What Santa Claus can teach you about being a great Rainmaker

That jolly ol’ white-bearded, chubby guy in the red velvet suit with the fur trim is a better Rainmaker than you.  While his clients, children, may not be your target market, if you acquire his characteristics and take some on his abilities to bring in new clients and make them advocates for life, you can become the Rainmaker he is.

Santa Claus is everywhere:

Turn around after Thanksgiving and you cannot help but run into Santa or his image.  He is on street corners, in malls, on TV; you just can’t help seeing the guy everywhere you go.   Everyone knows who Santa is when they see or hear about him. 

Take that example and start being seen by the clients you want to work with. There are so many marketing tactics which can be used which will get your name out – blogging, public speaking, social networking, in-person networking.  If your potential clients do not know who you are, how are they going to hire you? 

Santa knows his target market 

Santa’s target market is children.  This hasn’t changed in the hundreds of years that Santa has been Rainmaking.  He doesn’t target adults; he knows that teenagers no longer believe in him so why even bother marketing to them, he stays within his target market year after year. 

Every year, hundreds of thousands of new children reach the age when they learn about Santa.  They learn that Santa gives gifts to good boys and girls, they learn that he represents the joys of the season, they learn about self-less giving and as a result, they become part of his new market.   

Decide what your target market is, then join the appropriate associations, read blogs, magazines and research the members of this market; read, offer to write, speak or answer the questions your target market has.   

Santa Claus always knows what his clients want.

This is not difficult for Santa; every year parents tell their children to write a letter to the big guy asking for what they want.  They bring their child to the mall, seat the little one on Santa’s lap and Santa asks the all important question:  “And what do YOU want for Christmas?”

The most important thing you can do is to find out what your client wants.  As attorneys, we sometimes believe we know what is good for our clients and we often tell them.  Instead, a great Rainmaker asks what their client is seeking and then tries to find a way to provide that to them (obviously within theframework of an ethical and legal practice of law).  

Santa always gives selflessly

Santa gives presents to all the good boys and girls.  He never asks for any in return.  As a result, his clients come back year after year, clamoring for more of his generosity. 

Begin to be generous with your clients.  Find ways to give back to the people who have become loyal to you by donating to a client’s favorite charity, offering a discount or just some free advice.  The good will you engender will cause this client to continue to use you as their advocate. 

He knows if you’ve been bad or good.

How Santa knows this, I am not sure.  The fact is that we grew up with this idea that Santa just knows.

Your clients know this too and you will lose them if you are not “Good”.  “Good” to them means that you are answering their phone calls, responding to them in a timely fashion, reassuring them regarding their cases.  What most clients want is to be acknowledged.  (You can also be sure if one client knows you have been “bad”, many more will know as well.)

Santa has the best Word-of Mouth Marketing

Generation after generation knows about Santa.  When the child becomes a parent, he or she passes down the knowledge of Santa to their children.

Rainmakers understand this as well.  When you do a good job for your clients, when you go above and beyond for them, rest assured that the word will get out and others will be calling you to help them with their cases as well.

Santa Claus is the ultimate Rainmaker, emulate him and you will not only have a jolly holiday and a happy New Year, but a great practice as well.