November 02, 2007
 Friday is always a good day for humor, even more so when it touches on a serious topic.Â
Advice from a Wannabe Rainmaker by The Snark caught my attention this week. Though the article is intended to be (and is) humorous, it actually illustrates some of the fears and misunderstanding that some associates have about business development. I had to chuckle at this passage:
If the subtleties of business development are beyond your grasp, Big Firms often bring in the big guns — the professional Business Development Coach! This guy is a former attorney who now has a copyrighted “workshop” just for you. The firm probably threw $5,000 at this “guru” to help you inept wannabe “rainmakers” get some skills. OK, I am included in that category. Anyway, this mandatory seminar will be full of such gems as “set realistic goals,” “set aside one day a week to assess your goals” and “complete my exclusive (and trademark-pending) ‘Grounded-Goals Grid.’”
Business development goals are certainly important for ensuring that your activities will lead to the results you want, and that’s why goal-setting is so critical. Having set goals, the next step is to turn to developing the skills that expose you to potential clients, and that’s where the Snark suggests gurus can deliver. Plenty of workshops and books recommend concrete steps to land new clients, and some of them are truly excellent. If they promise to bestow the secret to business development that will turn an ordinary lawyer into a Rainmaker Extraordinaire, however, they’re almost destined to fail.Â
The truth, of course, is that there is no one-size-fits-all plan and no guru who can instill rainmaking ability. What does work is learning the approaches and skills that do lead to new business and then applying consistent, personalized attention to put those skills and approaches into practice.   After reading a book about business development or attending a workshop, speand some time determing which of the recommended activities is an authentic fit for you. Some lawyers are born writers, some are born speakers, and some are born socializers. Select a marketing activity that leads from your strength. And then, do it consistently, perhaps while working to expand your skills in other areas. So, for instance, if your skill is in developing strong one-on-one relationships, make sure that not a day goes by without your taking a client or potential client to lunch, sending a contact a useful article or web link, or making a call to touch base with a referral source.Â
There are several take-away messages in the Snark’s article. What can you learn?�
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