Many lawyers struggle with business development. The key to finding more success is to realize clients choose you when they trust you. But “trust” is not allusive – it is a real skill you can work on improving. I am a certified “Trust Edge Coach” who has taken the Trust Edge Institute’s decades of research and combined it with my experience as a “Business Development Coach for Lawyers” .
There has been a recent uptick in people searching “Business Development Coaching for Lawyers” since the arrival of COVID-19 and the stay at home regulations. Many senior associates and young partners are realizing that they need to change their action plans moving forward to create job security. One successful attorney said “I cannot wait any longer to be in control of my own future. Assuming others in the firm will provide for my billable hours is a short-sighted business plan”. He is correct. If you are seeking hand-on and action oriented coaching to help you develop a plan, let us get started soon. It takes time to execute on business development and the results will take years. If you wait, the payoff will be farther out.
When I first started working with lawyers in 2000, many were uncomfortable talking about sales and business development. The mention of “selling” was not part of the law firm verbiage. The idea of “Business Development Coaching for Lawyers” was almost unheard of in the legal profession. Those attorneys who did seek outside help to create their business development plans did not speak of their coaching publicly.
Fast forward and now it is common for lawyers at every stage of their career to seek to maximize their potential with coaching. It is smart to have business development training, and those with a sales focus are the attorneys with the highest billable hours.
Building Your Book of Business
The practice of law is complicated. You have to be a great technician, but if you are not visible and active in promoting your law practice, you will not have long term success. If you look at business development skills as a second tier priority, you will have second tier results.
If you want to build your book of business, you need to explore the opportunities that come from business development coaching for lawyers. Working with a coach provides you with a sounding board to help you stay focused on finding opportunities and more billable hours. Busy lawyers get into a loop of no time for business development, and then when the current projects end, there is no future work in the pipeline. This is not a way to establish sustainability.
Who Needs Business Development Coaching for Lawyers?
Attorneys in law firms of all sizes can benefit from working with a business development coach. I have worked with entire firms and individual lawyers in a variety of practice areas. There is no one size fits all approach. To ensure that you will create a business plan that will guide you to results, we must customize the program.
Client development is a learned skill. Any lawyer, in house, in a firm, or solo are my ideal clients for coaching. I offer one-on-one coaching and group focused interactive workshops.
Who I Work With:
- New partners who need to grow their business
- Senior partners who need help to regain their footing
- Senior associates on the partner track
- Junior associates who realize business development will become important down the line
- Entire practice groups or firms wanting to up their game and develop more business
Having worked with hundreds of lawyers in big law firms and solo practices, I am fully versed in the realities of a legal career. Business development coaching for lawyers has been one of my favorite product offerings. Early in my career I worked in marketing and business development roles for two AM LAW 100 firms, and have continued to work with lawyers over the years.
Exploring The Future of Business Development
The world has changed over the past twenty years. How lawyers and law firms present themselves in their communities has also morphed along the way. Business development coaching for lawyers is about finding the right connection with a provider who will assist the attorney in operating in a way that is true to self. You cannot be successful in connecting with potential clients using social media if you do not like the idea of those platforms. Great. Don’t tweet. Same is true with networking, blogging, video, LinkedIn, etc… Nobody has to do all of these things, but exploring what is working for others, and what is in line with your personality (and your area of practice) is going to be an important step.
Work with Thom Singer – Business Development Coaching for Lawyers
I have set up some great business develop coaching for lawyer programs that will work with every budget. Regardless of it is an expense for your firm or an investment you are making in your own practice, I want to make the coaching valuable. Knowing the desired outcomes you are seeking will be the place we start.
Call me today at (512) 970-0398 to discuss a business development coaching plan. In a 15 minute conversation we will know if there is the right synergy. Following the initial call I will customize a program that will change how you engage in growing your legal practice.
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