Relationship Development

Subscribe to Relationship Development

In a digital age teeming with advice on LinkedIn utilization, it’s crucial to cut through the noise and focus on strategies that resonate with the demands of today’s professional landscape. Let’s rewind a bit and revisit the early days of LinkedIn, about 15 years ago. Back then, the platform was a fledgling concept, and its potential was not universally recognized, especially among legal circles. Fast forward to the present, and LinkedIn has evolved into one of the most esteemed social media platforms, not just for networking, but also for strategic business development.Continue Reading Mastering Modern LinkedIn: Strategies for Professional Success

This week, we’re bringing you a guest post from one of the ILN’s marketing professionals! Tiffany Mechkaroff, the Business Development and Marketing Manager at Kalus Kenny Intelex, Melbourne, Australia is bringing us a fun post on the evolution of law firm marketing. Take a look at how far we’ve come – and how quickly! Continue Reading From Yellow Pages to AI – the evolution of law firm marketing

Let’s face it – we’re still in the midst of a changing world, and the dynamics of networking have evolved considerably. However, amidst the changes, some principles remain unwavering. As we approach the start of another fall amid ongoing uncertainty, let’s delve into how networking strategies have adapted and what remains constant.Continue Reading Navigating Networking: Strategies for the Current Landscape

Immediately, I feel like I’ve lost all of our senior lawyers with this title, but please do bear with me – I know you know I sometimes like to write “touchy-feely” posts and frankly, they’re necessary in the legal industry. And these days, more than ever.

Why?

Well, vulnerability is an underestimated power. Leadership isn’t just about being in charge and making strategic decisions. It’s about cultivating a profound connection with your team, clients, and peers. And vulnerability is the key that unlocks the door to this meaningful connection.Continue Reading Embracing Vulnerability: The Heart of Authentic Leadership

I can just hear you now.

“Woooo, Lindsay. Have you left the legal market altogether? Storytelling? Audiences? I know you’ve talked about this before, but this isn’t ENGLISH class for pete’s sake. It’s THE LAW.”

Yes, you’re right, it IS the law, but storytelling remains essential, even when you’re solving legal issues. You may remember this post about the panel I spoke on in December. I am lucky enough to be reprising this session with another moderator and my co-panelists at the LMA’s Annual Conference in Hollywood, Florida, next month, and we’ve been really delving into this idea of why storytelling is so important.Continue Reading How to Harness the Power of Storytelling to Influence your Audience

I know, it’s summer and we’re trying to relax.

But just in case you find yourself at a networking event in the next few weeks (or plan to be at one this fall), there are a few key ways you can add value to your attendance in addition to your presence at the event. Of course, when you choose the right one, the networking alone provides a return on your investment.

But we’re often so eager for our actual attendance to equal business that we forget that as with any business development opportunity, it’s not one-and-done. In the dating game, while it might be possible for you to meet someone and marry them the same night, and find lasting happiness, it’s much more likely that you spend time getting to know each other before making a commitment. Your business relationships are much the same.
Continue Reading 3 Tips to Translate Networking into Business Opportunities

Summer is often a time that we naturally slow down – the weather is warmer, we feel lazier, more people are out on vacation and we may be out ourselves.

You may be expecting me to suggest a litany of ways you can supercharge the time you have in the office or on your vacation to make the most of it, but I’m not going to do either of those things. First, I’m going to tell you – if you’re taking time away from the office this summer, take it. Delegate your workload as best as you can except for TRUE EMERGENCIES (and be honest with yourself about what those are) and don’t check your emails. Try turning your work email off your phone for the period that you’ll be out of the office. It sounds anxiety-producing, but I promise you that once you do it, it’s really quite freeing. If it feels like you’re neglecting your work, the truth is that we’re all better humans AND better at our jobs when we take a genuine break from our work and come back to it refreshed. Your clients want that for you too.
Continue Reading Five Tips to Turn Hot Summer Days into Hot Fall Ideas

Raise your hand if you hate the word “authenticity.”

It’s right up there with some of the other most hated buzzwords and phrases – “at the end of the day,” “thinking outside of the box,” “synergy,” “value add,” “circle back,” “bandwidth.”

Are you cringing yet?

But even though the word “authenticity” might make your skin crawl, it’s actually a pretty important concept – it’s a buzzword for a reason. And actually, I don’t hate it, but I know a lot of people who do! 

One of the most often shared tips for networking is that being authentic is key – whether you’re networking in person or virtually.
Continue Reading Authenticity: It’s a Buzzword, but Also the Key to Successful Networking

Now. Before you freak out and imagine that I’m suggesting that you become either a bard or a liar, just bear with me for a little bit to understand what I mean by “storytelling.” (Hopefully, you’ve also read last week’s post as well.)

Daily, we interact with lots of people – this happens in person, at our offices, in the coffee shop, at our kids’ sporting events, or in art classes. It happens online, through our group chats, text messages with friends, Facebook shares, LinkedIn comments, etc. We interact so much and so frequently, that we’ve reached a real saturation point with these interactions, and even with our professional messages, we can see a lack of care that a lot of us are giving to the details over the tools and the shiny new thing. Instead, we’re just blindly producing more and more and more and more, adding more noise (as Adrian Lurssen would say).
Continue Reading Lawyers: Develop Business with Storytelling

The short answer? Both!

After two-plus years of being limited to almost entirely virtual meetings, we’ve learned that there are huge benefits to doing things online. But many people were also chomping at the bit to get back to seeing each other in the flesh. So that begs the question – which is better? It turns out that we need both and for different reasons. So while you may be tempted to toss your ring light forever in favor of jumping back onto planes…not so fast. Let’s look at the pros of both types of meetings and see why you need to keep them all in your diary.
Continue Reading The Battle of the Meetings: Virtual vs. In-Person – Which is Better?