The Uncomfortable Truth About Business Development
Written by Sam Abeysekera on August 27, 2021
Based on speaking with clients all over the world, I believe John F. Kennedy unconsciously described the biggest threat facing senior female lawyers around business development:
“Conformity is the jailer of freedom and the enemy of growth.”
Because there comes a time when conformity is not conducive to success. If you are a senior associate, partner, or founder, it becomes essential to carve out your own work.
In the world of experienced lawyers, I’m sure you’ve noticed that people fall into one of two categories.
Minders — these are lawyers who service other people's clients (“minding” clients). They make some client wins sometimes, but no wins most of the time.
Why? Because they spend too much time doing the work, being on-call 24/7, and generally feeling unfulfilled with their “success.”
Here's what happens in a cycle that worsens over time...
If you follow this strategy, you may be over-reliant on referrals that could dry up anytime and find hard to grow...
And if you don’t have a way to balance the power of other partners dumping work on you, you may get treated as a billing machine and not a human or just end up feeling unfulfilled.
Because many female partners and senior lawyers don’t want to become like the partners they see around them but also don’t see an alternative. So, the glass ceiling gets further away.
How do we change this?
Become a Finder. You spend time working ON your practice.
Finders — are people who know there is absolutely no point in getting stuck in the weeds unless you’re also planting the flowers you seek tomorrow.
Finders know that they’re not born with their skills. Instead, they learn tools and methods to grow their own practice reliably.
Here's how you can grow your book in a cycle that strengthens over time...
Below are some tactical tips to get started:
#1. Set aside time in your calendar, as you would for a client appointment, but for business development.
In the practice of law, it’s easy to get distracted by work. Many lawyers seek perfection in their work to such an extent it can be a distraction to things that matter...Don’t let your work be an excuse not to develop your future.
#2. Consider this question - what are you doing to promote and generate client consultations?
If you're not doing anything or not getting the results you seek, how can you change this rapidly? If you are, how many clients are you generating each week? The answers to these questions will help you decide whether it's time to re-evaluate your activities in this area.
#3. Set your goal - most likely, it will be a revenue-based goal to achieve in a time-bounded period, but it doesn’t have to be.
Goal-setting is a topic on its own but once you have your goal, work backward to today, breaking things down to what must happen to reach your goal - to the month, to the week, and to the day. Key performance indicators (KPIs) are essential so you can track progress with data, not emotion, and manage costs and protect margin like an investor - because you are an investor!
#4. If you are not hitting your KPIs, analyze the components of your client acquisition process and identify what needs to be fixed.
In any business, there is a continuous process of improvement and refinements to make. So once you get numbers that are outside of your KPIs, don't panic! Instead, we want to deeply analyze what's going on and troubleshoot, then test again and re-check the data. Repeat until you're in line.
#5. Remember, seeking help is a strength!
Many people stay stuck because they can't see what needs to change for themselves - they are just too deeply involved. At this point, I'd recommend seeking mentors or advice from people who are doing what you want to do.
Because sometimes, it's not that being "stuck" is the problem - it's staying in fear while being stuck that prevents learning and progress. Sometimes you just need people in your corner to help you achieve your breakthrough.
The uncomfortable truth it pays to do things differently because if you conform to what everyone else does, you will most certainly get the same flat results.
Instead, be bold and do things differently so things can BE different for YOU!
Sam Abeysekera
Sam is dedicated to empowering female partners and founders in the legal industry to break through barriers and redefine success. As the lawyer's advocate, she equips her clients with strategies to become seasoned rainmakers and thrive within the dynamics of law firm culture, all while maintaining balance and authenticity.
