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    November 16th, 2009

    ♫ It takes two, baby,
    It takes two…♫

    Music by Marc Shaiman, lyrics by Scott Wittman and Shaiman.

    A couple of updates:

    One:  OnPoint Legal Research’s Take Five Newsletter is now up for November, summarizing the 5 most interesting cases for BC:  November Take Five

    Of course you can access past issues on their website as well as sign up for their newsletter by email.

    Two:  Bob Denney’s November 2009 Legal Communique has now been released:

    BUSINESS DEVELOPMENT AND MARKETING MAXIMS

    ‘Maxim: General truth or rule of conduct expressed in a sentence.”
    The Oxford Dictionary

    1.   Be the best lawyer you can be.
    2.   Be afraid. Fear of failure guarantees success.
    3.   Don’t sell. Educate. No one wants to be sold legal services. Ask clients and
    prospects what their problems are, then educate them on how you can help them.
    4.   Focus. Specialize. You can’t be all things to all people.
    5.   Have a marketing plan and follow it. Hell is paved with good intentions – and
    marketing plans that were never implemented.
    6.   Market like you were a sole practitioner. If you don’t, you may become one –and
    then you’ll have to.
    7.   Everyone in the firm must be a marketer, from the Managing Partner all the way
    down to the messenger.
    8.   Current clients are your best sales agents.
    9.   Word-of-mouth is still the best form of marketing and business development.
    10.  Your friends may not become clients, but your clients can become friends.
    11.  Your next client may be across the table.
    12.  To get and keep your client’s business, know his or her business.
    13.  Treat every client as if he or she were your only client.
    14.  The three keys to delighted clients:
    • Listen and communicate
    • Listen and communicate
    • Listen and communicate
    15.  Under-promise. Over-deliver.
    16.  Don’t be afraid to say “yes” – but have the courage to say “no”. The
    magic words to a client are: “Yes, if . . .” or “No, but . . .”
    17.  Be a problem-solver, not a problem-maker.
    18.  Give the client alternatives but don’t stop there. Say, “It’s your decision but
    I think this is what you should do and these are the reasons.”
    19.  Know your competition. It’s just as important as knowing your client.
    20.  Ask for the business.

    Robert Denney Associates Inc. has provided strategic management and marketing counsel to law
    firms throughout the United States and parts of Canada for over 30 years. Reports and discussions of
    other timely issues are posted on his web site, www.robertdenney.com. His annual report on “What’s Hot and What’s Not in the Legal Profession” will be coming in December…visit his website to sign up for his newsletters.

    When it comes to this post, it takes two!

    This entry was posted on Monday, November 16th, 2009 at 12:22 pm and is filed under Business Development, Issues facing Law Firms, Law Firm Strategy, Leadership and Strategic Planning, Trends. You can follow any responses to this entry through the RSS 2.0 feed. You can leave a response, or trackback from your own site.
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