How Focusing on Small, Consistent Activities Can Generate Big Opportunities

I saw a version of this poster on LinkedIn a few months ago and it immediately resonated with me. I suspect many of my legal marketing colleagues would feel the same.

I often hear from lawyers that it’s difficult for them to find the time for marketing and business development and that they don’t know where to start. My response is almost always the same – start small, keep it simple, and focus on your strengths.

START SMALL

Or in other words, figure out what you can do in 0.1 (six minutes)

• Get online – Make a habit of using LinkedIn more often. Showcase your unique story through your experience, skills, education, and interests. Connect with colleagues, follow client company pages, seek out thought-leaders, and engage with them consistently to build momentum and raise your profile. The larger your LinkedIn network is, the more content you will be able to interact with.
• React to and share content of interest – The easiest way to start getting your name circulating and signaling your interests to an online network is through liking and sharing content. You can do this on LinkedIn or Twitter. Take it a step further and add commentary – Why did the topic resonate with you? What personal connection can you make that people might find interesting?

KEEP IT SIMPLE

Or in other words, figure out what you can do in 0.2 (12 minutes)

• Stay informed – Understand and leverage the business development and knowledge management tools that are available to you at your firm. If used correctly, resources like Manzama can help support your business development goals. These types of tools crave customization so, spend a few minutes applying filters and you will be fed useful information as often as you’d like it. If you don’t have access to these types of resources, no problem! Learn how to use Google Alerts. In a few clicks, you can set-up multiple alerts that will provide you with emails any time that Google finds new results on your companies (or persons) of interest. These types of tools can also help feed content ideas or provide you with an opportunity to connect with clients and share news or information of interest to them.
• Seek out a new opportunity – If you’re not already a subscriber, make a habit of reviewing the websites of your bar and industry associations once per month. Find one or two new networking events that you can register for. Tell a colleague and try to attend together. During the pandemic, I’ve been encouraging our people to attend virtual events in pairs or small groups and to set-up a chat group in Microsoft Teams ahead of the session so that content, new ideas, etc. can be discussed in real-time.

FOCUS ON YOUR STRENGTHS

Or in other words, figure out what you can do in 0.5 (30 minutes)

• Stay connected – Personally speaking, if I had 30 minutes to do something outside of work, I would spend that time catching up with a professional contact… that I actually liked. Please let that sink in. I think lawyers often get coached to be in touch with every single person they went to law school with or every contact that has moved in-house. I say, spend time developing fewer, more authentic relationships. Over time, you will naturally find ways to collaborate and work together.
• Learn something by writing something – Developing and publishing unique content is extremely valuable. First and foremost, it provides you with the opportunity to learn. You can’t write what you don’t know. I’ve often heard from lawyers that their interest in writing blogs (or other forms of content) is associated with their need to learn something new – whether for a client, an upcoming speaking engagement, etc. Second, publishing content signals to the market that you have an interest or formal expertise in a particular area. In the long run, that will help build your personal brand. Third, content is something tangible that you can share and promote. And like most things, the more you do it, the easier (and faster!) it becomes.

In most cases, once you start doing something consistently, people tend to take notice and that’s when opportunities have the potential to roll-in. But, you have to invest some time – even if it’s in six-minute increments!