Re-energize your business plan

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Don’t let the rest of the year slip away without tackling growth opportunities

By Cristina Vivenzio Brennan
and Jenna MacNeill
Dolan Media Newswires

We’re more than halfway through the year, and how is that business development plan you created for New Year’s? Have you achieved your mid-year goals?

If the answer is “no,” it’s time to re-energize your business plan for 2014. Some tips to get you going: Reunite with your “A-listers”

What better time than summer to schedule some casual reconnaissance with the people in the best position to give you work?

In seeking to satisfy the constant drive to develop new clientele, don’t forget: Existing clients are your best source for new business. People hire lawyers they know and trust, so look through your contacts, identify your A-list group, and keep that list constantly visible to remind you to reach out regularly.

• Set up lunch, coffee or drinks each week with one contact from your A-list.
• Treat a contact to a sporting event or art exhibit.
• Handwrite a personal note and attach an article that may be of interest.
• Invite a contact to co-present on a panel or co-author an article with you.
• Add contacts to your mailing list for alerts related to their industry, events your firm is hosting and other mailings.

Review events past and future

As lawyers, you are in a relationship business. As you head into the heart of the summer, take a look back at the events you’ve attended so far this year and examine whether you have maximized your appearances toward developing those relationships.

• Consider your fellow attendees at the conferences and seminars you have attended. Were they in your target market? Are they in a position to give or refer work to you? If yes, contact the organizations that hosted those events and propose a topic you think their memberships would find valuable. If not, research and identify other organizations with members who might constitute a better fit.
• Review upcoming events and calendar the ones you would like to attend.
• Before attending an event, contact the organizer or search for a LinkedIn group to get the list of attendees. Research the list, identify a few people whom you want to meet there, and seek them out.
• When you meet someone, write down some facts on the back of his/her business card so you can easily remember what you learned. That information can be very helpful when you follow up.

Refresh your PR strategy

Summer is a great time to refresh your PR strategy by identifying topics that are important to your practice and positioning yourself in the media.

• Be proactive and identify upcoming topics and/or trends.
• Schedule lunches with journalists to build rapport and suggest newsworthy topics they can cover. Journalists are often on tight deadlines and are always looking for reliable legal sources.
• Create an editorial calendar. Start drafting articles you can submit to publications during the latter half of the year when you are busy.

Regain your social media presence

It’s very easy to fall off the fickle Internet bandwagon by failing to maintain and update your social media presence.

• Use a social media-management system such as Hootsuite to help arrange and post meaningful content that adds value to your audience, such as an original piece you wrote or an interesting article you read.
• Update your social media profile to make sure it reflects your most current work experience. It seems obvious, but simply refreshing your page to present your summertime self as opposed to your Winter Olympics-era existence will set you apart from the pack.
• Plan ahead and strategize on upcoming events you will be attending. Join groups or discussions. Connect with people ahead of time and make plans to meet at the event.
• Be consistent. Remaining an active user is the key to a successful social media following.

Of course, all types of business development have to be done consistently. Creating a solid business development plan was the first step; following through with actionable items is what will help you succeed.

Cristina Vivenzio Brennan is the business development manager at Foley Hoag LLP. Jenna MacNeill is the marketing manager in the Boston office of Greenberg Traurig LLP.