A lawyer once told me he was trying to develop business, but nothing was working. What are the potential reasons a young energetic lawyer is not finding success?  Here are 10 potential reasons:

  1. You just do good work. You bought into the notion that all you have to do is good work, get a Martindale AV rating, get to know lots of people and wait for the phone to ring.
  2. You have no plan. You have no plan so you waste time on random lunches or on activities that will not bring in business.
  3. You fail to execute. You use the excuse that you are too busy with billable work. Successful busy lawyers make time for client development.
  4. You try to sell. You use the same selling techniques that have not worked when financial advisors or insurance salesmen have tried to sell you.
  5. You are not focused. You spend as much time on things that don’t matter as things that will result in attracting and retaining valuable clients.
  6. You do not focus on clients. You are focused on what you do rather than on understanding your clients’ industry, company and client representative needs.
  7. You are not visible. You are not writing, speaking, active in the bar or community. So, even though you are a great lawyer, very few people know who you are.
  8. You stay in your comfort zone. You are too content with where you are and what you are doing rather than striving to get better and get comfortable outside your comfort zone.
  9. You are not a team player. You work by yourself while other firms have a team working to serve the client.
  10. You are not providing extraordinary service. You are doing good work, but your client is not satisfied with the level of service you are providing. You have not taken time to figure out what your client values.