As impossible as it seems, those 1,000 business cards should be gone in about 6-9 months!  It’s a crazy notion, but it works.  Business cards are actually the cheapest way to generate revenue for the firm.  The only catch is that you have to give them to people.

As attorneys, building a book of business isn’t typically one of our core strengths.  No one wants to market themselves for fear that they will look like a used car salesman.  I’ve heard the complaints a million times.  However, I’m here to tell you that no one views a business card as a form of sales.  Most people simply view the card as a way to contact you should they ever need your services.  This is exactly what you want them to do!

So, don’t be afraid to hand out business cards.  You should have at least five cards in your purse or wallet at all times.  Hand them out generously.  They cost somewhere in the ballpark of $.02 each, so go crazy!  Leave one on your table at a restaurant.  Give one to your brother-in-law at the family holiday party.  Give one to every attorney you meet.  Chances are they he or she will come across a case in your practice area at some point, and now the attorney can contact you to handle the matter.  (Referral business is the best!)

Business cards are really an old-fashioned piece of marketing that works.  So, don’t let them linger in your bottom drawer – get them out into the world and see what happens.  My guess is that within a few months of passing out the cards, you’ll start receiving more phone calls and emails about potential cases.  In addition, you’ll be building awareness about your practice area and your firm.  All this for just $.02!

Need more advice about how to jump start your legal career?  Contact us!  We’re attorneys helping attorneys, and we’re ready to help you.

Make face time. It’s so important to get out among the people.  Do whatever you can to meet people each and every week.  If you have a family or a long commute, maybe you’ll want to go to breakfast or lunch meetings.  Find a charity group or a practice area, or a local bar group or anything else that interests you.  It doesn’t necessarily have to be related to the legal field, it just has to be an event where you can talk and meet others.

Social media is your friend. When it comes to quick networking, social media is the best!  You never have to leave your desk, and you can communicate with other people quickly and easily.  Make sure that you check in with your social media accounts as often as possible to update your status and comment on the status of others.  Remember, social media only works with two-way communication.  You can’t simply state what you’re doing and not comment on others’ progress or answer questions they may have.  “Introduce” yourself to people on Twitter, LinkedIn and Facebook and start communicating!

You can be a blogger, too! Even though it may be something you never thought possible, you can be a blogger.  Blogging is nothing more than providing information through a modified website.  Create a blog about your practice area.  Answer questions that people ask every day.  (If one person asks, there are at least 10 others with the same question.)  Build yourself up to be the expert within your legal space.  People will continue to come back to you with questions, and with time, you may earn their business.

Business cards mean business. Even though you may not think that the guy in the elevator or the person behind you in line at the coffee shop need your business card, give it to them anyway.  I’ve met many attorneys who get business this way.  It’s simple, it doesn’t take any time out of your day and it works!  Be sure to give them your “elevator pitch” as well.  They should know what you do and how they may be able to use your services.  Be sure that you listen to what they do, as well.  You may need their services someday!

Follow up with everyone. Any time you meet someone or get a business card, an email, or a question on LinkedIn you should follow up with the person via email or with a phone call.  You should also make sure that the person and their contact information is in your online address book.  You never know when this information may come in handy.  The more people you know and know you, the more chances your services will be needed.

Persistence is key. Even if you haven’t generated revenue yet (which will be most of you), don’t give up!  Sometimes it takes awhile to bring business, particularly when you’re new to the game.  However, don’t worry about the time.  Your efforts will pay off eventually.  Stick with the tips we’ve given, and eventually you will be viewed as one of the most valuable attorneys at the firm!

Now you’re ready!  You have all the tools you need.  If you have any questions, or if you need some inspiration along your path to generating revenue, be sure to contact us.  We’ve all been there, and we know this can be a difficult journey.   Whatever you do, keep going.  Good luck!

Monday: You know what you’re talking about when it comes to your practice area, and it’s time to let everyone know.  Today, you’ll be applying to lead a CLE class.  The application process is easier than you may think, and this is a wonderful way to show that you’re the expert in your area of law.  You may speak about any number of topics approved by the state bar.  Be sure to speak about something you know “inside and out,” and preparation will be a breeze.  The most important part of any CLE topic is to pick something that is interesting to a wide variety of attorneys.  This may mean that you’ll pick something that fulfills one of the mandatory credits or something that many attorneys wants to know.  Speaking on an interesting topic ensures that you’ll have a healthy audience.

Tuesday: It’s time to get back on your blog and start writing.  This time, you’ve got a great topic – your CLE class.  Let your readers know that you will be speaking and all of the details.  Be sure to include a lot of information about your topic to entice readers to attend the class.   For your readers who may not be attorneys, you’ll want to write the blog post in a way that will be interesting and understandable to them, as well.

Wednesday: When was the last time you updated your Facebook, LinkedIn or Twitter accounts?  There’s no time like the present.  Regularly updating your status and adding new friends, connections and followers are the best ways to get the most out of these social media tools.  Comment on other people’s posts and add relevant information that others will be interested in, and you’re bound to get something out of social media.

Thursday: Networking is a lot of work, I know.  However, it’s so important to get out in the public and shake hands at least once per week.  If you haven’t been to a CLE class, a networking lunch, a happy hour meeting or another face-to-face meeting, it’s time to get back out there.  Be sure that you take business cards to every event and hand them to everyone with whom you speak.  Get one of their cards, as well, and follow up with them via email the next day.  This is how relationship building works.  The follow-up is the most important part of the game!

Friday: Take some time to organize the last six weeks and evaluate what has worked and what hasn’t (keeping in mind that “working” doesn’t necessarily mean bringing business).  What activities did you like doing?  Which weren’t as fun or interesting for you?  Which activities resulted in people emailing you or contacting you?  Which activities seemed to fit easily in your day?  This is not to say that you should quit any of your efforts that aren’t as fun as others. However, this will give you some understanding of where your talents or strengths lie in the realm of networking.

Congratulations, again on another week of marketing yourself and your firm!  This is not an easy process, and you’ve done a wonderful job to this point.  Keep up the good work  and good things are in store.  Of course, if you have any questions about networking, please do not hesitate to contact us.  We’re here to help.

Monday:  Now that you’ve got a few blogs under your belt, it’s time to start your own blog.  Don’t worry.  You’re going to start very slowly and build from there.  (We know that you have a very limited amount of time.)  Go to WordPress and sign up for a free blog.  It’s a very simple process that will take less than 10 minutes.  (Tip – When you’re asked if you want the blog to show up on the search engines, make sure you check the “yes” box.)  Make sure your blog has a title that matches the content you’ll be writing.  For instance, if you’re a real estate attorney, try to get a blog name like RealEsateLaw.wordpress.com.  After you’ve set up your blog, take some time to write out a few ideas for posts.  Make sure you write down at least 10 ideas.

Tuesday:  Have you gone to a networking or social event in the last week?  If not, go online and find something to attend this week.  Understand that these events don’t have to be law-related and they don’t have to be at night.  If you’re a morning person, sign up for a networking breakfast.  There are also groups that meet during lunch or at happy hour right after work.  This way, you can still get home and spend time with your family.  If you are interested in setting up regular networking events, try looking at Provisors or another networking group that may meet near your home or near work.  These groups can be amazing ways to bring business!

Wednesday: Create a newsletter to send to all of your contacts – friends, family, business contacts (even the out-of-state ones).  The idea behind the newsletter is to let people know that you’re looking for business and that you’re an expert on your area of the law.  Writing a newsletter is another one of those tasks that sounds much more difficult and time-consuming than it actually is.  First off, go to one of the newsletter service providers.  There are many providers, including Constant Contact, Send Blaster and others.  You may want to spend a little time researching which one you like best.  (Time-saving tip:  Most newsletter services are fairly similar.)  Next, pick a template provided by the service and write your newsletter.  Be sure to provide some helpful information about your area of the law; let recipients know that you’re looking for cases; and include all of your contact information.  You may also want to include a “brag” section where you’ll talk about the blog posts that were published.

Thursday:  Now it’s time to write your first blog post.  Don’t worry – this isn’t brain surgery.  Just pick a topic within your area of the law that you know well.  Keep the post under 700 words or so (more than that can get tedious to read for the casual reader).  You can include picture or videos that complement the story, if you wish.  (Videos and pictures typically add interest to a post, and will usually result in more readers.)  Congratulations – you’re a blogger!

Friday: Start a spreadsheet of your business tasks.  Now that you’re on your fifth week of generating revenue, you’re probably losing track of everything you’ve done. Start a spreadsheet to keep track of your daily tasks.  Did you write a blog post? Enter the date, the link to the post and the topic of the post.  Did you attend a networking event and meet someone who may be interested in doing business?  Enter the date of the event, the person’s name and your follow-up tasks.  It really doesn’t matter how you organize the spreadsheet, as long as it makes sense to you.  This sheet will definitely help you track all of your activities and will help to keep things on track and you move forward and start bringing business!

Congratulations on another week of work!  Don’t worry if you haven’t seen direct results from your efforts.  Understand that it may take months to develop a relationship that results in new business.  However, this will happen with time.  Keep up the good work.   If you have questions or concerns about your progress, contact us.  Building attorney careers is what we do best!

Monday: Take a look at your business cards.  Are they correct and up-to-date?  Do they have the best phone number and email address?  (You should have your cell phone number on all business cards.  Not only will this allow people to find you and hire you at any time, but it makes people feel important and that you care about them.  When people feel you care, they are more likely to trust and to hire you!) Make whatever changes you need to make to the cards to update them.  How many do you have?  If you have less than 200, put an order in with the human resources department for another box.   You should be handing out at least one business card per day.  (More when you attend an event or function.)  Once you’ve gone through your business cards, go through everyone else’s cards.  Get the stack of business cards you’ve gathered over the last weeks/months and enter them into your address book program.  If there are updates for your contacts, make the updates.

Tuesday: Go online and look for a CLE class or a seminar dealing with your practice area.  There are so many legal seminars and classes, you should be able to find something that interests you.  Sign up for the event.  (Make sure it’s far enough in advance that you’ll have your updated business cards handy!)   Take the rest of the hour to write another blog post.  The subject of the blog post can really be anything within your practice area.  The point of this post is to show off a little.  You want other attorneys and non-attorneys to see you as an expert in your field.

Wednesday: Start shopping your blog post around to legal blogs.  Remember all of those legal blogs you’ve been reading?  Email the bloggers and let them know that you have a blog post that will be of interest to their readers.  (Make sure you only pitch bloggers who have audiences that will want to read your post.)  Attach the post and thank them in advance for their time.  If you plan on sending to more than one blogger, be sure to let him/her know that you’re also sending to other blogs. (It’s considered bad form to pitch bloggers with the same article and not let them know that another blog may post the article, too.)  If (and when) a blogger picks up the article, write them an email to thank them.  Let them know that you’d be thrilled to write another post.  Make sure to let your HR department know that you wrote a blog post and send the link to the article.

Thursday: Take a few minutes to update all of your social media channels.  Linked In actually has a status update now (this is relatively new – it started about six months ago).  Update your status!  If you went to an event or are planning on going to an event – let the world know.  Did that blog post get picked up by a blog?  Post this (along with a link to the post) to your status.  Did you just win a motion or settle a case or get a new client?  Update your status!  Even though these things may not seem like much to you, they are interesting to others.  People like to do business with popular people, and the more you update your status bar, the more popular you appear!  Get on Facebook and do the same.  Write on a colleague’s wall or post some pictures from a legal seminar you recently attended.  If you have a Twitter account, get on and write a few tweets!

Friday: Book a lunch with a current client.  No ulterior motives, no favors to ask.  Simply make the appointment to have lunch to talk business with the client.  (We’ll talk more next week about what you’ll ask and say.)  Next, reach out to someone who isn’t a client but you wish would be a client.  Book a separate lunch with that person.

By the end of this week, you will have spent 20 hours working on your career this month.  This is quite an accomplishment, and your work will pay dividends.  Just keep going and make sure that you’re always thinking about your future.   If you have any questions or if you need career guidance, contact us.  We’re here for you!

This week will delve a little bit deeper into some of your business relationships.  As is true every week, you want to make sure that you’re keeping up with people who respond to you.  If you’ve sent emails/made phone calls/left messages on Facebook or LinkedIn and folks have returned the favor, make sure that you contact them immediately.  No matter what type of law you practice, time is always of the essence.  If someone needs an attorney today and you don’t call them back, another attorney will!

Monday: Ask your marketing coordinator or HR team to allow you to update your bio on the firm’s website.  Make sure to include any articles you’ve written or cases you’ve published.  More importantly, though, include some legal experience you have that may resonate with the average client.  If you are a tax attorney, you may want to focus on some real life tax experience that shows you’re an expert.  (Before graduating from law school, I spent 5 years as a CPA at one of the largest accounting firms in Los Angeles.)  People enjoy real-world experience, and they’ll be much more likely to call someone they feel they know and trust.  To that end, make sure that you also include a picture with your biography.

Tuesday: Hopefully you attended the party or other social function that you RSVP’d to in the first week.  If not, make sure you’ve booked something for this week.  Do not feel overwhelmed by this event.  Be prepared to use your elevator pitch and hand out business cards left and right.  Talk to anyone and everyone at the event.  You have no idea what legal needs people may have, or who they may know.  Be polite and friendly and start making some connections.  Get as many business cards as you give away.  Be sure to follow up with all of your new connections within 24 hours of the event and add all of the information to your online address book.  Continue to book more events.  You should try to go to some breakfast or happy hour or seminar at least twice per month.

Wednesday: Write a blog post.  I know what you’re thinking – I have no idea what I’m doing and I don’t have a blog.  Don’t worry about those details right now.  Just sit down at your computer and start writing about what you know.  Look back at some of those legal blogs that you’ve been reading the last two weeks to figure out the format and length and get to work.  Write about what you know best – your area of practice.  Maybe there is new legislation pending, maybe there was a ground-breaking case recently decided, maybe you’d like to answer (once and for all) a series of questions that you’re asked all the time.  The topic doesn’t matter, as long as it shows off your knowledge.  Once you’re done with the blog post, have someone else (someone not in your area of practice) read and critique it.

Thursday: Get back  on your Linked In account and join at least one professional group.  After you’ve joined, start a discussion on that group or respond to a discussion initiated by someone else.  By beginning and participating in discussions, your peers will begin to recognize you as an expert in the field.  Take the rest of this hour to look at the blogs you started to read and make at least one comment on one of the blog posts.  Make sure that your name and a link to your website is visible on the post.

Friday: Start shopping your blog post.  Start looking at blogs where this content may be useful to readers.  Contact the blog managers and ask them if you can submit an article to be posted.  Many times, bloggers are thrilled to get some free content.   If your post is accepted, make sure to get credit (name and email address) and make sure that the article links to your firm’s website.   You should reach out to at least two different bloggers.  Realize, however, that you should only publish on one blog.  The blogger who contacts you first gets to publish the article!  This is the beginning of your work as a published legal author!

Another week of work behind you.  You should really feel good about everything you’ve accomplished.  Although it’s tough work, networking and building your reputation in the legal and non-legal community is worth every minute you can spare.  If you need assistance in this process, please contact us.  We’re happy to help!

Even though the below suggested exercises create a bit more work in an already stressed-out day, I urge you to take some time and really engage in this process.  Like everything in the law (and in life!), there are no guarantees.  I can’t tell you when or how you will bring your first new matter.  However, every attorney who has been successful in bringing in new business went through this process (or something similar).  Begin at the beginning and follow through.  This could be the most productive five hours of your week!

Before we begin with the schedule, please make sure that you responded to anyone who may have emailed you last week regarding your initial outreach.   This is crucial.  Answer emails and phone calls immediately.  Many times, if someone has a hot lead, it will go cold if you wait too long to respond.  Part of this marketing process is learning to stay connected with the “outside” world and not so focused on life in the law firm.  Remember, the folks outside of the firm are the most likely to have leads for new cases.

Monday:  Set up a Linked In account if you don’t already have one.  It’s very simple to do.  It will require some information about you, your practice, your experience, etc.  Please fill out the information completely.  The more information you include about yourself, the more people will be able to find you in case they need a lawyer.  After you’ve started the account, look around on the site and find some folks you know.  Make connections with them.  If you already have a Linked In account, take some time to review connections, add new connections, add to your bio, update your picture and join some groups.  Don’t overwhelm yourself, just spend an hour on this site.

Tuesday:  Set up an account on Avvo.com.  Avvo is a lawyer review site.  It’s becoming more and more popular as attorneys all over the country are joining.  Be sure to add a current picture and update your biography completely.  Look around the site and find some other lawyers you know.  Write a nice review for an attorney and send them an email asking them to do the same for you.  In most cases, they’ll be happy to reciprocate!

Wednesday:  Check back in on the blogs that you reviewed last Friday.  Make a comment on at least one blog post.  Make sure that the content is relevant and interesting.  The most important part of this process is to include your name and a link to your website.  If you own your own firm, link to the home page.  If you work at a firm, link to your bio page or a relevant page on the site. (If the blog post is about new patent filings in California, link to the page about new patent filings on your firm’s site.)  Typically, when you click on the “comment” button, you will be given very specific instructions about how to sign up and link to your site.

Thursday:  Write and rehearse your elevator pitch.  You’ve heard the phrase before, but probably never knew what it meant or how it could help.  An elevator pitch is a short, lay-person’s description of what you do.  (So short that it should be able to be said in the time you ride an elevator.)  Write out this pitch and practice it.  Make sure that you use terminology that is understandable to everyone.  Make it short and sweet with just enough description that the person listening will be able to remember who you are and what you do.   Take the next 30 minutes to get back on Linked In and write a couple of updates, accept any connections you may have and join another group.

Friday:  Hand out at least 10 business cards and practice your elevator pitch.  I know it sounds impossible, but just do it.  Don’t worry that the person seems an unlikely source of future referrals of work, or that he or she knows nothing about your area of the law.  Simply hand out the cards and speak with people about what you do.  (Please remember to be polite and ask what they do, as well!)  Give one to your waitress at lunch, hand one to the guy standing next to you in line at the grocery store, give out a couple at the gym.  This is really an exercise in getting yourself out there.  Talk to people.  Hand out your card and let them know that you are looking for new transactions, clients or cases.  You may be surprised at the results you get.

Take some time over the weekend to reflect on all of the work you’ve done.  Believe it or not, you’ve already put in at least 10 hours of time toward this new goal of bringing new business.  Congratulations!

If you have any questions or concerns about this process, please do not hesitate to contact us.  We’ve been successfully helping lawyers and law firms connect for years.  We’d be thrilled to help you, as well.

Even though billing is very time consuming, it’s imperative to make time each week to market yourself.  Schedule one hour per day to do nothing but attempt to generate business.  Look at it as an investment in your future at the firm and beyond.  Even if you’ve never brought a case, you have a chance to bring great value to your firm.  Throughout the next few weeks, we’ll be breaking down your time and help your marketing efficiency.  Here’s your schedule for the first week of rain-making.

1. Monday.  Look through your “address book” on your computer.  Organize all current or previous clients with which you personally dealt.  Make sure you have email addresses and phone numbers.  Do a little online research on these folks to see what they’re up to these days.  Have they moved jobs, started their own businesses, achieved a great success in their business, appeared in the paper/on TV for some reason?  Make a few notes for yourself on each of these current/previous clients.
2. Tuesday.  Pick two or three of the clients and send emails.  Don’t ask for anything, just check up with them.  Mention that you saw that they recently …. (fill in the blank.  Bought a business, moved their office, commented on a story on Larry King, etc.)  Congratulate them.
3. Wednesday.  Search your address books for your personal contacts — friends, family, ex-classmates from law school, former co-workers, etc.  – and send out a newsletter.  Let them know that you’re searching for new business.  Make it very clear what type of case you’d like.  Also, let them know that any type of leads would be helpful.  Maybe they don’t know anyone who needs a bankruptcy lawyer, but they know someone who knows someone…  These “friends of friends” connections can be amazing.  Be clear that you’re ready to meet folks who may need your legal services.
4. Thursday.  Look for events to attend.  You can look at websites for attorneys (CalBar.org, local bar associations, etc.), review charity sites, hobby sites, etc.  At this point in the game, it really doesn’t matter what type of event you attend, you just need to get out there and meet people.  Buy tickets or RSVP to at least 2 events that will occur over the next two weeks.
5. Friday.  Review blogs that pertain to your area of law.  Note that these blogs don’t have to be legal blogs.  Go to Google and type in your area of law and the word “blog.”  See what shows up.  Just do a little online research.  Make some notes for yourself and bookmark the blogs that you enjoy.

Marketing and rain-making can really be this simple.  Stay tuned for next week’s “rainmaking schedule.”  Your efforts will pay off over time.  Understand that these efforts rarely result in immediate success.  However, over the course of three months, you will have booked at least 65 hours marketing yourself.

For more tips on marketing yourself, contact us. We’re lawyers who have been helping lawyers for years.  We understand the pressures of billing and the importance of bringing cases, and we’re excited to help you in your journey.

Let us know the results of your first week of marketing yourself . We’d love to hear from you!