Making It Rain

I thought I’d share with you the recently published  article in The National by Allison Wolf and Joan Paul.  The following is a reprint of the article that appeared in the Canadian Bar Association magazine in December, 2007. 

Making it rain

Women lawyers have unique talents that serve them and their firms well

in the increasingly competitive field of rainmaking.

By Joan Paul and Allison Wolf

Décembre 2007 www.cba.org 43

ROBERT JOHANNSEN

What’s New In…

Recent reports have made clear that women

lawyers still face many challenges in the

traditional law firm. But these lawyers are

also slowly changing how firms market

themselves to clients, coming together to

explore how to develop business in a manner that plays

to their special strengths and creates a different market

dynamic. Here are just some of the unique ways in which

women are revolutionizing lawyer marketing.

The art of conversation

One of women’s special strengths is conversation, a skill

that lawyers simply must possess in order to succeed.

“Marketing (and selling) begin to work,” law practice

management guru David Maister recently wrote, “when

a conversation moves away from being a role-to-role

exchange of capabilities, contracts, and costs, and

becomes a person-to-person interactive dialogue about

ideas, beliefs, and perspectives.”

Patricia McLaren, Regional Manager of Client

Development with Osler, Hoskin & Harcourt LLP in

Calgary, remarks that the women in her firm known for

their rainmaking ability possess both standout professional

credentials and strong personal connections with

their clients and colleagues. They are gifted at using skillful

dialogue to connect with clients or team up with colleagues

in developing a practice.

“Women are great listeners,” adds Adam Pekarsky,

Director of Professional Development and Recruitment

at Fraser Milner Casgrain LLP in Edmonton. Women

can use their listening skills to find a common point of

interest with clients, he says, because they enjoy engaging

in a broad spectrum of topics and connecting personally,

whereas men tend to focus more on specific topics

that don’t easily provide common points of interest.

Emotionally intelligent

Jessica Green, counsel at Petro-Canada in Calgary, emphasizes

that while expertise and reputation are critical,

clients also value the emotional aspects of their relationships

with the firm. In Green’s experience, “the best rainmakers

I know have extremely high EQs [Emotional

Intelligence Quotients], are responsive, and don’t take

their clients for granted.”

Emotional intelligence is very much a buzz phrase

among psychologists and coaches. Lawyers with high

EQs can perceive and harness emotions for solving problems

and other tasks, as well as for understanding their

clients’ and their own emotions

accurately.

While not everyone has

high EQ, lawyers can

access coaches who specialize

in the area to improve

these skills. For example, a

lawyer might score high on

intrapersonal skills such as emotional self-awareness,

assertiveness and independence, while posting lower

scores in stress management or adaptability. Understanding

your own emotional resources helps you relate

more effectively with clients.

The big event

Female clients are growing, especially among the ranks

of corporate counsel, so it makes sense to develop marketing

events targeted specially to their needs and interests.

Marketing events can be about more than schmoozing

— they can enable the establishment of personal connections

and trust.

When planning events for women, it’s important to

remember the extreme time challenges under which many professional

women operate. Work-life balance might now be an

issue for both genders, but women are still the ones who wind

up with the bulk of child care.

In the September 2007 issue of Harvard Business Review,

authors Alice Heagly and Linda Carli shared the surprising

news that even with men helping more in the home, women

are putting in more parenting hours now than they were in

1965.With more on their plates than ever, events for busy professional

women must provide both an entertaining escape

from the work week and time-saving benefits.

Reeva Finkel, partner and chair of marketing at Blaney

McMurtry LLP in Toronto, came up with a way of achieving

both these objectives. Blaney’s launched an annual fashion

show event, which has been a huge hit with the firm’s female

clients. After being held each year in Blaney McMurtry’s main

reception area, the event grew so popular that it had to be

moved to a larger venue.

Combining fashion, shopping, and networking, Finkel

hit the target with Blaney’s fashion show event. While hockey

tickets and golf days still have their place, and perhaps

always will, a broader spectrum of marketing events is a

refreshing change for clients of both genders. One might

consider cooking classes or golf days combined with lessons

as alternatives.

Professional networks

Increasingly, women are taking active roles in organizations

such as the Professional Women’s Network in Vancouver and

the CBA’s Women Lawyers’ Forum to connect with other

women lawyers and professionals. These groups are becoming

a more important venue for women lawyers to build up referral

networks and make contact with potential clients.

Young associates like Melanie McDonald of Fraser

Milner Casgrain in Calgary welcome relationships with more

senior female partners, who can make a big difference in the

career of an up-and-coming lawyer. But not everyone works

in a firm with a large percentage of female partners like

Fraser Milner.

Regrettably, the small percentage of female partners isn’t

consistent with the growing number of women associates, and

this makes it difficult to learn business development from

female role models. When mentoring isn’t available to a young

lawyer, these professional associations can provide a valuable

alternative.

Keys to success

With the growing number of women lawyers, why aren’t

more known for their role in the rainmaking game? Lack of

time could be a culprit. All lawyers are busy, but women

lawyers who enter motherhood are often unable to involve

themselves in the social networks that are crucial to rainmaking

and advancing in their firms.

One way to overcome the time challenge is to become

more methodical and direct about marketing. Finkel, when a

mother with young children, adopted a strategy early: she

began taking a few minutes on Sunday afternoons to make a

to-do list of business development activities for the coming

week. Then, on Monday mornings, she worked quickly to

check them off her list, or scheduled them into her calendar for

later in the week.

Finkel has carried out this habit for the past ten years, and

has seen it contribute to her success as a rainmaker. While todo

lists alone won’t make the rainmaker, the discipline of planning

is a vital component to distinguishing oneself as a successful

marketer.

Another business development challenge is closing the

deal. Some lawyers report that because they develop such

strong relationships with clients, they find it difficult to ask

for their business. It’s important to keep in mind that clients

are also business-minded. They expect their lawyers to ask for

their business. If you don’t ask, you don’t get. It can be as

simple as that.

Rainmaking is the key to success in any business, and it

took great rainmakers to build today’s successful law firms.

The reality is that women are now, more than ever, positioned

to play a key role in this evolving world of the law firm, and

are in the process of making it rain. N

Joan Paul is a Certified Executive Coach and Owner of J. Paul Training Inc., in Calgary.

AllisonWolf is a Certified Executive Coach, author of “The Lawyer Coach” blog, and founder

of Shift Works Strategic Inc. a business coaching and consulting firm based in Vancouver.

Selling Skills for Contemporary Professionals

Matthew logs onto his laptop at 8 p.m. Sunday evening as he starts preparing for Week number three as a new sales representative at a well known high tech company.  He is preparing for a meeting with a large pharmaceutical client and wants to retrieve some of his previous notes in order to prepare himself.  Earlier the same day, Linda, a consultant in a small professional services firm, a solid relationship builder and rainmaker for years, logs onto the same program to try a new way of writing proposals.   This is how traditional sales training and for that matter, all learning and development is reinventing itself.  No longer three days in a classroom with the same old role plays, learning the same skills with the same people. 

Matthew and Linda now have the privilege of learning what and when they want to simply by logging on at any time of day, wherever they left off, to a content rich, interactive and contemporary sales training program.  Not only that, but they have immediate access to an online tutor who checks in with them regularly, looks at their assignments and dialogues with them at all times of the day.  This is just one of the many ways training and development is beginning to catch up to today’s business environment, where young, savvy professionals are coming onboard prepared to learn at their own pace.  Couple this unique online training with more exciting classroom learning as well as one on one coaching and watch out. 

Companies can now achieve and measure considerable results from training investments.  Imagine dusty binders asleep on employees’ bookshelves becoming laptops dancing on and off at their owners’ leisure, at work, at home or at the local coffee shop. To capture and sustain the attention of today’s professionals, speakers and facilitators are forced to notch up the excitement.  Generation Y, accustomed to immediate and fast paced applied learning, and those of us who aren’t so new but definitely weary of the same old seminars, are looking for ways to learn and be engaged every day and not just once a year on a two day leave from the job.  I’ve heard of motivational speakers who do magic tricks to get their point across, and facilitated workshops where actors play the role of clients. 

Last year I became intrigued by a sales management system developed in the United Kingdom that includes two board games, one on prospecting, lead generation and account planning, and another entirely focused on consultative selling skills.  What a great way to integrate teambuilding, and customized learning to immediate situations, not to mention taking the pressure off sales managers to excel as sales coaches.  It’s great to see what happens when participants get to compete in a game where they learn and have fun – a welcome change for the “regulars” and great insight into accommodating entrants into the workforce.   

If you are responsible for the development of others, or yourself for that matter, here’s what you can do to liven up the learning and distinguish yourself in a workforce competing for high quality talent. 

Ø      Introduce highly interactive, experiential learning into traditional workshops.  Provide real case studies, simulations and hands on problem solving activities where learning can be applied immediately on the job.   

Ø      Invite your clients to participate in the training or lead a Question and Answer session.  There is really no one better to tell you what you need to learn than your clients.  What a great way to demonstrate how much you value their opinions as well. 

Ø      Find innovative training games, like The Sales Activator® to make learning fun, ongoing and relevant.   

Ø      Utilize highly evolved online learning such as WinWin Selling® to either replace or supplement traditional training environments. 

Ø      For goodness sake, do ensure any type of training you invest in, is followed by professional coaching and other developmental activities.  Without coaching, what people learn in session drops significantly as soon as they leave the classroom.   

Ø      Above all, remember “innovation” is a word worth remembering.  I once worked for a Vice President of a very large company who said he came to work every day thinking , “If I was the new person replacing myself in this job, what might I do differently?”

     

Cooling Off and Heating Up

As the summer air cools to an autumn breeze, the lazy days of cottaging and backyard socializing are coming to an abrupt end.   It can be a tough adjustment when work starts to heat up again, projects seem to fall from the sky, and all your colleagues are back in the office all at once.  

Tips for easing into this faintly reminiscent pace:

1.  Organize your work space and get rid of old files and papers that are cluttering your desk and your brain.

2.  Renew your time management mantra.  Get out the calendar and book off blocks of time for planning, setting goals and laying the groundwork for new or renewed projects.  Teams get ready to reunite and re-establish mutual objectives after the rotating absence of team members over the summer months.

3. Remember the “idea” file you were working on?  Find it and renew your vows!  Here’s a few that were on my list that may interest you:

    *  Look into online networking, which is apparently going mainstream.

    *  Write and market Ebooks.

    *  Share your Ezine articles with your clients and colleagues.

    *  Get back on the speaking circuit.

    *  Attend a free webinar on a topic that’s been on your “to do” list for way too long.

   *  Change your work environment – move the furniture or add a plant.  Just be careful and get some help or like me you may be feeling a bit creaky the next day.

Most of all.  Welcome Back. 

  

Running Out of Steam For Kicking Up Your Heels During Stampede Week?

For those who make it about half way through the week and realize they are one party over their Stampede limit and want to take advantage of the time to do something productive at work, here are a few things I learned over the years:

1.  It’s a great time to dig in and get the big pile of “to do’s” on your list OUT OF THE WAY forever!

2.  I like to spend the week in creative mode – planning, preparing, creating ideas for new articles, workshops, and innovations to the business.

3.  Revisit your Marketing Plan and take a hard look at the reality of your progress this year.  How are you doing pushing that flywheel uphill?  Is it moving inch by inch or are you stalled somewhere along the way?  Are you doing so well you haven’t had time to catch your breath and revisit your focus?

4.  Look through your “IDEA” file and implement one new idea during the week.  You do have an “IDEA” file, don’t you? 

5.  Set up a filing system for issues and trends that are relevant to your clients, customers, and your own industry.  This will be really useful to you in keeping up with what’s important to your network and being able to provide meaningul insights and information when appropriate.

6.  Think about your pricing model.  If you work for a corporation or a professional services firm, is there room for innovation here to increase profitability?  If you are a sole proprietor or small business owner, what have you done to take yourself out of the hourly fee based pricing model to a project based model?

7.  Above all, relax and enjoy the week – there’s no law that says you have to party without coming up for air, during Stampede week.  Even my young adult sons take short breathers (and I mean short) once or twice during the week!

Do you have what it takes to excel?

I was reading an article in The Globe and Mail the other day by Harvey Schacter.  He was reviewing the new book called How To Hepburn by author Karen Karbo, who apparently observes Hepburn with a twist, i.e. from the career point of view.   The attributes that Karbo claims skyrocketed Hepburn to fame and fortune truly reminded me of my own clients and their leadership and entrepreneurial situations.  What are the award winning “success” attributes?

1.  Persistence:  How many people do you know who have had success in their careers who haven’t had to slog through some pretty difficult times?  Sales statistics that I’ve seen suggest that you have to contact someone at least 8 times before you are likely to get their attention.   Don’t give up too quickly.  I’ve often been told by clients that my own persistence is what got me in the door.  In fact, one of my clients told others in the professional services firm that I was working with that if I hadn’t been in his face all the time, he may never have paid attention to training and development as a serious part of his overall strategy for the firm.   It’s also important to be persistent about achieving excellence at what you do.  If you aren’t being promoted or chosen for choice projects, find out why not and do everything you can to learn more and distinguish yourself.

2.  Brashness:  OK, not everyone’s going to try to buy someone out of their marriage so you can take their place as Hepburn apparently attempted to do, but some of us are sure going to push the envelope when it comes to stating what it is that we bring to the table and why we’re the right ones to select for that leadership position, sales management role, partnership in the firm or preferred supplier.  Don’t be shy about talking up the results you bring to the table and be prepared to provide relevant examples.   

3.  Originality:  What sets you apart from everyone you’re competing with for the same position?  Why does your originality make a difference to the client? your company?  your colleagues?  It’s all about getting the right attention and being known for something you do extremely well or that is completely original.  Blair Cosgrove, media relations and communications expert from The Message Parlour (blair@themessageparlour.com) says “the slogan of so many is a variation on “we do whatever it takes to make you happy.”  “This doesn’t differentiate you because you’re saying, in effect, that you have no unique attributes.  Focus your messaging on just one thing that’s unique – whether it’s your low (or high) price, the quality of your product, your warranty or the return on investment the customer can expect.  Promote that message obsessively and you’ll carve out a valuable niche in the minds of customers.” 

4.  Be yourself.  Maximize your strengths, and surround yourself by those who can take care of the stuff you aren’t so good at.  Brand who you are and pay attention to who and what you attract.  Perhaps the target market you set your sights on isn’t the one that wants you.   You may need to change your strategy or learn how to attract the market you want.

5. Work smart and work hard.  I just got off the phone with a client who was describing to me what made his salesperson excel when he’d been through three previous ones that clearly didn’t.  A large part of it was spending the time to build the relationships and doing the one extra thing each day that makes a difference.  The same holds true in leadership positions and entrepreneurial situations.  Push yourself just as you might in the gym.  Increase your weights regularly, go an extra 1/2 mile in your job, do a few more sit ups.  Get results.  Reminds me of a VP International who I once worked with.  He said, after many years in the same job, he still went into the office everyday thinking about what his replacement would do as the new VP, and he operated as though he was that new person. 

Attracting, Retaining, and Engaging Workforce Talent

Yesterday I attended a most interesting Webinar put on by the Concours group on Talent Management.  I learned a few new things that I shared with my newsletter recipients, but mostly I started to really think about the role of my contemporaries in the workforce and how we can influence a new generation of workers. 

In my work as an Executive Coach, I meet many people who are rethinking their careers for all the reasons the reseach suggests.  A more balanced lifestyle, easing out of the corporate world, finding new energy and interests, and being in charge of their own destinies.  Many of us will live really long lives.  Do we really want to be retired for 30+ years?  Those are the questions that are leading many of my contemporaries and coachees to reinvent themselves.  I see people going back to school to learn practical new skills and flesh out their current expertise.  I see people leaving their corporate positions to start their own businesses.  I see young people in organizations and professional service firms thinking about how to capitalize on their opportunities within their organization as their mentors retire.  

What I wonder about is how my generation can actively contribute to sustaining a thriving economy and workforce.  What is the role that as individuals we can play?  I’d love to hear your thoughts and so would my readers.  Please feel free to comment.  In the meanwhile, here’s what the Concours Group proposes in their webinar on attracting, retaining and engaging talent for organizations:

1.  Retire “retirement.

2.  Create bell-shaped career paths.

3.  Design cyclic work.

4.  Create a new definition of full-time.

5.  Recruit at multiple entry points.

6.  Invest in Development.

7.  Offer lateral career opportunities.

8.  Engage hearts and minds.

Where you can find additional information:

“Workforce Crisis, How to Beat the Shortage of Skills and Talent,” Ken Dychtwald, Tamara Erickson, Robert Morison

Writer’s Block When Designing Training

As I sit here at my desk preparing to design curriculum for a client whose project I am totally excited about, I am distracted by the question of “writer’s block.”  What is it that propels us forward to actually start the design process, to put words to paper, to get our creative juices going?  Today is the perfect day for it.  I’m an entrepreneur; it’s a holiday; AND it’s pouring rain.  What could be better for this kind of work?  I have ideas, I have a structure in mind, and I always deliver a quality product on time.  So what’s the catch?  I have a hunch:

 1.  No immediate deadline.  Do I actually fall into this category?  Do I need the dreaded deadline to be creative?  Rule #1:  Establish your own deadline if your client (internal or external) hasn’t specified one.  Isn’t this what we coach others to do?

2.  Lack of clarity.  Last night I dreamt that I couldn’t produce an assignment because the instructions were too vague for me.  I guess that’s a sign.  If you are feeling that things are unclear, they probably are.  Rule #2:  Talk to your client.  Don’t scrimp on the time required to get clear!

3.  There’s too much candy in the store.  If you are like me, you block off days or hours to work on specific projects.  Then the phone rings, the email comes in, one of your colleagues or employees needs you, the computer goes down, the sun shines.  There’s so much to distract us from our work.  Rule #3:  Unplug the phone.  Detach from your blackberry, computer and people.  Shut yourself in and surround yourself with all the things you need, and just FOCUS.  Remind yourself that the opportunities will wait a few hours and the world won’t fall apart without your input either.  Set milestone objectives and reward yourself each time you achieve one.

 So now that I’ve had this talk with myself, I’m going back to my project.  I am reclaiming the next two hours for this wonderful client that deserves my undivided attention.  I’ll keep you posted on my progress and good luck with yours. 

What Makes a Great Guest (or Coach, or Sales Professional or ….) – Inspired by Larry King

Who would expect that watching a fifty year celebration for Larry King would get me thinking about the attributes of great coaches, sales professionals, clients, consultants, you name it.   The other night while watching Larry being interviewed by Katie Couric, Katie asked Larry what makes a great guest.  His response got me thinking.  Larry said they have PASSION; they are able to clearly ARTICULATE what they do; they have a CHIP ON THEIR SHOULDER and they have a SENSE OF HUMOUR.   Larry named a few examples and I started to think about all his guests and who was the most engaging of them.  True enough.  They were all passionate about something, clear and easy to listen to, funny and edgy all at once.  This really struck a chord with me.  I know that all the named attributes are highly valued in coaching relationships for example.  Your coach should exude passion and commitment where your success as a client is concerned.  Your coach should help you achieve laser like clarity and demonstrate laser like clariety as well; your coach should be slightly edgy and by that I mean having the gumption to call it like it is; and your coach should be able to laugh with you and not take themselves too seriously.  You know when I think of Larry’s description of the great guest, it seems so simple and somehow it’s such a gem.  Thanks for sharing Larry.  And Congrats!

Why Learning About Selling May Be the Best Thing You Ever Do!

As I prepare to facilitate a sales leadership session for the Canadian Professional Sales Association along with alliance partner, Les Kennedy of Loyalty Edge, whose program this is, I am reminded of the years I spent in the field and the years I am currently spending working with those who are in the process of engaging in either their own business development or encouraging the business development of their team members.  I am always reminded how fortunate I was to have landed in the profession of selling so many years ago, when I was hired by Xerox Canada.  It was because of that one decision on their part and mine that I learned and acquired skills that have served me very well in everything I have done in my career and personal  life for many years now.  In this latest stage of my career, I have incorporated all of that learning and experience into my new practice as an Executive Coach.  Sometimes we can’t envision how all the pieces will come together – it’s just enough to know that they will. 

I find my clients, whoever or wherever they may be, often struggle with issues of business development.  Whether entrepreneurs who love what they do but don’t know how to sell, or corporate leaders who are in positions where influence and internal selling are critical, or lawyers, accountants and consultants, who never expected to have to sell themselves or build their own practices, the issues are very similar.  They include things like,

“I’m not a salesperson.  I’m a _______(lawyer, accountant, cabinet maker, dress designer, HR Advisor, etc.)  I wasn’t trained to sell and I don’t want to sell – damn it!”

“I thought if I joined a consulting company, the clients would be provided and I’d be able to do what I love to do – deliver services.”

“I never expected that working inside this corporation at this level that I’d be spending a great deal of my time persuading, educating, convincing others of what I know is the right strategy to take.”

“I have no idea how to build my own practice in this particular area.  I’m currently focused on learning and doing the work given to me, but I know partnership includes getting known in this area and that doesn’t just happen.”

So as I work with many of you to establish yourselves as great leaders and professionals, I am feeling really encouraged to know that the first step to excellence has been taken, and that is MINDSET.  The first thing professionals must do in order to develop business with external or internal clients, is to understand how vital the skills of “selling,” – YES, SELLING really are to any business, professional or individual.  So, you can call it business development, practice development, marketing, building relationships, whatever you like.  The bottom line is that if you accept that you need to get intentional about learning the highly professional skills of selling, you will EXCEL!  Good luck.  Joan

Breathing Through Feast and Famine

Often people ask me how I coach entrepreneurs about the feast and famine phenomenon of being in business.  A while ago I dealt with this topic by writing an article, published in Mompreneur Magazine.   I wrote it from the perspective of just about anyone in business for themselves, whether a startup or having many successful years at it.

“This morning when I opened my calendar, everything looked different.  Surely someone’s been playing with my computer.   I could swear I had appointments booked and paying clients taking every available spot for the next two months.  I must be having a bad dream.  Pinch myself.  Nope.  It’s true – I’ve hit the dreaded dry spell!

Entrepreneurs talk about it all the time as part of the game, but being in it is an entirely different thing.  If you are like most business owners, you haven’t yet managed to balance the feast and famine phenomenon.  The question is, “What do you do when the famine hits?”

First of all, BREATH!!!  Preferably without hyperventilating.  Don’t panic.  Don’t throw in the towel.  Don’t check the employment ads.  Do remind yourself why you started your business.  Do remind yourself of all the successes you’ve enjoyed and will once again enjoy.  Do remind yourself if you are just starting up, that it takes time to build an active business.  Do park your negative self-talk and replace it with positive affirmations, like “Today I am one step closer to experiencing the wild success that I’ve dreamed about!”

When things are looking a bit slow, do the following:

-Go to your database and call all the people you’ve been meaning to stay in touch with.  Arrange to meet and exchange ideas or just have a coffee and find out how you can help them with their objectives.

-Apply a referral selling process.  In No More Cold Calling™, The Breakthrough System That Will Leave Your Competition in the Dust, Joanne Black puts forward a practical approach to building your business through referrals.  This simple system can propel your business through the roof without wasting business development time.

-Attend to the business planning that you may have been procrastinating about.  Revisit your business and marketing plans.  It will likely re-energize you.

-Find a coach. Whether hired or a business buddy, it’s very helpful to have a thinking partner, someone to share with and encourage you to keep your eye on preparing for the next delectable feast.

-Learn something new.  Take the opportunity to read the last business book you bought and put on your nightstand or attend a training program that’s been on your to do list.

Most of all, remember dry spells are temporary and keeping perspective is critical to your success.  The objective is clearly to have fewer dry spells and more feasts.  However, dry spells are inevitable for most entrepreneurs.  If you find you are stuck in dry spell, do get some guidance from someone who can provide insight for you and be prepared to explore difficult possibilities.  As Jim Collins says in “Good to Great,” Confront the brutal facts, yet never lose faith.”

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