If you are like most lawyers, you have done little to organize or manage one of your most important business development assets — your contacts. Why is it so important to keep track of the people you know?
Sally J. Schmidt - October 21, 2014Recently, one of my clients attended a public utilities association meeting. It's an industry in which he has both a client and an interest. When I asked how things went, he marveled that there were no other lawyers in attendance (although there ...
Sally J. Schmidt - September 22, 2014Two coaching situations recently occurred in close proximity to each other and the contrast was striking. In the first, Attorney A, a partner, was interested in building a niche practice in an industry in which his largest client operates. We ...
Sally J. Schmidt - May 27, 2014Prior to working with a sixth-year associate recently, I reviewed her online profiles. After we had talked for an hour, I noted that her bio was a complete disconnect from her practice. While she originally had been assigned to the firm’s estate ...
Sally J. Schmidt - March 20, 2014I will never forget the time an executive with a large international company told of his meeting with a law firm. He and a member of the in-house legal department had agreed to get together with three firm partners, at their request. After the ...
Sally J. Schmidt - January 20, 2014We all begin each new year with good intentions, but you know what they say about the road to hell. Most lawyers have some marketing and business development goals and objectives in mind. However, such goals often tend to be aspirational and ...
Sally J. Schmidt - December 16, 2013I have long believed that one of the most effective ways to build business is to build communities. And, with the popularity of social media, this view has only been reinforced. Seth Godin, the popular author and speaker, uses the term ...
Sally J. Schmidt - November 18, 2013You are a member of an organization that holds quarterly dinner meetings with a speaker. You look at your calendar and realize the next meeting is Wednesday night — drat! But, dutifully, you show up just in time to sit down for the meal, ...
Sally J. Schmidt - October 22, 2013In my early years, when I first started working as a law firm marketing director, I was preaching the benefits of obtaining client feedback but running into major resistance from management. About two years later, however, one of the senior ...
Sally J. Schmidt - September 17, 2013Younger lawyers often wonder where to begin their marketing efforts. Without a notable track record of experience or expertise, and lacking contacts in a position to send business, the odds can seem insurmountable. If you are part of a firm, ...
Sally J. Schmidt - June 17, 2013