This post is taken from one of my recent webinars on “how to win your first client…..and then your second and third”.
I’m Heather Townsend, author of Poised for Partnership and co-author of How to Make Partner & Still Have a Life. I’m the leading global expert in what it takes to move from senior fee earner to partner . Here are 5 ways to work with me.
Listen to the whole webinar, and get help with creating a business development habit and a business development plan with my Progress to Partner Academy video guides and courses (click here)
Before you can start winning work for your law firm, accountancy or consulting firm, you have to create a business development habit. Think about how you successfully created other habits before, and some of these will work for you, some of these won’t work for you; but what has worked for you before?
Accountability – Who are you going to tell that you are working on business development? Work with a coach or mentor, this works with me exceptionally well, and this is often the benefit of coaching.
Diarise it – this is vital. Make time for business development activities in the same way you could make time in your diary for client work.
Link a habit with a trigger – One of my favourites. For example, for me I’ve been trying to get more in the habit of mindfulness, so I tend to do that every time I get into bed, I do a session of mindfulness, it’s helping me to get to sleep a lot quicker.
Measuring and monitoring Set yourself some targets – how many people will you get back in touch with this week? How many new (relevant) people will you connect with on LinkedIN? How many phone-calls will you make?
Summary
- Don’t try to be all things to all people, choose a niche to specialise in.
- Create the business development habit, make it part of your day job.
- Remember the 5P’s; Plan, Prioritise, Pace, Push down, Prospects list.
- It’s your job to be curious with clients and prospects. Look and listen for opportunities, but it’s got to be an opportunity for them, not for you.
- Remember to understand the buying journey your ideal client will take.
Read more: Creating a daily business development habit
Take a look at the courses in Progress to Partner that will help you to win work (click here)
I’m Heather Townsend, author of Poised for Partnership and co-author of How to Make Partner & Still Have a Life. I’m the leading global expert in what it takes to move from senior fee earner to partner . Here are 5 ways to work with me.
