Sales and Service Strategies

I coach high school football. On any given Friday night in the fall, I find myself screaming from the sidelines, 'Have a plan! Know your move before the play begins!' Why? Players with a plan are twice as likely to succeed. The inside swim move, the bull rush, the rip and the spin are all legitimate plans for a defensive end to pursue the quarterback. Once the plan's in place, you simply execute it. When the goal is to sack the quarterback, 'Bull rush the left tackle' is precise and achievable. 'Wait and see what happens' is vague and likely doomed to fail.

Random Acts

So it goes with lawyers and building a successful practice. Lawyers know that business development is a must. Too many of them, however, approach it as random acts of golf and lunch. There's nothing wrong with that in theory. Clients purchase legal services from people they like, and golf and lunch are fine marketing activities, very conducive to relationship building. The problem, though, is with the word 'random.' The top rainmakers do nothing randomly. They have identified those persons they want to know better and, from there, they develop a systematic plan to go about building and enhancing relationships with them. As I emphasize to my clients, the key word is plan.

Vision & Pursuit

Building a successful legal practice requires a mental picture of the ultimate desired outcome. As Steven Covey points out in The Seven Habits of Highly Effective People, 'Begin with the end in mind'. The two most important aspects of a plan are: 1) Your objective; and 2) The action steps necessary to achieve that objective. Lawyers who don't decide what kind of practice they want and how to achieve it will wind up with one reflecting whatever walks in the door. Serendipity and chance are not the best paths to success. Set professional and personal objectives and pursue them. A marketing plan is thus the process of visualizing the clients and practice you want and undertaking the activities necessary to achieve your vision.

Specific & Quantifiable

Objectives constitute the first half of the marketing plan equation. When it comes to business development, 'get more clients' or 'bill more hours' are meaningless goals. Your objective should clearly state where you will be at a future point. Think specifically and quantifiably. These are examples of objectives you can visualize and achieve:

Bill $1.75 million in 2007

• Originate three new bankruptcy litigation matters from target financial institutions.
• Develop one new relationship with a workout specialist who provides two banking referrals.
• Attend four financial conferences and get the business cards to add 30 new Outlook contacts.

The precision is not only in the use of numbers, but in the identification of targets for the practice (bankruptcy litigation), client industry (banking), referrals (workout specialists) and marketing activities (conference attendance). These four statements constitute an achievable marketing objective. Write them down, tape them to your computer, and review them every day.

Personal Brand

Action steps constitute the second part of your marketing plan. Answer two questions: what do you want to market, and who is your target? The essence of what you are marketing is your personal brand ' those strengths and skills that differentiate you and that define what you want to be known for. But, regardless of your subject matter expertise, business development requires giving, not taking. You have to earn the right to a client relationship by providing that person with value, defined as outstanding service plus an understanding of what the client really needs. Think of the process as a simple formula: R + V = S. Relationships plus value equals marketing success.

Relationship Portfolios

For your marketing targets, visualize two relationship portfolios. In the personal portfolio are friends, fellow church or board members, law school alumni, association colleagues ' people who know your strengths and could become clients. By contrast, your professional portfolio includes referral sources ' brokers, CPAs, consultants, other lawyers ' who may not become clients themselves but who can refer you to their own clients so you can build a relationship.

Action Steps

Now you take action: for each relationship portfolio, provide value that sells your brand. For the professional portfolio that can mean that you:

• Attend networking events to meet influencers;
• Become and association leader and involve your contacts;
• Write articles and make speeches aimed at your targets; and
• Give referrals to other professionals.

When these actions add to your personal portfolio, you are in a position to build relationships by providing value, which happens when you:

• Present research on key stakeholders and pressing industry issues;
• Give an invitation to an entertainment or sporting event;
• Offer opportunities for training; and
• Conduct a business needs assessment or audit.

Just like a map will tell you how to get to a certain destination, the marketing plan also tells you where you're going and how you'll get there. The journey lies ahead, but as Plato observed, 'the beginning is the most important part of the work.'

Jim Cranston, a professional in helping firms with revenue growth, is managing director at CoulterCranston Inc. The firm specializes in helping firms generate revenue through strategic account management, business development training and implementation and individual coaching. Visit their Web site at www.coultercranston.com.

I coach high school football. On any given Friday night in the fall, I find myself screaming from the sidelines, 'Have a plan! Know your move before the play begins!' Why? Players with a plan are twice as likely to succeed. The inside swim move, the bull rush, the rip and the spin are all legitimate plans for a defensive end to pursue the quarterback. Once the plan's in place, you simply execute it. When the goal is to sack the quarterback, 'Bull rush the left tackle' is precise and achievable. 'Wait and see what happens' is vague and likely doomed to fail.

Random Acts

So it goes with lawyers and building a successful practice. Lawyers know that business development is a must. Too many of them, however, approach it as random acts of golf and lunch. There's nothing wrong with that in theory. Clients purchase legal services from people they like, and golf and lunch are fine marketing activities, very conducive to relationship building. The problem, though, is with the word 'random.' The top rainmakers do nothing randomly. They have identified those persons they want to know better and, from there, they develop a systematic plan to go about building and enhancing relationships with them. As I emphasize to my clients, the key word is plan.

Vision & Pursuit

Building a successful legal practice requires a mental picture of the ultimate desired outcome. As Steven Covey points out in The Seven Habits of Highly Effective People, 'Begin with the end in mind'. The two most important aspects of a plan are: 1) Your objective; and 2) The action steps necessary to achieve that objective. Lawyers who don't decide what kind of practice they want and how to achieve it will wind up with one reflecting whatever walks in the door. Serendipity and chance are not the best paths to success. Set professional and personal objectives and pursue them. A marketing plan is thus the process of visualizing the clients and practice you want and undertaking the activities necessary to achieve your vision.

Specific & Quantifiable

Objectives constitute the first half of the marketing plan equation. When it comes to business development, 'get more clients' or 'bill more hours' are meaningless goals. Your objective should clearly state where you will be at a future point. Think specifically and quantifiably. These are examples of objectives you can visualize and achieve:

Bill $1.75 million in 2007

• Originate three new bankruptcy litigation matters from target financial institutions.
• Develop one new relationship with a workout specialist who provides two banking referrals.
• Attend four financial conferences and get the business cards to add 30 new Outlook contacts.

The precision is not only in the use of numbers, but in the identification of targets for the practice (bankruptcy litigation), client industry (banking), referrals (workout specialists) and marketing activities (conference attendance). These four statements constitute an achievable marketing objective. Write them down, tape them to your computer, and review them every day.

Personal Brand

Action steps constitute the second part of your marketing plan. Answer two questions: what do you want to market, and who is your target? The essence of what you are marketing is your personal brand ' those strengths and skills that differentiate you and that define what you want to be known for. But, regardless of your subject matter expertise, business development requires giving, not taking. You have to earn the right to a client relationship by providing that person with value, defined as outstanding service plus an understanding of what the client really needs. Think of the process as a simple formula: R + V = S. Relationships plus value equals marketing success.

Relationship Portfolios

For your marketing targets, visualize two relationship portfolios. In the personal portfolio are friends, fellow church or board members, law school alumni, association colleagues ' people who know your strengths and could become clients. By contrast, your professional portfolio includes referral sources ' brokers, CPAs, consultants, other lawyers ' who may not become clients themselves but who can refer you to their own clients so you can build a relationship.

Action Steps

Now you take action: for each relationship portfolio, provide value that sells your brand. For the professional portfolio that can mean that you:

• Attend networking events to meet influencers;
• Become and association leader and involve your contacts;
• Write articles and make speeches aimed at your targets; and
• Give referrals to other professionals.

When these actions add to your personal portfolio, you are in a position to build relationships by providing value, which happens when you:

• Present research on key stakeholders and pressing industry issues;
• Give an invitation to an entertainment or sporting event;
• Offer opportunities for training; and
• Conduct a business needs assessment or audit.

Just like a map will tell you how to get to a certain destination, the marketing plan also tells you where you're going and how you'll get there. The journey lies ahead, but as Plato observed, 'the beginning is the most important part of the work.'

Jim Cranston, a professional in helping firms with revenue growth, is managing director at CoulterCranston Inc. The firm specializes in helping firms generate revenue through strategic account management, business development training and implementation and individual coaching. Visit their Web site at www.coultercranston.com.