As an Office Managing Partner, you may feel far removed from the day-to-day requirements of making rain. It's often much easier to put that part of your responsibilities at the bottom of your to-do list, assuming it even makes the list. But you are the leader and leading by example will help your whole team meet its individual and collective goals.

It's never too late to get back in the game.

Motivation and inspiration are at the heart of a re-booted rainmaking effort. "Motivation and inspiration energize people," says Harvard Business School professor and authority on leadership and change, John P. Kotter. "Satisfying the need for achievement, sense of belonging, recognition, self-esteem, a feeling of control over one's life and the ability to live up to one's ideals, elicit a powerful response," he says. Motivation and inspiration start with communicating a clear (and optimistic) vision for the future and setting doable goals. (Here comes that written plan again.)

Who is an ideal potential new client?

What is your plan for developing those relationships?

It’s a fact!

People who set goals and have a written business development plan outperform those who don’t—even in a down economy. The secret lies in asking yourself the right questions, writing down your answers and following through with your commitments.

If you haven’t proven this to yourself yet or you know it works but need a jolt to get you going, this is your chance to get a Jump Start on making more rain in 2012. Based on the system I use with my clients at the beginning of each year, I am pleased to share this planner with you.

Until next time,

Robin

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Raising the Bar

2012 Rainmaker Jump Start Planner For Professionals

Instructions

This fill-in-the-blank exercise should take a half hour (or less) to complete.

(If you would like a Word version of the form, email me at rhensley@raisingthebar.com)

1. I will complete this form within ___________ days. (I suggest that your goal be within 7 days. Pend this on your calendar now to check yourself in 7 days. RTB will even send you a reminder in 7 days to remind you of your commitment to yourself.  Note:  If you have not completed this form by then, you just may need a coach J or a partner to hold you accountable so that you will complete the form and review it at least weekly.)

2. My three primary target clients for this year are:   

__________________________________________________________________________

__________________________________________________________________________

__________________________________________________________________________

3. For each most important prospective or existing client fill in the following:

• I will meet with (prospective client/existing client) ______________________ by (date)  ________________ for the purpose of ____________________________.

• I will do research on (prospective client/existing client) by _____________ (date).

• The three most important needs of this person are:

__________________________________________________________________________

__________________________________________________________________________

__________________________________________________________________________

• I will ask the following questions of this person during my meeting:

 __________________________________________________________________________? 

 __________________________________________________________________________?

4. The advances I will work toward during phone calls or meetings are:

__________________________________________________________________________

__________________________________________________________________________

__________________________________________________________________________

5. I will ask _________________, my primary contact at _______________ (client firm), to introduce me to two new people who work for that same client firm.  (This is designed to expand your contacts with an existing client.)

6. I will reduce my reliance on __________________ (client) from ____ percent of my revenues down to _______ percent.

7. I will conduct ______ (number) client satisfaction interviews with my clients this year.  I will start with clients (list at least three) ___________, ____________, and ____________ in the first quarter; and (list at least two) ________________ and ______________in the second quarter. I will do these in person.

8. I will meet with  _____ (number) prospective clients this quarter.  These are people I know, but for whom I am not doing any business.

9. I will devote ____ hours to marketing and business development each week of this year.  I will diligently keep track of the time I invest in this area.

10.  I will meet with _________ (number) people in my network each quarter of this year.  I will start by meeting with ______________, _________________, and _____________.

11.  I will meet with   _____ (number) of my partners each quarter of this year.  I will start by meeting with __________ by February 1, ____________ by February 15, and ________________ by March 1, etc.

12.  I will meet or speak with ____ (number) referral sources each quarter of this year.  I will start by calling _________________ by January 30.  The questions I will ask are:

_________________________________________________________________________?

_________________________________________________________________________?  

_________________________________________________________________________?

13.  I will write ____ articles this year and place them in publications that my clients read.  My target publications are ______________________ and _____________________.

14.  I will speak ___ times during the year at industry or trade conferences where my prospective clients congregate.  (Related questions:  Where am I currently scheduled to speak and on what dates?  How do I get on the agenda for those conferences?  Do I know the name of the chair of the speakers committee?  If not, can one of my clients or partners make an introduction or sponsor me as a speaker?)

15.  I will learn the following new skills this year that will increase my value to the market.  (For instance, I will learn about capital funding in the biotech field to better serve the needs of my environmental clients.  I will learn how to use LinkedIn so I can better communicate with my referral sources.)

___________________________________________________________________________

___________________________________________________________________________

___________________________________________________________________________

16.  I will call dormant clients ______________ and _______________ by _______(date) to ask them if they would like to receive the firm newsletter; or ask them to join a group/organization or speak to a group to which I belong. 

17.  My accountability partner to achieve the above is ____________________________.

We will talk by phone at _____________ a.m./p/m. each _____________(choose a day of the week).

We'll be back in January with our annual Jump Start Program to help you make 2012 your best year yet. 

Until then,

Robin

Have a joyous Thanksgiving Holiday.

Robin

~~~~~~~~~

An interesting tidbit: The top turkey-eating country in the world is Israel, at 11.5 kg per person every year as compared to the United States at 7.7 kg per person.

Tomorrow afternoon many, if not most of citizens of this great nation, will sit at their tables enjoying a festive and bountiful meal with family and/ or friends. While the classic Norman Rockwell painting of a traditional Thanksgiving is probably more reflective of the exception rather than the rule (particularly in an age of tremendous national mobility and changing familial patterns), when we picture Thanksgiving in our minds a picture develops that focuses on the elements of family, friends, food, and football.

There is, however, also a dark side to Thanksgiving. There is the over indulgence of too much food and the waste that comes from far too many leftovers. There is the celebration of the holiday without even taking a moment to reflect on the countless blessings we have as residents of the great country. There are the full tables of family and friends dining together even though we know there are many, even within the Jewish community, who can barely keep their utilities on, let alone eat a full meal.

The folklore of Thanksgiving teaches that the Native Americans and Pilgrims came together to share of their bounty. This is a lesson that can resonate today. As residents of this United States of America have a special and unique obligation to share our bounty and our blessings. Whether we invite one in need to our Thanksgiving meal, or we commit ourselves to share through our financial support or volunteer time, Thanksgiving can only truly become a time of giving thanks when we give.

On this Thanksgiving holiday, let each of us take a moment before we slice into that succulent piece of turkey covered in gravy and cranberry sauce to reflect on the many blessings in our lives. Even though we may not have everything we desire or need, when we look around the world it does not take much to recognize how truly fortunate and blessed we are.

Have a wonderful and joyous Thanksgiving holiday.

Rabbi Louis Feldstein

Thank you to the New York Law Journal for helping us shine a light on the numerous and daunting challenges OMPs face in staying motivated and on course in today's environment while still making it rain. "Firms can't just rely on reputation and referrals, anymore. They have to make business development a priority and help their team hone client development and management skills," says David Schaefer, New York Office Managing Partner at Loeb & Loeb LLP.

The good news is that it is never too late to get back in the game. Read the full article, "Making It Rain: How to Develop and Motivate Office Managing Partners" here but hurry, it will be posted for today only.

Until next time,

Robin

Three keys to improved results

A focus on business development and business management and productivity is the best way to produce results that will be felt throughout the firm. For practice leaders charged with increasing their firm's profit picture, rainmaking is often pushed to the back of a long list of to-do's, especially now with an economy that is forcing everyone to do more with less. The good news is that coaching has proven to produce one of the highest returns on dollars invested of all marketing tactics implemented by professional service firms.  

Custom super rainmaker programs are tailored to fit

Raising the Bar's new Super Rainmaker programs for law and accounting firms are designed to increase office and originating revenues, improve productivity and maximize management effectiveness. These custom one-on-one Super Rainmaker Coaching Programs for Managing Partners, Office Managing Partners, Practice Team Leaders and Super Rainmakers are delivered over 18 months. Firm profitability leaders will learn how to more effectively increase office revenues while also increasing their firm’s originating revenues, by bringing in business and handing it off. Increased efficiency and productivity, improved business management skills and an emphasis on achieving both business and personal goals will re-energize their work life.

Core programs remain

In addition to our new programs, Raising the Bar will continue to offer its core personal business development coaching programs to lawyers and CPAs who seek to manage their non-billable time to more effortlessly build their book of business, position themselves for advancement and finally feel good about marketing. 

If you'd like to learn more about these programs, email me at info@raisingthebar.com.

Until next time,

Robin

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What I find amazing is that, in less than two months, Google+ has already accumulated over 25 million users and it is still officially in Beta trials.

Unfortunately, until a few days ago, you could not simply create a Profile and join. You had to be invited and invitations were difficult to get.

On August 4, however, Google announced that it will be rolling out a new feature over the next few days that will let you invite others simply by using a link. Since they are still in field trials, Google is limiting sign-ups from these links to 150 per person for now. With 150 invites per current Google+ user, that should open up a lot of places in this trial period. Even so, you might want to wait to give it a try. That's because Google has also announced that Business Profiles are coming soon to Google+. If you set up a personal Google+ profile now, you won’t be able to migrate that to the new Business Profiles that Google+ will be launching with enhanced analytics and sophisticated sharing options later this year. (To get a better idea of how Google+ works now, take the tour.)

If your curious about Google+ and its relative merits for your professional practice, Kevin O'Keefe, CEO of LexBlog, Inc. has done an excellent post on it at his Real Lawyers Have Blogs. Read Google plus for lawyers: first impressions for his very thorough review.

We've got more on Google+ too in a posting coming up tomorrow in our LinkedIn group, Raising the Bar: Social Media Marketing for Lawyers & CPAs. If you are not already a member, send me a request through your LinkedIn account.

Until next time,

Robin

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Now, the idea of a sabbatical is different from a vacation. It's more a time to explore special interests or achieve specific goals. (In my case, planning the next twelve months of Me, Inc.) Many firms are adopting the idea of extended paid leave but let's face it, you probably wouldn't take it even if you could--especially now when things aren't going well in the business world and your absence might send the wrong message but, guess what? Now is probably the best time to withdraw and re-energize. If there's one thing we all need right now is fresh ideas and renewed vitality for the challenges we are facing.

So, have you thought about slipping away to gather your forces for the future you want to build? And if so, where will you go and what will you do to get the most from your time away? Tell us about it. Your story might be just what someone else needs to hear.

If you need more encouragement, Human Capital League has a great article on the subject. "4 Reasons Your Boss Should Take A Vacation" by Tanveer Naseer makes a strong argument for taking time off. Just change "your boss" to you! 

Until next time,

Robin

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Clients often ask if they should be blogging. Take a look at an article that LexBlog posted in their "Talk of The LexBlog Network" where I give my thoughts on blogging, its importance to business development and why you can never stop marketing. Blogging is one way to do that but doesn't require that you create your own blog. Well-placed comments that add to the online conversation on topics that represent you well can also be an effective strategy.

BTW, more important than taking time to blog is learning how to blog. A big THANK YOU to Lyda Hawes at LexBlog for helping me be a better blogger! 

Until next time,

Robin

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"Goals determine what you're going to be", D'Amore's article quotes the great Julius Irving. While the article credits goal setting as a primary success factor,  I know from experience that goal setting extends beyond building a successful law career. It is especially important when it comes to making rain. Written goals are at the heart of every successful business development plan. You might be surprised at how many lawyers would argue that written goals have little or no impact on those results. That is, before they try it. 

Until next time,

Robin

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