My friend Charlie Miller has frequently contributed ideas in blog posts here. Charlie and I try to get together regularly just to brainstorm what is going on in the legal profession and what lawyers might do about it.

A few months ago we spent Saturday together along with Dave Seitter from Spencer Fane’s Kansas City office. When we finished our time together Charlie shared this thought:

How do you provide the “intangible value-add” to clients and prospective clients? Examples are below:

• Connecting people in your network who do not know each other and may benefit from knowing each other. This is the easiest. Inviting them to an event where they have an opportunity to meet; virtual email introductions; lunches where you invite two people in your network who don’t know each other, etc.
• Keeping clients and prospective clients aware of “potential future pain points” (to use Dave’s phrase). Google alerts is great for this!
• Helping key supporters find upward career opportunities.
• Letting clients and potential clients know about potential business opportunities (who is doing well in their space and who is struggling).