I am about to give a presentation on “How to Say No (and Still be a Go To Lawyer)” for the 34^th Annual Corporate Counsel Institute, so the topic of what a Go To lawyer is has definitely been on my mind.  I’ve gone back to look at client surveys that I’ve created and administered for legal departments and law firms to see what was said about the individual lawyers who ranked high on the surveys, I’ve read articles on the subject, and I’ve interviewed some top business people and General Counsels in town to see how they defined a “Go To” lawyer.  After all this research, it became clear that the “Go To” lawyer was the one that the client or business client WANTED to work with and had CONFIDENCE in under all the circumstances.

Here’s a funny thing about confidence – if you don’t project it, you can’t engender it from others.  Here are five ways to develop and project the confidence you need to be viewed as a “Go To” lawyer.

1. Be prepared – but don’t wait to be 100% prepared before you feel confident.  It never happens!  Sure, it’s great to give yourself the foundation you need to feel confident.  So stay up to date, pick up books on relevant topics, take advantage of the great coaching and CLE that are available.  BUT, also understand that you don’t need to be 100% knowledgeable on a subject in order to project confidence and to take action. You can draw upon knowledge that you already have in other areas that are complimentary to the one your are working.  There was an interesting survey showing that most men generally felt subject conversant and able to give advice and undertake new projects with about 25% subject knowledge, while most women didn’t feel they knew enough until they reached 75% knowledge or more.   Confidence allows you to do more with less.
2. Posture matters – to you and to them.  Standing tall doesn’t just project confidence to others (and it definitely does), it will also help you feel it too.  So go ahead and remember what your Mom told you: chest out, shoulders back, head up.   The taller you stand, the more confident you will feel.
3. Always make eye contact.  Make it a habit to make eye contact with others and to maintain your gaze while talking.  In addition to projecting confidence, this simple step will help you to focus on the other person instead of yourself.  If you are nervous about a presentation, it is because your focus is on you instead of your audience.  Focusing on others has been shown to increase self-confidence.
4. Practice confidence.  You wouldn’t have gotten this far in the practice of law if you didn’t have many successes large and small. Practice confidence by reminiscing times you have succeeded. Recall that feeling. If nothing comes to mind, remember when someone you admired succeeded and see yourself emulating them.
5. Enlist others.  When you need the confidence to do something new or difficult, ask your circle of friends why they believe you will succeed.  And whenever possible, spend your time with positive people who believe in you.

Follow these 5 Easy steps to increasing your self confidence and becoming the lawyer that your clients WANT to work with, the Go To lawyer.

I polled my audience during the Ignite Your Personal Brand webinar that I presented for the National Association of Women Lawyers. We had over 150 webinar attendees from both legal departments and law firms.  They were asked to choose the top 3 characteristics for success in a law firm environment and in an in-house environment from a varied list. The three top selections for characteristics of successful in-house attorneys were 1) problem solver 2) business expert 3) identifying risks.  The three top selections for characteristics of successful law firm attorneys were 1) profit generator 2) hard worker 3) effective[1].  Characteristics for in-house success that also were very popular choices included: communicator, leader, decisive, and pragmatic.  Characteristics for law firm success that also came in frequently included:  knowledgeable, decisive, and builds relationships.

Earlier in the month I had facilitated table discussions on personal branding for Women’s In House Network, a Dallas based peer to peer group of in-house attorneys.  I asked them to consider who the very successful people were at their company, and what stood out about them.  What characteristics did the successful people have in common?  What did the audience think were the characteristics that made for success at their companies? When we collated the table notes, we had a list of over 40 different characteristics that were deemed to be important by the attendees.  The characteristic for success that came up the most frequently was being a problem solver, with understanding the business, and understanding the corporate culture tied for second. The host of other characteristics for success that were discussed and deemed relevant included: advisor, effectively communicates to different audiences, trustworthy, good listener, responsive, flexible, creative, and understands risk tolerance.

The results of these polls are highly informative. How many of the most popular choices resonate with your personal brand?  In determining your personal brand – and how you need to be perceived in order to be successful – you might want to consider these characteristics, but think about others as well.  Always remember that your personal brand has to be authentically you, and has to be right for your goals, your values, your audiences, and your success.

Did you negotiate your salary up the last time you started a job?  Have you negotiated your salary since?

I recently read that that only 7 percent of women negotiate their salaries up front when entering a new position, compared to 57 per cent of men.  I know enough underpaid women lawyers to believe that similar statistics will apply to lawyers.  Yet, women lawyers negotiate on behalf of others all the time.  We negotiate contracts, we negotiate settlement agreements, we negotiate great – for others.

Is it time to get past your discomfort and negotiate for yourself?

Here are some tips to help you negotiate salary.

1. Decide what you want.  Think through what you want well in advance of this conversation.  Decide what points are Musts for you, and which points are wish list points.   That way you can let the other guy win, but on the points that are not as important to you.
2. Track your achievements.  Have you ever noticed how men tend to routinely highlight their achievements, while women downplay theirs?  Even if you’re not comfortable yelling your achievements from the mountaintop, track them and be sure the decision makers know what you’ve accomplished.  By tracking your achievements, the negotiation will be about your value, and not about your wants.
3. Ask for more than you think you can get, and don’t be afraid to ask again.  Remember that old adage – nothing ventured/nothing gained.  It’s tempting to say yes to the first offer (after all, it gets you out of this situation that is not a comfortable place for you) but think about if you can take one more bite out of the apple before accepting. Assess the situation,  the person making the offer, and how far you can go before having to sign on the dotted line.
4. Negotiate with the person, not their power.  When you’re asking for a raise, you are likely to be negotiating with someone you perceive as more powerful than you.  Don’t get trapped negotiating with the power of the person instead of with the person.
5. Keep it to yourself.  You may think that “between you and me I’d settle for X” comment you made to a colleague will stay confidential, and maybe it will.  But maybe it won’t.
6. Put yourself in neutral.  One of the reasons we can negotiate for others more easily is we are not emotionally involved.  Leave your emotions at the door.  Try to appear detached, even if you’re not.  If you negotiate from a place of fear, or desperation, or even anger, your ability to be rational will be impacted and you’ll be susceptible to agreeing to unfavorable terms.
7. Don’t be bullied.  Women can be taken aback by unexpected aggression or resistance.  If you find yourself in this situation, remind yourself that you have something of value to offer.  Don’t be afraid to demand respect.  And if you consistently don’t get it, it may be time to rethink whether you want to stay there.
8. Don’t be guilted.  “How can you ask after all we’ve done for you” is not a reason to not get a raise you deserve.  And I usually find the reason they’ve done whatever they did do for you is because you’re so darn good at what you do – and that they’re still ahead of the game.

And finally, before you ask, be sure that you have separated ambition and greed.  Decide if you honestly want to advance, or just want more money.  Wanting more money isn’t necessarily a bad thing, but it can get you into trouble if it mires you deeper into a job you’re not passionate about and causes you to miss other opportunities that might be a better fit for you.

Ready?   Then go for it — you can definitely do this!

New Year’s Resolutions abound this time of year.   We resolve to lose weight, to get in shape, to network more, to look for a new job.   We resolve to change our path from where we don’t want to be to where we do want to be.  We start off committed to those resolutions, and yet by March, most of them have fallen by the wayside, and we remain on the same path, the path of where we don’t want to be.   The gym parking lot is crowded in January, empty in March.   We schedule networking lunches in December and January, and find our calendar empty in February or March.   We start checking out courses we might take to improve our skills in January, but get too busy.

Some say it’s just a question of will power;  that it’s will power that makes you stick to it and make it happen.   The problem is that will power doesn’t last.  The need to apply will power is a constant effort and struggle without another power – Why Power.   Authentic Why Power is not only strong, it’s unstoppable.

I found out about Why Power when I stopped smoking.  For many years, stop smoking had made it to the top of my New Year’s resolution lists, but my will power wouldn’t last very long. Until I got pregnant, and discovered Why Power.  The What – to stop smoking – stayed the same.  But the Why was a lot more powerful. Not only did I stop smoking, I was surprised at how much easier it was.

How do you get Why Power? You get Why Power by taking the time to identify not just the WHAT you want to accomplish, but the WHY you want it.  Ask yourself why this is important to you. Why Power separates things others say that you should do from the things that you truly want to/need to/have to do because of your values,  your beliefs,  your innermost desires. Why Power is what will motivate you to succeed.  If that Why is authentic and strong enough, then the what becomes easier. And if Why Power is there, the will power will be there waiting for you, without as much effort or struggle.

Whatever it is you want to do this year, whether it be to network more, build your client base, change your job, make more money or get in shape, take the time to find your Why Power. With Why Power, your 2012 New Year’s resolution will become your 2012 accomplishment.

Set Up One on One Meetings.

You’re not the only one for whom things have slowed down.  This is a great time of year to set up a lunch or meet for a cup of coffee with contacts who don’t have time to meet with you during busier times of the year.  Take advantage of the fact that a lot of people are feeling generous this time of year, and may even be more willing to help.  Pick up the phone and ask -  you may be surprised at who will say yes to a one on one.

Take Advantage of Your Slow Time to Plan for 2012

When things are busy, it’s hard to find time to get out of react mode and into planning mode.  Take advantage of the slow time to create your personal marketing plan for 2012.  What do you want to do, be or have in 2012 and how do you market yourself – internally and externally – to get there?   This is a great time of year to re-evaluate your goals, think about your personal brand, and plan for your future.

“First say to yourself what you would be; and then do what you have to do.”Epictetus

Photo by Suat Eman

This is the time of year that things tend to slow down for many of us.  Whether you are looking for some new clients, looking for a new job, or just thinking about improving your position where you are, this is a golden time (maybe the best time of the year) to market yourself. Here are some amazing ways to take advantage of the holidays for your personal marketing success.

Reconnect with Lost Contacts.   Is there one or more contacts with whom you’ve lost touch? This is the time of year when you have several great excuses to reconnect with them.  It’s also a time of year most of your contacts will be in good moods and open to re-connecting!  Here are two easy seques you can use, but I’m sure you can think of more.

I was just going over my address book to send out some Christmas Cards and I was chagrined to realize how long it’s been – how are you doing? 

My New Year’s resolution is to do a better job of staying in touch with people I like, and I realized how long it’s been since you and I connected – what do you say we rectify that and get a lunch on the calendar?

Take Advantage of Holiday Events.   Holiday events are great networking opportunities.  The food is good, the egg nog is flowing, people are in holiday spirits, and if you put your focus on building relationships, you can get some excellent benefits.   Be sure that you spend time connecting with people that you don’t already know or re-energizing relationships that are not as strong as you would like them to be.  Remember that holiday events are not a time to make a pitch or even to talk extensively about what you do.  Instead, focus on getting to know the people you meet and on making a personal connection with them.  Then, be sure to follow up with your new contacts in the New Year.   Successful networkers know that networking isn’t about meeting people, but about developing and then maintaining relationships of trust.

Send Holiday Cards or Emails.    Holiday greetings are a great way to connect, re-connect, and stay at the top of your contacts’ mind.  But don’t waste time or money sending out the company card (or digital card) with the pre-printed signature and no personal message from you.  Here, personalization is really key.  Don’t believe me?  Just think of the difference in the way you feel when you get the holiday card with the printed signature versus the card where someone has taken the time to handwrite a message to you.  Technology can really help you save some time here, but the bottom line is that a holiday greeting that feels personalized will have way more impact and pay off than one that doesn’t.

Stay tuned for Part Two of Incredibly Effective Ways to Take Advantage of this Holiday Season for Personal Marketing

  “First say to yourself what you would be; and then do what you have to do.” Epictetus

This got brought home to me recently, when I met with a law firm partner of 20  plus years who looked and acted pretty much the way she looked and acted 15 years ago – or at least that was the first thing I thought when we met.  She was a walking example of someone who had frozen her personal brand in time – and what got her there won’t keep her there.   Playing the role of the smart, demure and attractive young lawyer really wasn’t working for her any more – and probably hadn’t been working for many years.

Her business development attempts hadn’t worked.  Her partners didn’t respect her.  She was worried about losing her job.  Even though I had only known her for a short period of time, none of that surprised me.   As all of us know, perception is more important than reality.  Even if she was a good litigator, the overall perception others had of her was holding her back.  Her failure to grow and develop her personal brand was holding her back.  Her failure to grow and to develop the new skillsets she needed to be successful as a partner– business development skills, leadership skills, client satisfaction skills, different higher level legal skills – was holding her back.   And her failure to take personal responsibility for her career was holding her back.

I had an in-house client in a similar situation –he got to a certain place and just wasn’t moving forward.   As we worked through several of the coaching exercises, we realized the issue was that he was viewed as a good lawyer, but not as a leader.   It took a while for him to change that perception, but by looking forward, and by strategically thinking about new skillsets and communicating a personal brand that included leadership elements, he did get the promotion he was looking for – and more.

None of us would try to drive forward looking at the rearview mirror instead of ahead, yet in our professional life,  many of us do exactly that.  Wherever you are today, look around, look ahead,  think about what you need to do.  Think about how you need to be thought of to be successful where you are – and to move forward.  What got you here was good – what will keep you here is even better.

What Might Be Wrong With Your Marketing Plan in 2011

The legal world changes slowly, but it DOES change.  As a young lawyer,  I can remember sitting on a committee and fighting for more word processors — and hearing from a senior attorney that word processors weren’t necessary.   About fifteen years ago, a partner at a major law firm told me that his firm would use contract lawyers  “when H*** froze over”.   About five years ago, some named partners at a mid-size boutique firm told me that websites were a waste of time and money.  Needless to say, word processors are now the norm, that major law firm uses contract lawyers (must be darn cold down there!), and the boutique firm now has a website.   In each instance, change came.

But more importantly, the lawyers and law firms that understood the trends and took advantage of them early on had a distinct competitive advantage.

How about you?  Is Your Marketing Plan Old School or New School?

Here are some Old School concepts that are fast fading:

• Knowledge is power.  This is the “all you have to do is be a good lawyer and the clients will come to you” school of thought.  When I started my career over 25 years ago, this may have been the case,  but it’s definitely not true in today’s legal market.
• Credibility is based on years of experience.  I just looked at a law firm website that touted “with more than 150 years of combined experience…” .  Did it make you want to hire them?  Me neither.
• Media coverage makes you rich.  Let’s face it – lots of professionals have been on Oprah or Good Morning Texas or have been quoted in Dallas Morning News and were NOT able to take advantage of that exposure and run with it because they had nothing in place to move it forward.

Now, let’s move on to the New School:

• Marketing is power. It’s not that you don’t need the knowledge (see the next bullet point for why), but today,  it’s about promoting and positioning yourself effectively.
• Credibility is based on results. Results rule.  Period.  My social media expert is 27 years old – and brilliant.  If you think that’s true for technology experts, but not for law, then maybe you need to think again.  I am reminded of a young lawyer who developed expertise in a growing practice area when he was about five or six years out of law school.  He originated enough business to open up his own firm,  which grew to about ten or twelve lawyers and  eventually merged with a major national firm,  all before he was 12 years out of law school.  I’m sure that some potential  clients opted to hire a more experienced attorney – but obviously,  not too many.
• Marketing campaigns  make you rich. You have to understand your clients and their needs (and pain).  You have to successfully brand yourself in a way that allows you to be viewed as a solution.  You have to have a plan, a marketing campaign that moves you forward.  Media coverage may be a part of that plan, but in 2011, it takes more than coverage to be successful.

Here are some ideas of incremental marketing steps that add up and that can be taken in ten minutes or less:

• Send a personal note of congratulations regarding:
  • a case result
  • an election
  • a personal event (birthday, anniversary, wedding)
  • business expansion or merger
  • publication of a book or article
  • a name in print

• Make ONE call to set up a networking meeting with:
  • another lawyer
  • an accountant or business person
  • someone you met within the last month
  • a client you haven’t spoken with for a while

• Read a non legal publication with an eye towards finding
  • new leads
  • business development opportunities
  • someone to whom you can send that congratulatory note mentioned above
  • interesting marketing ideas

• Google Associations in your area to learn
  • what associations you might want to join
  • who you know at a specific association

• Take a stack of business cards and put them in
  • your car
  • your briefcase
  • your wallet/purse/pocket

• Take the business card you collected at a recent meeting out of your pocket  and
  • add the contact to your database
  • make a note of what you remember about the person
  • send a quick email to them
  • calendar a follow up

• Have a stack full of business cards you’ve never done anything with? Take ten minutes to quickly separate them into three piles
  • important for follow up
  • possible follow up
  • trash (anyone you remember nothing about goes in this pile)

• Already have that stack sorted?  Take ten minutes and, beginning with the important pile, start to
  • enter them into your database,
  • make notes of what you remember about them
  • send them a quick email or call
  • calendar follow up

• Draft a form letter/email, such as an email thanking someone for a referral or forwarding an article you’ve written

• Update your Bio or your case or matter list

Think ten minutes won’t make a difference?  Consider this: If you lost just one OUNCE per day, at the end of the year you’d have lost more than 22 pounds.

Just 10 minutes every day WILL make a difference.   Give it a try.  You can do this!

Have other ten minute or less ideas to share?  Email me at jane.mcbride@optimuslegal.com

One:   Think about your objective and your brand.

Lots of lawyers jump on line without doing the necessary offline thinking.  As I tell my clients, everything starts with your goals and what you want.  So off line, think about your goals, your brand, and your strategy.  Social media’s true power is its power to communicate your brand.  You need to do some offline thinking about what you want that brand to be.

Two:  Consider your audience in choosing your site and in using your site.

LinkedIn is  the big office building of the social media world.  You can meet professionals from all types of companies and industries in the lobby and the elevator; social etiquette is fairly formal.  Facebook is more like Starbucks or the neighborhood restaurant.  You’ll run into both professionals and friends that you know, and it’s a more informal atmosphere.  None of the other social media sites have really taken off for lawyers;   Martindale Hubbell Connected is for lawyers only, but I’ve yet to hear anything about it from non company sources.  For purposes of this blog, I am leaving Twitter out of the discussion — it’s really a whole other thing. Think of Twitter as a human search engine.

Three:  Make sure your social media profile is working for you.

Include EVERYTHING. List ALL your prior experience.  One of the key benefits of a social media site such as LinkedIn is the way it connects you with folks from your past.  You definitely want to make it easy for them to find you.  You never know when someone from your past will have information that can help you in the present.

Keep it to the point.  Don’t get too wordy or lawyerly — this is not the place for long form prose.  Think short blocks of text with white space, or even think about using bullet points.  People do not read every word – make it easy for them to see who you are!

Include a picture.  This has become an expectation.  When someone looks you up, they want to see what you look like.

Use keywords in your summary statement.   Think about your target audience (is it potential clients? potential employers? recruiters? other lawyers? business executives?) and use keywords that THEY are likely to be looking for.  If you’re job hunting, or thinking about making a change, be sure to look at the key words that appear in the ads that interest you the most and then incorporate those keywords into your summary.  A recent survey showed that both in-house HR  and outside recruiters use LinkedIn to search for potential candidates.  In short, if you want to be found, use the keywords that will make it easy for your audience to find you.

First decide your brand and your message, then use your profile  to transmit that brand.

Recommendations help build credibility.  Again, consider your objective and brand in considering what recommendations will be most helpful.  Think both present and past on this — if you’re job hunting, some commentators recommend that you have at least one recommendation for every job you’ve held.  Ask former and current bosses, colleagues, clients, mentors to make a recommendation for you. If your objective is to connect with potential clients, then client recommendations will be more meaningful.

Four:  Communicate with your audience.

Some commentators recommend weekly postings, but quality is more important than quantity.  If your postings also provide value for your audience, they will have  more impact.   Need some ideas for postings?  You can tell people about upcoming conferences you are going to (and especially those you are speaking at).  You can include a meaningful quote or a link to a good article.  You can mention a valuable professional book you are reading (or on Facebook, you can talk about any book you are reading). You can  mention a project you’ve completed, or successes you are celebrating.   Think about what you might say on a catch up phone call.  Postings help you stay in the forefront of contacts’ minds and on peoples’ radar screens.  But be sure your postings are also consistent with and broadcast your brand — the ideal is to provide something of value AND include your brand.