Monday, March 11, 2013

Stop Fishing in the Elevator

“Let’s talk about me.” Sounds odd, doesn’t it? And yet, the vast majority of client development programs teach lawyers to sell themselves right out of the gate, in the short space of time it takes to rise to the next floor in an elevator. Do you have a 30 second elevator speech? Then you’ve probably been through one of those programs. Now, how many truly good rainmakers do you know that have learned to pitch their services in three sentences or less? The complexity of legal advice and counsel can rarely be reduced to a few well-crafted sentences.
So, how do you respond to the question, ‘What do you do for a living?’ Simple. “I am a lawyer. I help people.” Enough said. The trick is to make them believe it. Professionals who have the ‘Midas Touch’ do one thing consistently well. Great marketing is based on attraction rather than promotion. Great marketing creates an environment where people seek you out, rather than you constantly having to seek them out. And universally, it is human nature to be attracted to people of give freely of their time and who are genuinely thoughtful. The great rainmakers find ways to give a little bit of themselves away each day. They actively listen for ways to help other people, regardless of their station in life and without expectation of reciprocity. They take it upon themselves to do something unexpected and thoughtful for the friends and strangers they meet. Great rainmakers understand that you have to give in order to receive.

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