Sometimes when you lead a horse to water & it won’t drink, the best thing to do is make glue.
I recently received a "complaint" from a lawyer that I don't ever provide "even a single piece of useful advice about law practice marketing & law firm management."
Presumably he has read enough of my ezines, watched enough of my videos and attended enough of my free and for a fee teleseminars to make that determination; Though if his observation is correct one has to wonder why he has made the time to become so familiar with my body of work (?)
Incidentally, in response to his criticism I went back & reviewed some of the materials he's been receiving and just in case he missed them I pointed-out with specific examples dozens of pieces of useful advice in each ezine, video etc. that dozens of lawyers have actually thanked me for sharing about law firm marketing &/or law practice management. His response of course was utter denial. Denial of facts, mind you, which brings me to my point of inspiration for this blog post/rant. . .
Sometimes when you lead a horse to water & it won't drink the best thing to do is make glue.
In other words, take stock of all your great clients who you love to work with and whose love & appreciation of the value of your worth feeds your family and your soul. And then turn the horse that won't drink into glue that you can use to help the ones who do drink from your well. Especially those drink, like the taste, and then come back for more!
There is only one thing in your law firm that cannot be replaced. And it's not your clients. It's not your furnishings or your computer equipment or even your money. It's your time. We can always get more clients, even better clients. Same goes for everything else in our law practice. Even our enthusiasm can be replenished and recharged.
But there is no way to regain an hour lost with a prospective client who isn't really interested in allowing us to help them. Or worse, with a client who has hires us but still isn't interested in allowing us to help them. Because that time is wasted. Gone forever. And what's worse, the only thing you'll have to show for it if you allow that to happen to you is a bad memory.
So as 2009 draws to a close I want to encourage you to take stock of your clients and the systems & procedures you have in place to replenish and keep your pipeline full.
Then exit the worst of your clients from your practice and from your life.
I promise, if done right you will not only "feel" better, you'll also make alot more money & have alot more FUN being a lawyer in 2010.
