Your profession is yours. It’s not your agency’s. It’s not your boss’s. It’s yours. And since it’s yours, it’s your duty to spend money on it. A few of you’re lucky to have corporations that can cowl the prices of your advertising and marketing efforts. Some could give you a advertising and marketing funds. Many don’t. And with all of your bills, together with scholar loans, it’s arduous to think about reaching into your pocket to pay for advertising and marketing efforts you consider your agency ought to. And sure, in case your agency doesn’t pay to your advertising and marketing efforts, it’s unlucky, nevertheless it doesn’t excuse you from paying for it your self. And what I recommend is setting apart $1,000 a 12 months for espresso. You heard me proper. Espresso.
One of the cheap in-person enterprise growth actions you are able to do is meet somebody for espresso at your native espresso store. It’s additionally the least disruptive to your schedule and others. That is what I like to recommend once I communicate to attorneys about enterprise growth:
Twice every week, 50 weeks of the 12 months, meet somebody for espresso close to your places of work. That’s 100 espresso conferences a 12 months. Order a small black espresso or tea and provide to pay for the opposite particular person’s espresso. Typically they’ll pay for his or her espresso. Typically they’ll insist on paying for yours, too. With the tip, you’ll common about $10 per espresso meet for 2 cups of espresso. For 100 espresso conferences, that’s about $1,000 a 12 months. Assembly for espresso twice weekly over a 12 months leads to extra one-on-one periods than most attorneys have yearly.
A typical retort to my proposal is, “I don’t know 100 individuals to have espresso with in my space.” My response is that you’d be stunned. Take into consideration regulation faculty classmates. Attorneys from the bar associations to which you belong. Co-counsel. Opposing counsel. Of us you’ve met on LinkedIn or Fb. You’ll simply have sufficient espresso companions to fulfill all year long. And also you’ll proceed to know sufficient individuals to maintain doing this train 12 months after 12 months (and, sure, occasionally, you’ll meet the identical particular person greater than as soon as to take care of that relationship).
In 10 years, that could be a thousand espresso conferences. A thousand instances you shared with others what your agency does. A thousand instances to get to know somebody in order that they see you as somebody they know, like, and belief. A thousand instances to develop your interpersonal abilities — talking with others, listening, sustaining eye contact, and making a connection. This may result in dividends. How can it not?
The rainmakers, these at corporations who usher in essentially the most enterprise, take the time to fulfill with others, get to know them, hearken to them, and develop bonds with them. That may by no means occur just by sitting at your desk working in your issues. On-line contacts and relationships are wonderful, however take the time to fulfill others in particular person for espresso and construct your community, which can result in priceless referrals.
Frank Ramos is a companion at Goldberg Segalla in Miami, the place he practices industrial litigation, merchandise, and catastrophic private damage. You possibly can observe him on LinkedIn, the place he has about 80,000 followers.
