I’m going to suggest a theory – that there are many lawyers out there who hear the phrase “content marketing” and assume that it’s either absolute nonsense (raise your hand) or more of that marketing hooey (and therefore secretly nonsense, or at the very least, not something you’re supposed to be involved in – raise your hand).
Am I right?
Continue Reading Wait…Content Marketing Can Get Me…Clients??
How do you know if someone has run a marathon?
Don’t worry – they’ll tell you!
(Or so the joke goes)
Continue Reading What’s YOUR Personal Best?
A few years ago, I was asked the question, “What is relationship marketing, and where do you start when you want to build your business?”
Since we’re in a relationship business [spoiler alert], I’d hope that most lawyers reading this would be comfortable with the idea of engaging in relationship marketing, and how to translate that into business for your practice. But in case you’re not (or in case you want to put a more formal name to something you’re already doing in your practice), let’s talk about what it is, and how to use it.
Continue Reading Why Should Lawyers Care About Relationship Marketing?
“I just can’t do one more online meeting. “
“You can’t get business that way.”
“My clients need me more.”
Have you ever said, or thought, any of these things about a virtual event or while involved in a conference organization during the pandemic? It’s not the first time I’ve heard them, which is why they merit a mention here.
When you say these things out loud or to yourself, it’s likely that your first reaction is that you’re fed up, the organization is faulty, or you’ll just hang on until things get back to “normal.” But consider for just a moment that maybe the networking barrier in these scenarios is actually you.
Continue Reading How Zoom Fatigue May Be Blocking Your Relationship Development Efforts (And How to Fix It)
If you’ve been following along here at Zen for any length of time (or even just the last few weeks), then you’ll know that I love September and the promise of a fresh start that it brings (also because the fall is my favorite season).
A LOT of us have been feeling bogged down lately – by the pandemic, endless Zoom calls, heat and humidity, worldwide unrest, the list goes on. There is a lot that we CAN’T control. But there are some things we can control – for one, our attitudes and our ability to reach out and help someone else.
Continue Reading Fresh New Ideas for September That We Love (And You Will Too!)
Raise your hand if you’re burned out, frustrated, tired, over it.
I’m guessing that’s pretty much everyone, right?
What I’ve been hearing from all of my lawyers is that they just have time for their clients, and that’s about it. They’re not really able to find the energy to build new business. I get it.
Continue Reading Hot Tip for Refreshing Your Networking This Month
If you have zoom fatigue, raise your hand.
My guess is that everyone has their hand raised. I know I do. Everyone is fed up with taking meetings on their screens, and so when something is voluntary, you’re going to opt out of it. I get it.
But what are you building if you don’t show up?
Continue Reading What are you Building if you Don’t Show up?
There’s no quick fix for relationship development. But there ARE some quick things you can do today to advance either the first step in your relationship with someone or the next step. When you think of networking and relationship building as a series of smaller actions that you can take to help weave the fabric of stronger relationships, it stops feeling so overwhelming and starts feeling like something you can build into your everyday schedule. So whether you’ve got five minutes or an hour, you can strengthen your network today:
Continue Reading 5 Quick Tips to Build Better Business Relationships
As a lawyer, in addition to the network of clients and potential clients that you’ve built, you’ve also built a network of referral sources. This may be formal or informal (or more likely, both). One of the most overlooked opportunities for further developing your relationships with these sources of referrals is content – not only does it help you to get to know these sources better, but it also provides you with collateral that you can use with your primary client/potential client networks.
Continue Reading 3 Ways to Use Content to Create Relationships with Your Referral Network
I’ll tell you a secret – the pandemic may not be over, but you can still be networking. Even when networking is primarily done in a virtual way, the substance of it has not changed; only the platform.
So what does that mean when it comes to networking?
Continue Reading 7 of My Favorite Networking Tips – Yes, Even in a Pandemic