Whether you think you have time to do business development or not, it boils down to one thing, and that is it takes marketing and business development to grow your practice.
I know I might be making it sound too simple, but it can be.
I also understand that when you are busy, it can be very challenging. You have a lot to juggle.
If you would also like to listen to my 2-minute, 46-second episode of Legal Marketing Moments where this blog post originated, you can either click the green play button below or click here if you are reading this via email. If you prefer to read this via blog post, I have rewritten and expanded upon the podcast as a blog post below for you. If that’s you, keep scrolling.
Simple Acts of Marketing and Business Development
It doesn’t take long to engage in effective business development that can grow your relationships with those you need or want to get to know better. It can be acts as simple as:
- Touching base with past clients to say hello and see how everything is going
- Making a comment on a potential client’s post on LinkedIn
- Calling others you need and want to get to know better
Based on your comfort level, and even if they are a bit out of your comfort level, it can be any number of things. You know what those are, and if you don’t, let me know because we can work on those. I can make what feels complex very simple for you.
Let’s talk about the times when you say to yourself or you say to me,
- “I don’t have time for that.”
- “I don’t have time for marketing and business development.”
- “I have clients to take care of.”
- “I don’t know where to start.”
- “I’m not sure what my connections will find interesting.”
These thoughts often lead to backing away or never even starting to do those things that you need to do to build your reputation, your relationships, and your practice.
What If We Reframe Those Concerns Just A Little?
I’m going to ask you to reframe those statements in the bullet points above just a little bit and to think of yourself as the lawyer who takes time to do marketing and business development. There’s the old adage, we take time for the things that we enjoy, which is really true.
I know because I’ve done the same thing. If it’s more fun for me to watch a video tutorial to learn something that will help me stay on top of what I do for a living, I will sometimes do that before I have something else to do that must be done to help grow my business. I know those two things sound very similar, which they are, but one is often much more important than the other.
When I catch myself doing that, I still know that it gets down to the fact that if you and I make time, even if that’s five minutes, or regularly use those “in-between moments” that you may have heard me talk about, we will definitely contribute to the growth of our practices. These small acts add up quickly and will make a huge difference in the long run.
I Am The Lawyer Who Takes Time
So, when you are thinking to yourself or saying to someone else,
“I don’t have time for that,”
try to reframe it and say,
“I am a lawyer who takes time for marketing and business development.”
You Get To Decide
You decide what that timeframe is. It can be half an hour every other day, or maybe just ten minutes every day. We can all find ten minutes every day to do something that contributes to the growth of our practice and our business, can’t we?
Remember
Remember, tell yourself that you are a lawyer who takes time for marketing and business development and will do those things that contribute to the growth of your practice.
