“Pressure is what you feel when you don’t know what you are doing.” Peyton Manning This quote stopped me in my tracks. My first inclination was to disagree, because I sometimes feel pressure because of a deadline or because of the importance of some activity, even though I know what I’m doing. Digging a bit […]
I love college football. There’s something about the rivalry, the enthusiasm of players (most of whom have to know they’re playing for the love of the game, not for a shot at the pros), and the strategy that’s great fun to watch. Football also offers lessons for business development, as I noticed recently. A few […]
Here’s how it happens… You get back to your office, having met some interesting new contacts, armed with their business cards and good intentions of following up. You take those cards, maybe flip through them to remind yourself of who’s most interesting, and then you put them somewhere safe, so you won’t forget. My “safe […]
Before you decide to speak or to write an article concerning your area of practice, you must ensure that your time will be well invested. Ask yourself the following questions: Will this reach the right audience? Writing for or speaking to the wrong audience (meaning, an audience composed of people whom you do not serve) […]
Before I left for vacation, I’d settled into a nice routine with my workouts. Up at 5, at the gym around 5:30, and done around 6:30. It wasn’t easy (especially since I’m not at all a morning person) but it had become habit and I’d maintained the effort for months. One of the first things […]
I often enjoy the EarlyToRise.com newsletter, which recently included an excerpt from Sharon LaBelle’s book The Art of Living, which distilled Epictetus’s The Virtuous Are Consistent as follows: “To live a life of virtue, you have to become consistent, even when it isn’t convenient, comfortable, or easy. It is incumbent that your thoughts, words, and […]
I recently spent nearly two hours sitting at an airport gate, sitting about 5 feet behind a stand with Delta American Express card representatives. You’ve probably seen these stands: a table to the side of a concourse, with various promotional freebies, application forms neatly stacked, and one or two hawkers, trying desperately to get people to […]
When you think about business development, do you think more of “yes” or “no”? Most people seem to think “yes.” YES, I’ll attend that networking meeting YES, I’ll write that article or blog post or newsletter YES, I’ll meet with that potential referral source YES, I’ll get another certification or specialists’ certificate YES, I’ll speak […]
A client recently confided that he had never actually asked for business from a potential client. Surprised (since I knew that his $275,000 book of business hadn’t just happened), I asked what he meant, and he responded that asking for the business means saying something like, “I’d like to handle that for you.” A flat, […]
Let’s close July with some articles and posts you should not miss. Every lawyer knows something about the pressures that surround the practice of law. And because business development is meaningless unless it moves you closer to a future you actually want to live, here are two articles and posts you should not miss about […]