business development for attorneys – Seckler Legal Recruiting and Coaching

Getting to Know (Like and Trust) You

September 9, 2020September 9, 2020 by SeckAdmin

Earlier this year, I participated in a speed networking exercise through my business networking group ProVisors. The mantra at ProVisors is Know Like Trust Refer. This exercise was one of the many ways we have invested time in ProVisors meetings in trying to learn more about each other so we can get to know each other on a professional and personal level.

The goal, of course, is to get to know each other in a way that makes us feel comfortable giving referrals. While most of us seek out competent professionals when someone we know have a need that we cannot fulfill, in truth, it is much easier to identify someone we like and who we trust.

Since by definition, a competent professional has a skill set that we lack, often our decision to make a referral is not based on our professional assessment of that individual’s skill. Do we really know that someone is a good CPA if the Internal

How to Build a Life Sciences Practice in a New City [on the C2C podcast]

September 15, 2020August 30, 2020 by SeckAdmin

How do you move to a new city and build a law practice? Do what Dave Dykeman has done over the last 20 years. Dave is Co-Managing Partner of the Boston Office of Greenberg Traurig where he also Co-Chairs the firm’s Global Life Sciences & Medical Technology Group. In the latest episode of the Counsel to Counsel Podcast, Dave and I talk about building a niche IP practice in medical devices and other technologies. He describes how his early marketing efforts yielded great results over time.

Building A Book of Business During COVI9-19 and Beyond [Zoom cast]

August 26, 2020July 23, 2020 by SeckAdmin

AALAM’s Law Firm and Solo and Small Firm Committees is offering this program to provide insights into how to build a book of business in the age of social distancing. This Zoom cast will feature a marketing coach and a legal recruiter, who will offer fresh perspectives on business and career development. Learn the ins and outs of business development and tips on effective marketing from seasoned panelists, Stephen Seckler of Seckler Legal Recruiting and Coaching and Marc Zwetchkenbaum of Marc Z Legal Staffing. The panel will be moderated by AALAM’s own Jason Chan.

Getting the Most From Networking Meetings and Troikas [podcast]

July 19, 2020 by SeckAdmin

In the latest episode of the Counsel to Counsel podcast, I speak with Steve Fretzin, a premier business coach, trainer, and speaker on business development. Steve focuses on the legal industry but comes with experience in other industries as well. Steve and I discuss the importance of networking in building a professional services practice, how you can get more out of your networking meetings, and how to do this in a time of social distancing.

The ability to generate work has never been more important for lawyers and other professionals. We are in a recession right now and adapting to the demands of the marketplace is critical. But knowing what services your clients want is only a starting point. A good business plan requires a healthy mix of marketing (or reputation building activities) and business development (or relationship building activities). For lawyers and other professionals, it is the second leg, the relationship building, that is more challenging to master.

Attorneys come out of law school knowing something about a broad cross section of legal subjects. Law school graduates enter the workforce knowing how and do legal research and write briefs. While clinics and internships help aspiring lawyers to start

What a Deadly Virus Teaches Us About Business Development

July 7, 2020July 7, 2020 by SeckAdmin

Since the start of the year, we’ve learned a lot from COVID-19 about how disease spreads. While it is hard to see beyond the toll that the pandemic is taking on our health and on our economy, I’ve been looking for the silver linings and the lessons we can learn. In the future, I’ll look back nostalgically on this time and remember the months I was able to have dinners with my three adult children who are all living with us.

I’ve also realized that the coronavirus has something to teach us about business development and the importance of building a network. In the case of the coronavirus, building that network is clearly a bad thing. In the case of business development, building a network is essential for success.

While COVID-19 spreads from individual to individual, we know that it can spread more quickly when groups of people come together; and it can spread exponentially faster when large groups of people are congregated indoors and near each other.

So how is this relevant to business development and business relationship building? The short answer is that it is better to know more people than fewer people. Your referrals will grow more quickly if you know more people and if you deepen your relationship with those people.

Building Business Relationships in a Time of Social Distancing-Webinar

June 26, 2020May 4, 2020 by SeckAdmin

UPDATE: This webinar has already taken place. For a rough transcript, click here.

Please join me for a webinar on building business relationships on Tuesday, May 12, 2020 from 12:00 PM to 1:00 PM. Free for members of the Boston Bar Association. We will be discussing the importance of building your network and how networks are crucial for career advancement and business generation. I will be offering some tips on how to do this effectively at a time when getting together in person is not possible.

Zoom is a Great Tool for Relationship Building–But Use it “Right”

June 26, 2020April 24, 2020 by SeckAdmin

Zoom works well when you are trying to connect with just a few contacts. We may be physically distant, but we don’t need to be socially distant. If you are going to use it for larger gatherings, make sure your meeting is structured and moderated.

I am using Zoom a lot to check in with clients and other people I know and see how they are doing. But I’m presenting a webinar to the New Associates Forum of the Boston Bar Association webinar in a couple of weeks on Building Business Relationships in a Time of Social Distancing. I’m hoping to do at least one “breakout session” so attendees can actually speak with each other.

If You Want Serendipity to Happen, Get Out of Your Office

March 2, 2020March 1, 2020 by SeckAdmin

A few months ago, I decided to sit down at a local coffee shop and work on my blog and my podcast. It was a Sunday afternoon and I could have easily worked from my home office; but I decided that it would be nice to get out of the house. I wasn’t planning to meet anyone. On the other hand, it is not uncommon for me to run into people I know when I go to coffee shops in my town.

I walked into a nearby Starbucks and sitting in the corner was the father of one of my son’s college friends. I parked myself at a table on the other side of the restaurant and popped open my laptop. He was busy

How to Handle Derivative Referrals

February 18, 2020February 15, 2020 by SeckAdmin

It is well established that referrals are a very important source of business for lawyers and other professionals. I’ve written about that here, here and here. Since legal needs are are episodic, for most attorneys, being in the right place at the right time to hear about a legal need is challenging. Having other professionals keeping their ear to the ground for services that you can provide, dramatically increases your marketing effectiveness.

It is also well established that leads that come through referrals are much more likely to turn into business. They are pre-qualified.

If you Don’t like Sports, Try Becoming a Sports Fan FAN

January 19, 2020January 19, 2020 by SeckAdmin

If you live in Boston, it’s pretty hard to ignore what is going on with the sports scene. For the past 17 years or so the Boston Red Sox and the New England Patriots have won many championships and you can throw in a few championships as well from the Boston Celtics and the Boston Bruins. Because of the sports culture of the city, sports does tend to be a popular topic in networking situations. But if you’re like me, sports viewing does not occupy a significant portion of your free time. I tune in when one of our teams makes it to the championship round and I may enjoy one night a year at Fenway Park, although I’m just as likely to end up at Fenway to hear a concert featuring aging rockers (I saw the Who this past summer-inspiring to see that Pete Townsend can still twirl his arm while playing guitar and not end up in the hospital).