Miami Legal Business Development | Branding | Lawyer Coaching | Paula Black

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What are the images you carry around in your head? What are the words you tell yourself and others? Are they going to take you where you want to go? 

Are they something like...

I'm too busy... or I WILL make time?

I'll never complete this by the deadline... or somehow someway I WILL get this done?

I think they need me... or I KNOW they need me?

I can't write that article... or I WILL write that article?

It's going to take me forever to do this... or I have two hours, I CAN do this?

This isn't ever going to happen... or I WILL make this happen?

I don't know what I want... or I KNOW what I want?

What is your mindset? Confidence in what you think and tell yourself and others breeds trust in your abilities. Believe it! It's all about commitment. So what are YOU committed to? Success and a life that works... or chaos and never quite getting there? You have a choice.

Black Pearl: Need a little boost? Here is an interesting article and video on building self confidence by James Manktelow and Amy Carlson.

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Success... what does it mean to YOU? The big ones are obvious... there are diplomas, titles, big houses, fancy cars and exotic trips to remind you that you have achieved the BIG one. Then there are those small successes that we don't often stop to celebrate. The client was VERY impressed with your work, you were selected to be on the team, the kids went to sleep without a fuss, you finished the contract... this list is a LONG one, indeed. YOU are a success in life... celebrate it everyday.

Dr. Heidi Grant Halvorson writes in her Harvard Business Review article Nine Things Successful People Do Differently, about the common denominators among successful people. She says there are nine...

1. "Get specific." As always if we don't know where we are going, how could we possibly get there. Remember, it all starts with a plan of some sort.

2. "Seize the moment to act on your goals." As you probably know by now... I don't buy... "I don't have time". Everyone can find time for what they are committed to. Seize the moment for the things you are committed to.

3. "Know exactly how far you have to go." I love this one. Because knowing how far you have to go also shows you how far you have come... celebrate the progress.

4. "Be a realistic optimist." Yes... nothing worthwhile is ever easy. Don't underestimate what it will take to succeed.

5. "Focus on getting better, rather then being good." I love this one as well. If we develop skills step by step and when we focus that effort on our strengths we become... better... better... GREAT!

6. "Have grit." Be persistent and focused. 

7. "Build your willpower muscle." Self-control is risky business sometimes; strong muscles would sure come in handy.

8. "Don't tempt fate." Yes... don't make success harder to achieve than it is.

9. "Focus on what you will do, not on what you won't do." Do you remember as a child when your mother said, "Don't drop the milk"... you dropped the milk! Focusing on what you will do... really WORKS.

SUCCESS? This is a great list. Read Dr. Halvorson's entire article to get her thoughts.

Let's remember to celebrate the little successes that surely happen every single day... it will keep you motivated and energized.

Black Pearl: Dr. Halvorson's book... Success: How we can reach our goals.

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The past few days I have been focusing on... how I can be more efficient and accomplish more in less time. I've been reading books, blogs and listening to CDs. And I have picked up lots of tidbits that I think are going to make a difference. The best... I ran across a very interesting observation in David Allen's book, Getting Things Done...

Why Bright People Procrastinate the Most

It's really the smartest people who have the highest number of undecided things in their lives and on their lists. Why is that? Think of how our bodies respond to the images we hold in our minds. It appears that the nervous system can't tell the difference between a well-imagined thought and reality.

If your body responds to pictures you give it, how are you likely to feel physically when you think about, say, doing your taxes? Are you sending yourself "easy", "let's go," completion, success and "I'm a winner!" pictures? Probably not. For just that reason, what kinds of people would be the most resistant to being reminded about a project like that... that is, who would procrastinate the most? Of course, it would be the most creative, sensitive, and intelligent people. Because their sensitivity gives them the capacity of producing in their minds lurid nightmare scenarios about what might be involved in doing a project, and all the negative consequences that might occur if it weren't done perfectly! They just freak out in an instant and quit!

WOW! Does that sound like anyone you know? No wonder, all we have to do is mention BUSINESS DEVELOPMENT and some people start thinking about how it never works and how uncomfortable it is to even try. NOW that we know this... knowledge is power... we don't have to let our minds run away with us. We can recognize when it's happening and push through it.

Black Pearl: "I'm under a lot of pressure..." Seth Godin points out that it is the pressure WE impose on ourselves. Interesting insight take a look.

Great Quote: Mark Twain "I am an old man and have known a great many troubles, but most of them never happened". 

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 I ran across a great blog post at Lawyerist... Checklist for Creating a Great Law Firm Website. They remind us that planning in advance is essential to a successful website. Lawyerist zeros in on some great points for small firms and solos... here are a few:

Determine your market and define your unique selling proposition. I would like to add... what are your points of differentiation and will they resonate with your target audience?

Set goals and align the goals of your business with the website and make sure your client's needs are met. I think this is vital. Your website is an extension of your business and it needs to speak like you and look like you.

Design your website with compelling images that correspond with your branding. Your website is the place to bring your brand to life... with photos. So choose wisely. Generic skyline photos do nothing to separate you from the competition in your market.

Include sticky content. Break text into small easily read chunks separated with headings and images for easier scanning. I want to remind you that people don't read... they scan. Make sure they are picking up something of value about your firm as they scan the page.

Measure and update. Set up Google Analytics to measure traffic. Create an ongoing method of marketing and encouraging visitors to your website. It's no secret that I am a big fan of blogs and they are the answer here. Google Analytics can help you see what is getting read and you can fine-tune your content.

The big take-away here is... first, create a plan! 

Black Pearl: Here is Lawyerist's list of the Best Law Firm Website in 2011 take a look.

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As you know I have been traveling lately... unfortunately I sprained my foot and couldn't walk without the help of a cane. So in order to get through the airports I requested a wheelchair. What an eye-opening experience. People were so kind and helpful... airline employees, security staff, cab drivers and fellow passengers. EVERYONE expressed their humanity in the smallest and largest of gestures. This got me thinking...

What if we expressed our kindness everyday to everyone we encounter? 

YOU would go through your day with a generous heart... how uplifting would that be?

YOU could MAKE someone's day... generally people come to you because they have a problem they are dealing with... so adding a bit of sunshine to someone's day would be a great thing.

YOU could "pay it forward"... maybe someone will do something kind for someone YOU care about.

The two most forgotten words in the English language today are "THANK YOU". It's not that we are not grateful, because I think we do feel gratitude.... but what happens is we are rushed for time and we take shortcuts. We are on to the next thought or task and we don't bother acknowledging what we think... How nice, thoughtful, generous or great!

Think about the impact this could have on your clients, referral sources and colleagues. We naturally gravitate to kind people... nobody wants to hug a porcupine!

For those litigators that say... "but, I HAVE to be tough and aggressive." I say... not to the clerk you don't.

It's hard to be confrontational or grumpy when someone is being kind to you. Remember what our mothers taught is... "Kill them with kindness."

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Last week I talked about saying "NO" or "NEVER" and making a "STOP DOING LIST". This week I would like for you to ponder the thought of making a GAME CHANGING promise... "I will" or "I will never."

Seth Godin calls it "Delivering on Never". He suggests...

• I will never miss a deadline.
• I will never fail to warn you about a pitfall.
• I will never violate a confidence.
• I will never be late for a meeting.

Imagine the power in these statements. Now, some of you are breaking out in a cold sweat, I am sure. But think about it... YOU are in control of many aspects of your practice, and if you focused on making something happen YOU could do it... couldn't you?

A few years ago I had a client who manufactured kitchen cabinets for big projects and he came to me to help him re-brand his business. He wanted a new name that would sound more Italian.... "Everyone wants an Italian kitchen!" he said. I interviewed architects, developers and builders to find out that their biggest "pain point" was the continual delays they experience with the import of kitchens from Italy... and a disbursement of funds was tied to that stage of the building process. So I suggested he differentiate his business... by delivering "ON TIME EVERY TIME"... he DID break out into a cold sweat and said "I can't do that!" I asked...

"You own the factory, don't you?" "YES."

"You can get your raw goods from many suppliers, right?" "YES."

"You can run 3 shifts, can't you?" "YES."

"You can choose to take the order or not, can't you?" "YES."

"If you could deliver "ON TIME EVERY TIME" that would give you an edge over the Italian kitchens, wouldn't it?" YES."

He was very nervous but was encouraged when his entire organization rallied behind the commitment and came up with great ideas to fulfill on the promise. This commitment was truly a game changer.

What could YOUR commitment be? What do YOU have control over in order to deliver... or NEVER do? What could your entire organization rally behind? What do your clients really want and value? Think long and hard about these questions since the answers could truly be a game changer.

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Some of us "live and breath" by our TO DO lists. We would be lost and would find it hard to accomplish anything without them. I'm sure there are plenty of heads nodding yes... yes... yes! Even the most devoted list maker among us seldom thinks of a STOP DOING LIST.

Why don't we do it? Well, I think there are a few reasons...

• We don't want to admit that something we are doing is not working or serving us well.
• We are too caught up in the momentum of activity to stop and evaluate the effectiveness of what we are doing.
• And most importantly... it's a habit... and we find it too difficult to stop.

Does this all sound familiar? I'm sure it does. Those of us who are over-achievers seldom use the word NO or NEVER... because we see possibilities around every corner. So a STOP DOING LIST will take some effort... believe me I KNOW. (I had to put "create a STOP DOING LIST" on my TO DO list. Sick... I know!)

I read The Innovative Secrets of Steve Jobs, by Carmine Gallo and he talks about how Jobs says NO to 1000's of things. Why? In order to FOCUS on what is really important, with no distraction. Gallo writes about when Jobs was developing the iPod, and people were trying to convince him to create a mobile phone. By focusing on one at a time they made a smashing success of BOTH. And the iPhone leveraged the success of the iPod. In many cases the iPod was the first Apple product some people had ever used... the iPod opened the door to a huge market  that was eager to see what else Jobs had in store for them. FOCUS is the name of the game.

I talk to my clients a lot about narrowing their focus, here are a few things to consider... 

STOP trying to be ALL things to All people: If corporations could use your services... then which ones? Pharmaceuticals, Financial, Manufacturing, Distribution... you get the idea. You can't be meaningful to them all. Pick one!

STOP trying to meet EVERYONE in the room: If you hate to go to networking events, change your focus. Instead of trying to hand your card to everyone in the room, your goal should be to have a meaningful conversation with two people. And when you've accomplished that you can leave.

STOP over scheduling yourself: Allow ample time and BE ON TIME. Nothing speaks, professionalism as clearly as being prompt.

STOP multi-tasking: Be present no matter where you are. Put the BlackBerry down and be present in a meeting with a client, your boss, your staff or your family. They all deserve your undivided attention.

Figure out what you are doing that does not serve you well, so that you can focus on what really matters. What is YOUR equivalent to the iPod and iPhone... what can you focus  on in order to create leverage for your next endeavor?

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Some people wait to be invited, appointed, begged or cajoled into signing up for a project. They sit in the back of the room hoping they won't be called on... does it sound familiar?

What most people don't realize is there is far more to gain when you take responsibility for a project. Some people see this crystal clear. What sets them apart? Here are a couple of examples...

Last week I was working with a client in British Columbia, Canada, and it was so enjoyable that when I returned to Miami I had the feeling that I was coming home from vacation. Yes... VACATION! Why? Because I had the most fabulous time working with a team of TRULY engaged people. Lawyers AND staff, that volunteered to spearhead initiatives... a team that saw clearly that business development is EVERY ONE'S priority. NOBODY was sitting in the back of the room hoping they wouldn't be called on... they were contributing ideas that could move business development forward and create RAVING FANS of the clients they already have. How can you make this happen around you?

Hire like-minded people with positive attitudes... that see possibilities... not impossibilities.

Recognize that everyone from receptionist to top lawyer is equally as important to the success of your firm.

Care... yes care about what every team member has to contribute. That doesn't mean you have to act on every idea... as a colleague of mine says... everyone has to love every idea for 5 minutes. (This is a powerful concept, try it.)

At the other end of the spectrum is an individual lawyer that I coach and it just so happened that he was my first appointment when I returned from "VACATION" in Canada.

He is a young partner in a national firm who has made a commitment to business development and creating a focus for his practice like no one I have ever seen. In about a month here are some of the things he has accomplished...

Created a handout for this new focused practice... defining what it is and how it will help their existing clients. He also listed colleagues in other offices that have experience in the area.

Made a presentation to the partners of his firm in the local office, distributing the handout.

Revised his on-line bio to reflect this initiative.

Joined a committee of the ABA and has taken on a leadership role which he will undertake at an upcoming conference.

Requested and been granted a slot at the upcoming firm retreat to make a presentation.

His new blog is in the works and he has already written several blog posts.

Made a proposal for two speeches and will be contributing an article for the local Bar.

These are just a few of his accomplishments. Would you say this guy is committed? Absolutely! He could have come up with lots of reasons why this couldn't work... but no... he found all the reasons why it COULD work! He is making it happen in a big way.

What sets these people apart from others? It's passion and commitment, with a drive to succeed. And taking on responsibility to contribute to the greater good of the team. What do they get out of it? They will all learn much more by taking on the responsibility and gaining hands-on experience. THAT my friends is invaluable.

So... I ask... are you sitting in the back of the room hoping YOU won't get called on? Stand up and take on responsibility... it will pay dividends. I can hardly wait to see what these people will accomplish in a year's time... and I am honored to have the privilege to work with them.