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Are You a Reluctant Rainmaker? ■ Contact Us ■ Visit the Life at the Bar Blog |
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Attention
Aspiring Rainmakers:
Would
you like to become After enjoying years of unprecedented growth in the legal market, lawyers are facing some new realities. Here's what you need to know now: Fact #2: Some attorneys are growing their practices by bringing in new business and clients and, in some cases, expanding practice areas despite this economic climate. These lawyers find more satisfaction because they're working with clients they enjoy. They have more professional options and security because they know how to satisfy clients, generate referrals, and keep a steady stream of new work. These lawyers are accomplished rainmakers. Fact #3: Rainmakers are the last lawyers to be cut and the first to be solicited for new employment. Client development and retention are the key skills in today's economy. No matter how times may change, if you can generate new work and new clients on a consistent basis, your practice will thrive. Now,
more than ever, rainmaking is a Every lawyer must learn the fundamentals of client development, and smart lawyers seek to become proficient. No matter how strong your technical legal skills, you must be a rainmaker because…
But
here's the problem: how do you become a rainmaker? Lawyers who
want to learn rainmaking skills often turn to training programs and books.
Training can teach strategies and tactics for client development, to
offer case studies, and to further demonstrate the importance of business
development, but by itself, training doesn't create sustainable change.
If you can stay on track with do-it-yourself training, you'll eventually
learn how to bring in new work. But
who wants to wait years to figure out how to succeed? Most often, though, lawyers are pulled off course from the best intentions to learn how to develop business.
They become
frustrated with the inevitable obstacles and
with plans that didn't pan out. There's
no one to ask why carefully laid plans didn’t work, or what to try
instead. And there's no one who
holds the aspiring rainmaker accountable for making consistent progress.
What happens? Many lawyers
procrastinate because they don't know what to do or because they're afraid of
looking pushy or desperate. Sometimes, they plan for client development
success - and plan and plan and plan, but don't get to action. Lawyers
often give up, deciding that other lawyers have the "rainmaker
gene" and that those who aren't "born rainmakers" can't learn to
succeed. They return to doing work
for other lawyers' clients, or they put a mental cap on their career progression
– or they leave private practice. Unfortunately,
law schools don't teach rainmaking skills,
and it's easy to waste valuable time running around in circles trying to sort
out what does and doesn't really work. If
you've been reading about business development or attending training seminars
and that hasn't worked by now, it isn't going to work.
(And if you're just beginning to develop your rainmaker skills, don't
make the same mistakes that so many others do!)
As the saying goes, if you always do what you've always done, you'll
always get what you've always got. Building
a book of business requires that you do something different.
If you're frustrated by trying to figure out how to be a rainmaker, you are not alone.
I've
been in your shoes. I bought book
after book that promised to teach me the secrets of business development, and I
even read many of them! Month after
month passed with no improvement. I
concluded that "shelf help" just wasn't cutting it.
So I attended some live training programs.
I picked up a few new tips, but it didn't change the way I was
approaching rainmaking. Why?
There was no accountability, no one who could answer my questions, no
personalized plan. Something big was
missing, and I wasn't getting where I wanted to go.
I finally figured out that the missing piece was having a personal coach
to provide accountability as well as personalized substantive learning.
Once I filled that gap, I saw my own client development skills take off
and my practice turn around. There
is a solution: This
six-month program is designed to give you the edge that you need to succeed as a
rainmaker. You'll have access to the
tools, resources, coaching, and mentoring that will help you to develop new
business and to become a rainmaker. (Want a sneak preview of the material we'll be covering during the program? Just click here for special access to two Rainmaker 101 teleclasses I recently offered.) What
is a mentoring and mastermind group?
A traditional mastermind group brings together a small number of
like-minded individuals who support each other in attaining their goals.
Mastermind members offer feedback and demand accountability.
You operate in a safe, confidential space that allows you to share your
challenges and get help from people operating from a similar background and
different perspectives. You
get even more from the Rainmaker 101 Mentoring and Mastermind Program.
I will
present substantive training on rainmaking strategies and tactics, I'll
recommend resources that will help you, and I'll make sure the group stays on
task. You'll get feedback from me as
well as the group, and you'll get to work one-on-one with me for a fraction of
the investment that my individual clients pay.
You'll get access to the training that I've shared with individual
clients and groups (including the Georgia Association for Women Lawyers,
the
Center for Competitive Management, and
the
National Constitution Center), and you'll emerge with your own
personalized business development plan. What's the curriculum? Through the six months, we'll address a wide variety of topics that are critical for rainmaking success, including:
The Rainmaker 101 Mentoring and Mastermind Group offers the following benefits:
What
do you get as a mastermind member?
It's hard to talk about obstacles and problems with lawyers in your firm
– even in your legal community – but the mastermind group offers a safe
space to learn and to explore what's going right and what's going wrong, without
any fear of competition. You'll get
six months of group training, one-on-one interaction, and accountability to help
you to move forward quickly.
1.
Your
mastermind membership will begin with a one-hour consultation, in which we'll
develop (or refine) your business development plan,
based on your area of practice, your goals, and your strengths.
At the end of the hour, you'll have an actionable plan that you can begin
to implement right away. 2.
The
group will meet by telephone twice a month.
The
first call each month will focus on an aspect of rainmaking (such as how to
network effectively) and you'll have an opportunity to ask your questions.
During the second call, you will check in with the group and share your
progress and challenges. You'll get
on-the-spot coaching from the group, and you'll leave each call re-energized and
ready to go.
3.
You'll
receive recordings of each call,
so even if you can't join the group live you'll get the benefits.
You'll also develop a library of calls to use as a resource as you move
forward.
4.
You'll
have access to a private forum where you can interact with the other members of
the group to seek feedback and suggestions.
If you
run into an obstacle between calls, you can post at any hour of the day and get
suggestions and support from the other members of the group.
5.
You'll
have four 15-minute calls with me,
to use whenever and however you desire during the mastermind.
If you'd like to save the calls to prepare for a meeting with a potential
client, great. If you'd like to
combine them for a more in-depth consultation, that's fine too.
6. I will review written marketing materials on member request. Have a newsletter you're starting or an article you'd like to submit for publication? While I cannot do substantive legal review, I'll review up to 10 pages of written material each month and make suggestions on how you can tweak the material to be more successful as a marketing piece.
7. You'll also get weekly coaching call-in hours, so you can call each week for additional feedback and support. NOTE:
This program is not right for everyone!
Admission to the group is granted only by application.
Because we will have so much interaction among the members, it's critical
that the group be composed of high-achieving, determined, fast-acting,
resourceful lawyers. If you're
seeking a slow and steady pace, or if you're looking for a forum just to gripe about
how hard rainmaking is, this group will not be a good fit for you.
But if you're ready to grow your client development skills fast, to make
big strides, and to step onto a fast-track of learning and action, you'll fit
right in.
Review Frequently Asked Questions here. Here
are the details on the When
does it start?
The mastermind group will begin in January 2009; group calls will take
place on the first and third Tuesdays of each month from 1 to 2 PM ET.
(Mark these dates on your calendar: January 6 and 20, February 3 and 17,
March 3 and 17, April 7 and 21, May 5 and 19, and June 2 and 16.) Where
will the group meet?
All interaction will be conducted by telephone and via an online message
board. (You will have access
to the message board as soon as you're accepted to the group – even before the
program officially begins.)
Who should join? The group is open to beginning rainmakers at all levels of seniority. Membership will be based on application. Applications will be approved on a rolling basis, and no more than 10 members will be permitted in the mastermind group. (If your application is received after the group is filled, I'll be happy to place you on a waiting list.) Click here to apply now. You'll access a PDF to complete and return to me by fax or email. Don't delay -- Registration closes TODAY, January 5, 2009, at 5 PM ET. What
can you expect as a member of the Rainmaker 101 Mentoring & Mastermind
Program?
Assuming you put in the necessary work, you can expect to make
significant strides in client development. I
can't predict specific results because so much depends on your beginning point,
your practice, and other highly variable factors.
At a minimum, you'll have a personalized rainmaking plan that you can
implement, and you might begin bringing in new business right away.
You should not expect to develop a million-dollar book of business in six
months if you're just beginning, but you can expect to know what to do (and to
have started doing it) to reach your own client development goals. Fee? Depending on your practice area and your compensation package, a new client might be worth several thousand dollars (or more). Your career advancement is likely to be valued in the tens or even hundreds of thousands of dollars over your professional lifetime.
The charter rate for the Rainmaker 101 Mentoring
& Mastermind Program is much lower than the value of its potential benefits
because I want to make this opportunity available to all aspiring rainmakers.
(I can't promise that future Rainmaker 101 groups will be offered with
the same pricing.)
Money-back guarantee: If after the first month of the Mastermind group you conclude that you're not completely happy with what you've received, I will refund your payment(s), less a $50 administrative fee. No refunds will be granted after January 31, 2009.
Have
questions about the Rainmaker 101 Mentoring & Mastermind Program? Please
review the Frequently Asked Questions.
If your question hasn't been answered,
click here to send an email directly to
me, or feel free to call me at 800.758.6214.
Click
here to apply for your spot with this APPLICATION DEADLINE: Monday, January 5 at 5 PM ET
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