Jaimie Field – Enlightened Rainmaking

Monday, February 4^th was my birthday.  I’m not saying this to get more birthday wishes.

In fact, I received:

• 183 wishes on Facebook  – to which I responded individually to each person with a thank you,
• 5 birthday phone calls -  4 of them from my family members,
• 3 physical birthday cards (I remember when I used to get dozens) – one from my parents, one from a company I frequent with a discount to  use, and one from a rainmaking coaching client with whom I work
• And one birthday text.

However, the one that made the most impact was the physical card I received from my client.  Someone who didn’t have to remember my birthday made it a point in her schedule to send me a card which made me smile; just receiving it in the mail made me happy.

It’s not that difficult to make an impact on your clients which can lead to more good will.  Since you don’t  have  to remember their important days, just doing this will make them feel good.  Good will leads to referrals.

And now there are companies out there who will do all of the work for you.  You literally create a calendar of birthdays and anniversaries.  They will give you choices of cards to send, allow you a space to write a personal greeting, and even send an email a few days in advance to remind you when to send out the cards.  Then they send the physical cards out to your list.

Take the time to send a birthday card or an anniversary card.  If you work with corporate clients, find out the month they started their business and send out a card on that anniversary.  You will be surprised at the response you will get both in terms of their gratitude and in terms of referrals.

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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 have missed any of the previous Rainmaking Recommendations you can find them at www.jaimiefield.com The Enlightened Rainmaker Blog.

If you have received this email from a colleague or friend and what to receive Rainmaking Recommendations to your email, sign up at www.marketingfield.com

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.

Rainmaking does not have to cost a lot of money.

Many attorneys are spending tens of thousands of dollars  on websites, SEO tactics, listing services which promise 30 clients in 30 days, buying books on Rainmaking that they don’t actually implement (or worse – don’t read), and this is just a short list.   In fact, think about all of the money you spent in 2012 to get new clients.  You need to figure out what is actually worth spending money upon.

However, there are a ton of low cost and no cost Rainmaking Tactics which you can implement in your practice.  But the key is to actually use them – consistently and constantly.  Here are a quick 5:

• Create a monthly newsletter;
• Have a memorable business card;
• Blog;
• Offer to speak at a seminar;
• Use Social Media to meet potential clients;

And finally,

For the price of a cup of coffee, you can meet with a referral source at a diner and connect with them.

“If you always do what you’ve always done, you’ll always get what you’ve always got.” Henry Ford (1863-1947), American founder of the Ford Motor Company

The above quote is in response to a question I received from a new client who has been practicing law for more than 15 years who, in our first coaching session, asked:  “Why am I not getting new clients?”

When I asked what they were doing to get new clients, to paraphrase, they basically said, “not much”.

Well, if you are not doing anything to get new clients how are you going to get new clients?

Rainmaking is simple, but it is not easy.

It will require that you actually DO something to meet new people, create relationships with those people, convert them into paying clients, provide excellent service to them, continue to work with them on other matters by cross marketing to them and then obtaining referrals from them.

Do one small thing every day that:

• will put you in front of a new prospective client;
• will solidify a relationship with a person you know;
• will provide the best client experience for a current client;
• will make it easy for a client to refer you to someone else who could use your services.

Proactivity is the key to Rainmaking success.

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 them delivered directly to your inbox then follow the instructions 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.

Recently, on many of the social networks which I frequent, I have noticed attorneys asking questions about practice areas in which they obviously do not practice.  Usually this is from a solo practitioner or small firm attorney.  The post inevitably starts with: “I have potential clients who needs . . .” and continues to ask for information that would be basic knowledge for someone who practices in that area on a regular basis.

Stop!

If you regularly practice in Intellectual Property Law you should not be working on a Matrimonial Case!  If you are a Trusts and Estate Attorney you should not be handling a Personal Injury Matter.

What has happened since the recession began is that many attorneys are fearful that if they let that one particular potential client walk out the door, they will not get more clients.  Let me assure you, that this will not happen.

In fact, referring cases in practice areas that you do not have a good grasp on is the best business decision you can make:

• When you confine your practice to areas in which you have real knowledge and interest, you can become known as an expert in your field.   Clients will hear of you, and begin to come to you with matters you can truly handle.

• When you refer a client in a practice area in which you have no earthly business practicing to an attorney who does, the attorney to whom you referred will try to find a way to refer you business.  If they don’t send you business than refer cases to other attorneys in that arena.

• When you refer a client to another attorney who can assist them  better than you, the client will come to see you as an advisor.  This is the position you would like to be in as when you are seen as an advisor, clients will refer you to their friends, family and others.

• You risk ethical complaints.   When you practice in an area you do not normally represent, you risk not knowing the answers or even ways to find those answers. ABA Model Rules of Professional Conduct Rule 1.1 discusses Competence:  “A lawyer shall provide competent representation to a client. Competent representation requires the legal knowledge, skill, thoroughness and preparation reasonably necessary for the representation”.  This usually leads to you not returning phone calls because you are afraid you are going to be wrong.  ABA Model Rules Rule 1.4 talks about keeping clients informed during their matters.

• You risk losing clients.  Three things you need to know about clients:

1. They are not stupid.  Potential clients will search for you on the internet and discover the areas which you say you practice.  Even if it is not at first, they will find someone who can do the job better and faster (which also means cheaper).
2. They are spending lots of money with attorneys and want to know that the attorney they are working with is the best for their matters.
3. They will talk to others.  If you botch a case in an area in which you have no business practicing, or if clients feel like they are not being represented well, they tell others.   Negative word of mouth travels a lot faster than positive.

Stop practicing law in practice areas in which you have no business practicing (wow, that’s a lot of using the word “practice”).  When you concentrate on a area or niche, you have the ability to become known as an expert in that field.  This will lead to more clients and client matters as people who need your particular brand of proficiency will come calling.

Look on the corner of your desk or open that top drawer – is there a stack of business cards you’ve collected during networking events?

Pull the cards out and start going through them.  Do you remember who any of these people are?

First, cull through the list of cards and throw out any card of any individual you truly cannot remember.

Then start contacting those who you do remember – send an email, make a coffee date, call to catch up.  Start creating the relationships which will lead to new business.

And make a promise to yourself.  That you are no longer collecting cards just to have a stack of cards sitting on your desk (in your drawer).   When you go to a networking event, bring a pen and just jot down a few things on the back of the card to help you remember your conversation. Put the date and the event and you will never forget about that person again.

But most importantly, do not just stick that card in a drawer on in a pile wrapped with a rubber band on the back corner of your desk.  Find a way to organize them that makes sense to you.  Use 3-ring binders with 8×11” card holders, do it electronically, but make sure that it is a system you are going to use.

Finally, contact the person you met –  ask if you can put that person on your newsletter list, send a referral, invite them to learn more about your practice, find out what they do.

It isn’t a contest to see who collects the most cards – you might as well just wallpaper a closet with them if that‘s the case.

It’s about creating relationships which lead to new business for you both.

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 want them sent directly to your email box, follow these directions.

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.

What type of law do you practice?  What industry do you target?  

In each area of practice there is a list of people who work in the same in industry who do not practice law.  People like accountants, psychologists/therapists, and other vendors who concentrate on the same group of people/businesses you are trying to reach who will not step on your legal toes.

Create your own ad-hoc networking group.  Gather these people together to meet at least once a month, whether in person, via Skype or conference call, and create relationships with them.  Make sure that each person’s business compliments but does not compete with the other.  Each of these people and businesses has the ability to refer more business to you without feeling like they are competing with others who do the same thing that they do for a living.

In addition to referrals, this group can also provide competitive intelligence about the industry you wish to target.

Where do you find this group with which to network?

Search the industry with which you want to work.   Find the publications, magazines, websites that people read to keep up with the industry and see who is writing the articles and advertising in these publications.  Contact them and ask if they would like to be a part of this group to help grow all of your respective businesses.

What’s the worst thing that can happen?  They say “no?”  If this happens, there is more than one person who can take their place.

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.

Everyone knows The Golden Rule:  “Do unto others as you would have done unto you.”  

It is oft repeated; it is said in many ways in every religious belief.  It is taught to us by our parents when we are children even if we are not brought up with a religious background (“Treat others the way you want to be treated”).

Yet, as attorneys, we have a tendency to forget this rule.

This is not because we are bad or immoral people.  The nature of the legal field is adversarial.  It is almost always one party against another.  We are trying to win for our clients. So by hook or by crook, as long as it is ethical, we will treat our opposition the way we need in order to achieve our clients’ goals.

However, for Rainmaking purposes, not following the Golden Rule is going to cost you clients, potential clients and referral sources.    If you come across as aggressive and antagonistic to everyone, you will not win.

Think about how you like to be treated:  with kindness, respect, empathy and value.  Now treat everyone you know and meet like this, regardless of who they are and what they do.  You never know from where your next client or referral will come.

Rainmaking is about creating relationships.  For those who read these Rainmaking Recommendations and the blogs have seen me write, over and over again, “People do business with people they know, like, and trust. “  No one will like or trust someone who always comes across as belligerent, forceful or uncompromising.

Being adversarial in the court room is warranted; being adversarial in life will cost you clients, referral sources and friends.

“Why don’t clients come back?”

Recently, I received an email from a litigation attorney from Connecticut who asked the question above and about following up with clients following the conclusion of representation.   It seems that some clients of the firm who seemed happy with the work the attorneys were doing were going elsewhere for subsequent representation.

So I dedicate this and the next few Rainmaking Recommendations to this attorney with thanks.

Over the next few emails we will cover  the reasons why clients don’t come back and how to make sure they do:

Rainmaking Recommendation # 51:  “I didn’t know you did that”

Reason #1 Client’s don’t Come Back:  “I didn’t know you did that”

One of the most frequently heard reason that clients don’t come back is that they don’t know all of your (and your firms) legal capabilities.  If you have ever heard a client subsequently say:  “I didn’t know your firm did that,” you have experienced this problem.

One of the things I hear is that the attorney told them in the initial consultation that they (or their firm) could represent the client in many different matters.

You need to understand, when a client comes in to your office, they are usually focused on one issue; the one problem they are currently experiencing.   This causes them to truly not hear anything else but what applies to this situation.  I mean literally.   The only thing they want to hear is how you can help them with this problem; what is going to stop their pain.  Anything else you tell them will go in one ear and out the other.

Then, you the attorney become “tunnel-visioned” – busy schedules, other matters and clients, court, briefs, yada yada yada –  cause you to neglect to remind them of all of your other abilities.

This is why you need to consistently and constantly tell them over the course of the representation all of your (and your firm’s) capabilities.  After you have met them, during the course of your representation, and following the conclusion of your matter, you need to keep reminding them how you can assist them with the other matters that may come up in their lives in the future.

Use newsletters, connect with them on Social Media sites, send personal messages, ask for feedback.   Each time you contact a current client using Rainmaking and Marketing tactics to tell them all that you can help them with in their lives, you ensure that if something comes up with which you can assist, they will remember to contact you.

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.

• If you are referable (Rainmaking Recommendation #41)
• And you know how to give referrals (Rainmaking Recommendation #42)
• And you know how to ask for referrals (Rainmaking Recommendation #43)

Why aren’t you getting referrals on a regular basis?

It’s probably because you don’t have a system for getting referrals in place.

One of the definitions of the word “System” is “an organized and coordinated method; a procedure.”[i] This is what you need to put in place in order to get referrals on a regular basis.

Most of the time we just hope people will refer business to us – it becomes sheer luck as to whether we get referrals.  However, if you put a system in place where you are connecting with your sources on a regular basis, giving referrals to others on a regular basis and asking them to help you by giving you referrals on a regular basis, you will avoid the “dumb luck” method of getting referrals.

If you don’t develop a method for consistently and constantly getting referrals then you will be doing it ad-hoc.

Develop a method that works best for you.  (If you have a “system” in mind and would like to run it by Jaimie B. Field, Esq. to see if it will work feel free to email her.)   The key is constancy and consistency.

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.

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[i] The American Heritage® Dictionary of the English Language, Fourth Edition copyright ©2000 by Houghton Mifflin Company. Updated in 2009. Published by Houghton Mifflin Company. All rights reserved.

Rainmaking Recommendation #41 asked:  Are you Referable?

Rainmaking Recommendation #42 asked:  Do you know how to give referrals?

This third, but by no means final step, answers the question:  Do you know how to ask for referrals?

Being referable and giving referrals are wonderful ways to start the process.  However, if you don’t ask, you don’t get.

You have to make sure that each of your clients and referral sources know that your business thrives on their referrals.  You must also teach your clients,  prospects and referral sources the types of clients who would make good referrals for you.

This requires you to understand exactly who your ideal client is and how to describe them to other people (and “someone who pays my bill” is not a good description).   Take the time to figure out what your perfect client looks like and what solutions you can specifically provide to them.  Be broad enough to allow inclusion by enough of a pool of people (or businesses) but specific enough to jog your referral source’s memory of someone who may meet this description.

Once you have this description, you must begin telling your referral sources about them. Remember your referral sources include current clients, past  clients, and other professionals – people with whom you have developed great trust based relationships.   They need to know you are seeking referrals.  So, ask them – ask them who they know that fits the description of the type of client you are seeking and the problems you can solve for them.  While they may not remember or have someone in mind the first time you ask, you have to keep inquiring of them on a regular basis.  This is where implementing a “system” to obtain referrals comes into play.

Don’t forget to thank your referral sources for any attempts to refer new 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.