An associate I coached several years ago asked me:

What gave you the biggest return for the least amount of time?

That’s a great question and my answer was easy. I wrote a monthly column for Roads and Bridges magazine for 24 years. The column was one page, about 675 words. The magazine was read by most everyone in the highway and bridge construction industry.

I spent more time figuring out the topic than writing the article. I think I might have spent on average two hours a month on the column.

My answer best fit my industry based practice during the time I practiced law. In 2020, hopefully coming out of the worst economic downturn in our lifetime, what is your best use of client development time?

Figuring out the answer may be more important now than ever before. You need to know your strengths, your clients, your law practice, and what you can do that will be most valuable to your potential clients and referral sources in the year of the coronavirus and going forward.