman does this, it comes across as trying too hard to be in-charge.

The Politico: This is when you begin a traditional handshake and then one person covers the handshake with his/her left hand. While this handshake is meant to impart a caring about the other person, because politicians have been using this handshake for years it can come across as a phony display of sincerity.

The Finger-Tip: While I hate to be sexist here, this “handshake” is performed by way too many women. Instead of offering their hands to be shaken, they offer their fingertips.  This type of handshake conveys that one is weak and insecure; someone who lacks confidence. (In fact, the only time that this does not convey this meaning is if you are the Queen of your own country.  Then, by all means offer your finger-tips.)

The handshake is an important part of a first impression. Whether you are interviewing for a job, meeting a prospective client or reconnecting with a current one, the handshake is a gesture which says more than you can imagine.

As a post script, if you are working with an international clientele, or with clients who are from certain religious backgrounds, or even people who have an aversion to germs, they may not offer their hand for you to shake. For example, the religious beliefs of Orthodox Jews and Orthodox Islams prohibit contact with members of the opposite sex, thereby precluding handshakes between men and women. Certain European countries prefer kissing on each cheek as a greeting even in a business setting.

Please do not be offended or judge if someone doesn’t offer their hand for you to shake. There may be a reason. Just know that if they do, a lot of things could be said without saying a word.

In an age when most communication is taking place electronically – texts, emails, social media, Skype,  phones – rarely do we receive a good old-fashioned handwritten note saying “Thanks for taking the time to meet with me,”  “It was nice to meet you,” “Thank you for the referral” or even “I appreciate your business.”

Think about how nice it is when you open your mail and you see your name and address handwritten on a card size envelope.   It is usually the first thing you’ll open because it is so rare to receive that in the mail nowadays.

Now imagine that you have made someone else feel this way.

A handwritten note says that you took the time out of your busy schedule to stop and care.  How far do you think this will go to engender good feelings in your client’s or prospect’s mind?

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 learn more about Rainmaking, Goal Setting and Achieving the Life you want as an Attorney please contact Jaimie B. Field, Esq. If you would like to have these tips sent directly to your in box, please sign up here.

Did you know you can schedule an in-house, customized Rainmaking training workshop for your law firm? begin telephone or Skype individual rainmaking training from wherever you are in the world with Jaimie? Call or email for more information.

In New Jersey, The Rules of Professional Conduct 7.1(a)(1) it is unethical for attorneys to promise a certain outcome of a case (I cannot imagine that it is allowed in any state).

While you may not be making a promise about how the specific case will go, are you making promises about how you are going to interact with your clients?

Are you promising that they are your number one priority?   That you will respond to every contact and call?  That you will keep them informed throughout the time they are working with your firm?

“Client Service” is not just a term to put on your website as a mission statement which you don’t live up to – “Our Clients are our number one priority” or “We care about our clients.”  Client Service is a living and breathing edict.

Keeping your promises will help you to keep your clients.

At Marketing Field, LLC  - “Our promise is that every correspondence is returned within 24 hours during the business week (and usually a lot sooner)”.  We don’t strive to keep this promise, we just do it!

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 learn more about Rainmaking, Goal Setting and Achieving the Life you want as an Attorney please contact Jaimie B. Field, Esq. If you would like to have these tips sent directly to your in box, please sign up here.

Did you know you can schedule an in-house, customized Rainmaking training workshop for your law firm? begin telephone or Skype individual rainmaking training from wherever you are in the world with Jaimie? Call or email for more information.

Why are they your favorite?

Take the time to write down all of the attributes of what your favorite client looks like (besides the fact that they pay your bills).   Are they in a particular industry?  Do they have certain personality characteristics with which you like to work?  Is there an age demographic?  Are they in specific geographic location?

When you can articulate the answers to these questions, you can begin to look for new clients that fit these descriptions.   In fact, the more specific you can be the better.

Where do you find these people or businesses that fit the description?  Look no further than the friends and business acquaintances with whom your favorite client associates.   It is a fact that people know and do business or have friends who are most like themselves.    Find out which associations or trade industries your favorite clients are involved; discover the places they go to meet their friends; ask to speak at their workplaces.  Most importantly ask to be introduced.

You can replicate your favorite clients and have a practice that you love.

Use the comment section below and tell me what your ideal client looks like.

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 learn more about Rainmaking, Goal Setting and Achieving the Life you want as an Attorney please contact Jaimie B. Field, Esq. If you would like to have these tips sent directly to your in box, please sign up here.

Did you know you can schedule an in-house, customized Rainmaking training workshop for your law firm? begin telephone or Skype individual rainmaking training from wherever you are in the world with Jaimie? Call or email for more information.