Secrets of the Masters
The Business Development Guide for Lawyers
Published: 2015
Pages: 154
eBook: 9781787425835
Increase revenue and forge relationships with clients and colleagues that will last a lifetime. Note: this book was first published in May 2013 and has been redesigned for 2015.
The rainmaking secrets revealed will enable you to:
Find practice niches;
Apply alternative fees;
Accelerate cross-selling;
Categorise your key targets;
Use social media effectively;
Identify and build personal strengths;
Deliver exceptional levels of client service;
Build powerful internal and external networks;
Get client meetings and maximise their effectiveness;
Improve lateral success and enhance lateral integration; and
Make business development a career-long, sustainable process.
Secrets of the Masters features a highly regarded team of over two dozen law firm marketing and business development experts who offer their insight, experiences, and real-world tips on attracting, retaining, and growing your client base.
Each chapter also includes an extensive range of business development approaches and mini case studies, along with a useful planning worksheet which prompts you to make decisions and take action.
Table of Contents
| Cover | Cover | |
|---|---|---|
| Title page\r | i | |
| Copyright page\r | ii | |
| Contents | iii | |
| Executive summary | vii | |
| About the author | xi | |
| Acknowledgements | xiii | |
| Chapter 1: Finding niches and developing your strategy | 1 | |
| Defining and differentiating yourself – who are you and what do you enjoy? | 2 | |
| Develop your niche(s) | 5 | |
| Stand out to be outstanding | 6 | |
| Develop a personal scorecard | 7 | |
| Create personal deadlines | 9 | |
| Action planning worksheet | 10 | |
| Chapter 2: Growing networks and staying memorable | 13 | |
| Introduction | 13 | |
| Identifying and categorizing your targets | 17 | |
| Getting known using media coverage | 20 | |
| Thought leadership | 23 | |
| Staying top-of-mind | 23 | |
| Techniques for staying top-of-mind | 25 | |
| Action planning worksheet | 31 | |
| Chapter 3: Getting and maximizing meetings | 33 | |
| Techniques for getting meetings | 33 | |
| Contexts for making contact | 35 | |
| Maximizing effectiveness during meetings | 37 | |
| Preparation | 37 | |
| Action planning worksheet | 43 | |
| Chapter 4: Client loyalty – Delivering exceptional client service | 45 | |
| Build long-term relationships | 45 | |
| Understand the client’s business | 48 | |
| Client feedback | 49 | |
| Annual client meetings | 51 | |
| Deliver added value | 53 | |
| Other techniques for delivering exceptional service | 54 | |
| Action planning worksheet | 56 | |
| Chapter 5: Cross-selling – Working together to get more work from existing clients | 57 | |
| Why cross-sell? | 57 | |
| Overcoming internal obstacles | 59 | |
| Internal communication and relationship-building | 60 | |
| Identifying your best opportunities | 62 | |
| Getting meetings and maximizing effectiveness | 64 | |
| Keeping cross-services top-of-mind | 68 | |
| Action planning worksheet | 71 | |
| Chapter 6: Maximizing business development for laterals | 73 | |
| Lateral challenges | 73 | |
| Internal networking | 75 | |
| Internal visibility | 78 | |
| Reaching out to existing and prospective clients | 80 | |
| Lateral integration for firm leaders | 84 | |
| Recruiting | 86 | |
| Firm roles and responsibilities | 90 | |
| Action planning worksheet | 92 | |
| Chapter 7: Social networking, social media, websites and search engine optimization | 95 | |
| Benefits of social networking and media | 95 | |
| Developing a social networking plan | 98 | |
| Building effective websites | 102 | |
| SEO: Optimizing your presence on the web | 104 | |
| Keeping online activity sustainable | 106 | |
| Action planning worksheet | 109 | |
| Chapter 8: Alternative fee arrangements | 113 | |
| A different world | 113 | |
| Law firms respond to the challenge | 116 | |
| Benefits and challenges of alternative fees | 118 | |
| Examples of alternative fee arrangements | 121 | |
| Internal management to deliver value and profitability | 125 | |
| Ethical considerations | 127 | |
| Action planning worksheet | 128 | |
| Chapter 9: Sustainability techniques | 129 | |
| Personal business development plan | 135 |
"Secrets of the Masters" is the most comprehensive, yet practical "how to" guide I've seen for developing business in the legal industry. Whether you're a young lawyer starting to build a practice and reputation, or a seasoned practitioner looking to achieve the next level of success, this book is your roadmap. Simply stated, if you heed its principles, you will make more money.
Jonathan Fitzgarrald
Chief Marketing Officer of Greenberg Glusker and author of BADfortheBRAND.com
Every attorney - even those who are already very adept at business development - should read it.
Steve Taylor
Senior Writer, Of Counsel
A comprehensive treasure trove of some of the best approaches for building a practice.
Rhea F. Law
CEO and Chair of the Board, Fowler White Boggs P.A.
This book provides lawyers with the focus and discipline, in combination with the wisdom and tools offered by experts, needed to cultivate business development skills.
Caren Ulrich Stacy
Principal, Lawyer Development Strategies LLC
Any lawyer looking to build his or her practice should have a dog-eared copy of this report on their bookshelf.
Peter Kellett
Chairman and CEO, Dykema
I'd recommend this book to anyone who wants to transform their business development culture.
Betsy Beorn Spellman
CMO, Steptoe & Johnson PLLC
The book is fabulous. It is very readable, and filled with specific, easy-to-implement strategies for lawyers looking to bring their practice to the next level
David A. Perlick
Perlick Legal Counsel
David H. Freeman
https://www.linkedin.com/in/davidfreemanconsulting/
David H. Freeman, J.D., a former lawyer and now CEO of the David Freeman Consulting Group, has helped thousands of managing partners, group and department leaders, partners, counsel, and associates become better leaders and rainmakers in hundreds of law firms world-wide. For nearly two decades, he has worked with over one-third of the AmLaw 200, and in 2013, for the second consecutive year, he was recognized as the best law firm business development and coaching service provider in a National Law Journal survey. He is an internationally acclaimed speaker who presents at law firm retreats, law firm networks, international, national, and regional conferences, LMA and ALA chapter meetings, bar association meetings, and law schools. David's main areas of practice include leadership training and coaching; business development training and coaching; accelerated cross-selling; client service training and planning; retreat design, facilitation, and speaking; and business development culture assessments. He was Co-Chair of the Legal Marketing Association's 2010 Annual Conference, he has written a unique book for law firm leaders called Weekly Reminders for Revenue-Focused Leaders, and he is a co-author of Law Firm Marketing Leaders: Tips from a Collection of Experts. He also wrote an on-going leadership column for American Lawyer Media's newsletter, Marketing the Law Firm, and he has authored many other articles on the revenue-related aspects of management, leadership, service, strategy, and business development for most of the major legal publications. David also produces practical video tips focused on leadership and business development, he has developed a DVD-based personal rainmaking system for lawyers called CMOplaybook(R), and he created a business development culture assessment tool for law firms called Culture Xray(R).