When you were a young lawyer in your firm, were you told not to worry about client development? If so, you are not alone. Many lawyers I meet were told not to worry about client development, only later to be judged on whether they had generated any new clients or expanded business with existing clients.
I was told not to worry about client development, but I quickly figured out that was bad advice.If you are a regular reader, you know that in 1978, I began my quest to build a practice representing highway and bridge construction contractors. I remember working hard and getting no results for the first two years.
I was reminded of my early experience a few days ago when I saw this Daniel Pink Blog post: This might be the best 11 minutes you’ll spend today and watched the 11 minute video about Caine’s Arcade. I have to confess, there were tears in my eyes. I was inspired by Caine and I think you will be also. You can watch from Daniel Pink’s blog or from the video link below. After watching the video, read Seth Godin’s blog: Lessons from Caine’s Arcade. Also, read the Forbes article: Three Economic Lessons Of Caine’s Arcade.
Four lessons for lawyers I see from Caine’s Arcade:
- Becoming visible and credible to your potential clients, takes time and sometimes some luck
- Be creative in making yourself valuable to clients
- Persist until you succeed
- One highly satisfied client will tell many other potential clients about you
I am sure there are more. Will you share lessons you see for lawyers?