In a nutshell, client development is about becoming visible and credible to your target market and then about building trust based relationships. If you want to start becoming more visible and credible and build relationships with clients focus on seven important points.

1. Client development is all about serving and caring for your clients, not about selling them.
2. You will not become visible and credible and build client relationships merely by being a highly skilled lawyer and doing quality work. Those qualities and efforts are a necessity, but they are only a starting point. Being a highly skilled lawyer is merely the price you pay to get in the game.
3. Client development is about what your clients need. Find ways to learn what they need and put the work you do in that context.
4. Strive to differentiate yourself from your competitors. Become known as the best at something and then be focused on your relationship building.
5. Identify problems and provide solutions to problems before the client realizes there is a problem.
6. Clients trust lawyers who are both competent and confident. Look and feel confident in yourself.
7. Strive to always exceed your clients’ expectations.