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Networking is about nurturing relationships. It’s about being visible through email, blogging, social networking, and of course, in-person! Even if you have other marketing efforts in place, nothing beats getting some boots on the ground and ingraining yourself in your community. If you’re not sure where to start, here are several options!

1. Social Media Networking

Having a foot in the digital space is a great way to connect with others and expose your brand to a larger audience. Using whichever social media platforms you prefer, connect with your community (other surrounding businesses, local organizations, etc…) and connect with other professionals within your industry. Follow, say hello, share, and engage!

Some platforms like LinkedIn and Facebook have specific groups and forums that you can join. This is a great opportunity to see what others within your profession are doing or to get involved with the community happenings.

2. Guest Blogging

Do you know of another professional that has a blog? Offer to provide a guest article for them to publish, perhaps in exchange for publishing one of their blogs to your network. It’s a win-win! Your brand and content gains exposure to a larger audience, and you are helping another professional do the same.

Make sure the topic is relevant to something that you both do. For example, if this person handles divorce cases and you practice estate planning, consider writing a blog about how divorce can affect estate plans.

3. Join Industry-Specific Organizations

Do some research and find both local and national organizations that you can be a part of. This is a great way to meet new people and make connections.

A few things to consider when choosing organizations to join: your big-picture goals, your specific client needs, what you want to gain from this organization, the cost to join, the time investment, and the size.

4. Attend Conferences, Classes, Workshops

These types of gatherings are great for polishing your skills, getting inspired, networking with other professionals, and connecting with potential clients or referral sources.

Also, look for opportunities to be a leader or speaker in these types of events. You may not feel like you have a lot to offer, but you do. Share your knowledge, your processes, and your opinions on how you run your own business, or how potential clients could gain benefit from using your services.

5. Volunteer

This is something that you can do as an individual or even as an entire company or group. Get involved in your surrounding community in a way that benefits others. This is an incredible and humbling way to get your name out there and connect with the everyday people that are in your area and might need your services. Be visible, make personal connections, and let your actions show people what your brand is all about… helping others!

Take it up a level and get branded t-shirts for your team to wear. Take photos so that you can share what you’re doing with your online audience by posting to social media or including a blurb in your newsletter.

6. Meet-Ups

Believe it or not, there is a huge community of people wanting to meet up for coffee once a week or a happy hour once a month – sometimes with a specific goal in mind, and sometimes just to meet new people and make connections.

Who are these people? They may just be random people within your area, or maybe other legal professionals, small business owners, and entrepreneurs.

You don’t have to attend a meet-up with the intention of handing out your business card and giving your sales pitch to everyone you come in contact with. There are meet-ups designed for networking purposes specifically, and then there are others for people with common interests or the same hobbies. The point of a meet-up is to MEET others. Remember, networking is about nurturing relationships, which doesn’t need to be a ‘business’ relationship. You never know who may know a friend of a friend that needs your service a month or two down the road!

Can’t find a meet-up to attend? Host your own!

7. Charity

Similar to volunteering, getting involved or helping out a charity is a great way to gain positive brand exposure while giving back!

Maybe your office decides to host a canned food drive. Advertise on social media, in your newsletter, on your website! Share flyers with local businesses, put up a poster on your street, spread the word!

Consider hosting a cook-out where all proceeds will go to a charity that your firm decides on as a team. The possibilities for giving back are endless, and your firm is sure to stay memorable.

Here are a few additional tips…

Mingle! Introduce yourself, share your passions, talk about why you do what you do.
Be YOU. Show up as yourself with an open mind and a smile. People are more likely to remember you if they are able to make a personal connection with you.
Have business cards on hand. You don’t have to walk around handing them out to anyone and everyone, but if the opportunity arises, absolutely give them your card! AND make sure to ask others for their business cards so that you can add them to your network and connect with them online later!
Follow up. Don’t just make a connection and let it go flat. Networking is NURTURING. Send a quick follow-up email just to say hi and that you enjoyed connecting! Make sure they feel comfortable reaching out to you if they should need something in the future. And perhaps most importantly, add them to your Contact list and include them on any ongoing marketing, such as a digital or print newsletter. Top-of-mind awareness is the key to effectively leveraging the relationships you create while networking!

You can find various networking events around your city at:

1. Meetup.com
2. Your local Chamber of Commerce
3. Your local bar association
4. Eventbrite.com

It’s that easy! If you have any other questions about the power and importance of networking and how you can make it part of your brand, give us a call! We’d be happy to chat.

Chances are this is how you’re networking, collecting business cards that will remain in your pocket until you wear that jacket again. Instead, you could be building relationships that really matter?

Let me ask you. Do you look at an event on your calendar and think… I would give my right arm to just go home rather than this event? I hate smiling and acting as though I’m interested in what anyone is saying. Actually I don’t even like those people. Then you snap out of it. You grab a cup of coffee that gives you a little jolt and vow… I’m going and I will be the most charming person in the room!

Tell me which YOU really shows up at that event? Chances are its someone in between. And I guarantee you that whomever you meet recognizes the insincerity, forced smile and faked interest. I’m telling you now, instead go home because the event will be a big waste of time… yours and everyone you meet.

There is a better way.

Instead go home and think about what you really want in your practice. Who is your ideal client? Where do they go? What is important to them? How could you help them? What circles would you like to be a part of? NOW… how can you act on the answers to these questions? This process is strategic and it’s the foundation to building relationships that matter.

How can you build trust with these new people? There is one question that Inc. Magazine writer John Hall asserts will be a game changer.

How can I be helpful to you?

Yes, it’s a simple question that could change the trajectory of your practice and your life. Hall points out:

  • It allows you to help others better.
  • It cuts through any potential awkwardness of a new relationship.
  • It enables you to be proactive.

Try it! You will be building relationships that matter, and that IS a game changer!

With the crush of year-end and the busyness of the holidays, I decided to post an encore of a
holiday post I did on December 18, 2007 on reaching out to clients and referral sources by telephone (at least) during the holidays. Personal attention is better than (but not to the exclusion of) holiday cards. Here it is:

Work Your Network During the Holidays

It’s a good idea to touch base with contacts within your network during the holidays. It’s even
better than sending holiday cards. Pick up the phone and reach out to everyone you know (okay,
if you are THAT popular, not everyone) and wish them a happy holiday season. It especially
makes sense to at least speak to every referral source and client, including those you haven’t
done work for lately or received a recent referral.

And talking about networking, I thought I would call your attention to a post I did in December
2005 entitled “Ignore Your Friends At the ‘Business’ Holiday Party.” The premise of that post
was that you can get together with your friends anytime, so use business-related holiday parties
as productive networking and business development opportunities that you can cultivate further
during the next year. Give that post a look if you are interested in reading more of my thoughts
on that subject.

Again, Happy Holiday(ing) everyone!

Effective networking is more important as the legal marketplace becomes more competitive. A lot of lawyers do not embrace networking and wish they didn’t have to do it. It is not why we went to law school after all. Notwithstanding one’s aversion to networking, it is necessary! So you might as well make networking work the best you can.

The following are some steps recommended by attorney Anabella Bonfa on Law Practice Advisor:

  1. Develop a lawyer network. Make a point of meeting and developing relationships with non-competing lawyers for mutual referrals. Both may have clients who could use the other’s services;
  2. Connect with other professionals. Obviously, this could also result in mutual referrals that will expand your client base as well as theirs. Such connections could also benefit your clients’ businesses;
  3. Help others reach their goals. Don’t look at a networking event as one where you have to sell yourself. Rather, consider it an opportunity to make friends, and help them achieve their goals. As Zig Ziglar wisely stated “You can have everything in life you want, if you will just help other people get what they want.” Look for ways to be helpful to those you meet at networking events, rather than looking for what they can do for you;
  4. Always keep your word. If you say to someone you meet that you will check on something or send information or provide a link or an introduction, NEVER fail to do so. If you don’t do what you say you’re going to do, you put your reputation in jeopardy;
  5. Always follow up. Not only on what you say you will do, but with the contacts made. Even if there may be no need for your services by them nor opportunities for referrals from them, add the contact to what I refer to as a Quarterly Contact List, and then contact each person at least four times a year. Such contact could take the form of an email, telephone call, or in-person meetings, where possible.  You could provide a link to an article of interest based on your conversation or reference information picked up on Google Alerts;
  6. Network via social media. Post an article on a blog, participate in discussions on LinkedIn or Google+ to raise your profile and to make contacts with whom you want to develop relationships; and
  7. Be yourself. In all networking events you should avoid coming across as someone you are not. You need to be your true self – honest and sincere. Don’t be afraid to share some personal information which can help build a relationship, particularly if the other person does the same.

Networking should not be feared or avoided. So get out and about to improve your networking in order to grow your practice.

As we get closer to the holiday season (yeah, they’ll be here sooner than you think), it means there will be more and more networking opportunities.  A lot of lawyers, including yours truly, are not always comfortable in every setting.  However, these events can be very important to developing business for one’s practice, and should not be avoided due to some discomfort.

I had initially overlooked a post by Mary Ellen Sullivan on Attorney at Work last month I think is pretty good and worth sharing.  It provides 10 suggested icebreakers by Debra Fine., the author of The Fine Art of Small Talk.  They are:

  1. “What is your connection to this event?
  2. What keeps you busy outside of work?
  3. Tell me about the organizations you are involved with.
  4. How did you come up with this idea?
  5. What got you interested in … ?
  6. What do you attribute your success to?
  7. Describe some of the challenges of your profession.
  8. Describe your most important work experience.
  9. Bring me up to date.
  10. Tell me about your family.”

Fine and Sullivan also suggest a number questions which might be considered too personal or problematic, which should be avoided.  No. 10 above might fall into that category depending on the situation, but obviously it is a judgment call.

Notice that the questions are open-ended. This should keep the other person talking, and that can help overcome any shyness.

Why not? Rainmakers never stop networking. Yeah, I know, its family time, and they should be your priority. No question about it.

However, vacation time doesn’t mean you can’t or shouldn’t take advantage of networking opportunities that present themselves – on an airplane, at the beach, or yes, standing in line at a restaurant.

And, if such opportunities occur, it would be silly not to take advantage .  Merrilyn Astin Tarlton has 40 networking tips she posted on Attorney at Work this month I commend to your summer reading list.

A few of her tips I particularly like include:

  • Develop an effective elevator (or standing-in-line) speech or two, depending on your different target audiences (P.S. don’t start with “I’m a lawyer”;
  • Listen twice as much as you talk (remember the old saying that that is why we have two ears and only one mouth);
  • Ask smart, open-ended questions so you can learn more about the other person. Don’t waste time talking about yourself (you already know everything there is to know there);
  • Be selective about what networking events you attend (i.e., go where your preferred clients and prospects hang out); and
  • Smile and show genuine interest.

There’s more good stuff in Tarlton’s post, so do take a look. Networking needs to become a habit anywhere you are.

One of the best things to do on a regular basis is to look outside the legal profession to find a fresh perspective on things, anything from operations to HR practices and certainly business development. Gay Gaddis, contributor to Forbes Magazine addresses entrepreneurs in many industries in this article entitled,  3 Networking Tips To Grow Your Business. Maybe the legal profession isn’t as different as so many believe…

1. Don’t get bogged down in your own industry groups. Although they can be helpful, I don’t spend much time with people in my field because they don’t buy our services; they are usually our competitors. Instead, I seek groups that bring together an array of industries and perspectives. Many times they are our clients and prospective client events. The big message is to get out from behind your desk. You should be your own brand ambassador because no one is more passionate about your business than you are. Your travel budget may skyrocket, but so should your bottom line.

In the legal profession there are two sides to this coin. A referral base of lawyers who don’t do what you do is one approach, and many have built an entire firm on this principle. On the other side there are many lawyers specializing in practice areas which put them smack in the middle of an industry that contains a gold mine of prospects. But do they regularly attend their trade shows and conferences… not often. Create industry teams with colleagues in your firm and network together. Participate as though you belong there… because you do!

2. Building relationships takes time. Follow up is imperative, but easier said than done. When you meet a person who you think will strengthen your business, you should be in touch at least once a quarter. Send something relevant and of value to them. This takes planning, discipline and creativity. Eventually you will be on their radar. If I asked your top five prospects, “Who wants your business,” and they cannot name you or your company, then you will never get their business.

I love Gaddis’ comment… if they are a prospect for you, your name should be on the tip of their tongue. Stay top-of-mind and sooner or later something will come your way. The incumbent will screw up or be too busy to return a phone call… and then YOU will be the one this prospect calls.

3. Get involved in a big way. If an organization is worth your time, you should be right in the middle of the action. Seek to serve on their boards and committees. Otherwise, drop out. When you are all-in, you will build relationships that matter. People will see how you work when you are at your best. These types of relationships build trust and friendships that almost always lead to business opportunities.

I can’t tell you how many lawyers I talk to that tell me they are members of 5,6 or 7 organization. This tells me all they are doing is building their bio…  not relationships! I believe like Gaddis that unless you are participating in a meaningful way in an organization… why bother. On the other hand if you are committed, participation is the best way to demonstrate your character, values and expertise. If you are a lawyer of your word; you return phone calls, you follow through, you do what you say you will do… that gets around fast. People will want to do programs with you because they know they can count on you. On the other hand, if you horde the project, grand stand and act like a bully… that gets around even faster!

Business development takes focus and commitment no matter what profession you’re in. Find what feels good for you and you will do it more often. Join organizations with people you like to be around, become friends with them… and it will be more fun than work.

If you would like to explore some of theses possibilities, shoot me an email!

 

Lawyers know about networking, but most, except the real Rainmakers, don’t like it. It isn’t exactly like having a root canal to them, but they would rather be practicing law.  Nonetheless, the majority do recognize the need for it.

Roy Ginsburg has a post on Attorney at Work that talks about how networking is a numbers game and compares the undertaking to baseball.  His analogy to baseball is of course timely, as my beloved Red Sox just won the World Series (yes, I’m a real fan, who suffered all those many years growing up in the area).

Although Ginsburg is primarily focusing on networking for prospects, I prefer to concentrate on clients and referral sources, since they are the reason for 80-90% of legal work for lawyers (although the purpose is prospecting as well).  I like his four points:

  • Keep swinging.  Even with clients and referral sources, getting them to agree to a lunch or coffee sometimes is not easy, as they are busy people too.  I tell lawyers I coach to not give up easily.  Don’t take it personally, when they don’t immediately return your call or email about taking time out of their day.  Marketing is also a game of percentages;
  • Don’t get bogged down or in a slump. Eventually, you need to refocus your efforts, but not without giving it a major league effort (sorry, couldn’t resist).  I encourage the development of a quarterly contact list, and then reaching out in some manner (quick email, telephone call, and yes, even lunch) to each person on the list at least quarterly;
  • Network trade groups. Get actively involved in trade groups where your ideal clients hang out. That can be a certain bar association committee, if those lawyers are an important source of your referrals.  Like in baseball, it’s a game of contact….contact and more contact; and
  • Hang in there and be persistent.  No one said it would be easy.  From high school ball to the major leagues is not a walk in the park (I know, I need to stop this, but the analogy is valid).  It is hard work and takes time to become a legal major league player (rainmaker).

Hell, it took the Boston Red Sox 86 years to win another World Series.  And their hard work has paid off again!  Yours will too.

Networking… I hate that term. It conjures up images of “working a room”… smiling, shaking hands and collecting business cards. Business cards that end up on your desk under a pile of papers or left in your suit pocket only to be found the next time you wear that jacket. Sound familiar? What a waste of time and energy, don’t you agree? I think we need to redefine what needs to be done. To build a solid book of business requires strong relationships and that doesn’t happen with the typical networking methodology.

Building relationships takes time, thought and trust.

Time…  Building relationships requires a series of touch points. An introduction, an email, a meeting, another email, a phone call, a lunch, a note with an article, another phone call, a thoughtful gift… and so on and so on. You’ve heard me say this before… Do something every day! I know what you’re thinking… “I don’t have time!” Make time! The legal profession is built on relationships… so, how strong are yours?

Thought… Cultivating a relationship doesn’t just happen because you happen to be in the same organization, conference or networking event. It happens as a result of strategic thinking. How could you help this individual before you ask for a thing? Who could you introduce them to? How can you deepen the relationship? Are you listening for clues to help you accomplish this? Do you really know what they do or have you assumed what they do? Do you know how you can truly help them? Not what YOU think could help them… but what they think would be helpful?

Trust… If you genuinely have something in common, you have something they need and want and you sincerely like them… then trust that the relationship will grow. And the work will follow.

Remember that there are many types of business relationships and they can all have a place in your circle. Even if someone provides a service you may never be able to use, you may have a client who would be thrilled that you introduced them to this individual. So treat every relationship as though it has value… because it does.

People hire lawyers that they know, like and trust. And the only way that can happen is to build a strong relationship. So, take the time that is required to make this individual feel heard and valued. Give the growing relationship strategic thought, how can you contribute to one another? And lastly stay on course and trust that it will develop into work… directly or indirectly. There are two things that are critical to your book of business… your experience and your relationships. And believe me… they are equally important.

If you’d like to discuss your strategy for building relationships, I would love to help… drop me an email.

More and more employers are finding that social media is an effective way to network. However it is not an excuse to sit at your desk and think that that is all there is to it. Social media can be and is for many an effective way to make friends connections and raise one’s profile. However, it doesn’t replace the need for, or quite frankly, compare to the effectiveness of the face-to-face networking. Let me repeat that social media does not replace the need for face-to-face networking.

As I have often said lawyers are in the personal services business. You can only be so personable via social media.  Nothing replaces the face-to-face encounter when it comes to building truly meaningful relationships. At some point you need to take those new “friends” you met on social media and enhance the relationship by face-to-face meetings.

An online article by Dan Schawbel last year in Time’s Business & Money section entitled “Why Face-to-Face Networking Still Trumps Social Networking” remains right on.  I particularly liked the quote attributed to Sherry Turkle, an M.I.T professor, on the “sad state of affairs” due to the over reliance on social media.  She said “we have sacrificed conversation for mere connection.”

A couple years ago I wrote a post entitled “Networking Requires Getting Off Your Duff!” which I still think is timely.  Also, it contains some common sense tips that might help you network face-to-face.  As I said at the time the tips are pretty straightforward, but we all need to be reminded occasionally on the kinds of things one needs to do in terms of networking.

Bottom line: don’t let social media replace the true benefits gained though face-to-face meetings.