OMPs, Are Your Rainmaking Skills Ready For A Re-boot?
We talk alot here about the value of a written plan for achieving business development goals. If you are part of your firm's management team and just beginning your 2012 plan, then here's another dimension to add to the planning process.
As an Office Managing Partner, you may feel far removed from the day-to-day requirements of making rain. It's often much easier to put that part of your responsibilities at the bottom of your to-do list, assuming it even makes the list. But you are the leader and leading by example will help your whole team meet its individual and collective goals.
It's never too late to get back in the game.
Motivation and inspiration are at the heart of a re-booted rainmaking effort. "Motivation and inspiration energize people," says Harvard Business School professor and authority on leadership and change, John P. Kotter. "Satisfying the need for achievement, sense of belonging, recognition, self-esteem, a feeling of control over one's life and the ability to live up to one's ideals, elicit a powerful response," he says. Motivation and inspiration start with communicating a clear (and optimistic) vision for the future and setting doable goals. (Here comes that written plan again.)
You can motivate yourself and inspire those around you by taking time to plan. If you are stuck on how to get started, begin by writing out a short description of your vision for this year, then share that vision with your team while also giving them the tools to build their own plan to achieve that vision.
If you are a regular reader of this blog, you will have seen the Business Development Plan included in the last edition. I'm publishing it again below in case you missed it. (You can also view it as a pdf file here: RTB 2012 Jump Start Biz Dev Plan.pdf.) Based on a system I developed to help clients achieve world-class rainmaking results, I am pleased to make it available for sharing with your team.
All the best for a record-breaking year!
Robin
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Raising the Bar
2012 Business Development Jump Start Planner
Instructions
This fill-in-the-blank exercise should take a half hour (or less) to complete.
(If you would like a Word version, email me at rhensley@raisingthebar.com)
1. I will complete this form within ___________ days. (I suggest that your goal be within 7 days. Pend this on your calendar now to check yourself in 7 days. RTB will even send you a reminder in 7 days to remind you of your commitment to yourself. Note: If you have not completed this form by then, you just may need a coach J or a partner to hold you accountable so that you will complete the form and review it at least weekly.)
2. My three primary target clients for this year are:
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3. For each most important prospective or existing client fill in the following:
I will meet with (prospective client/existing client) ______________________ by (date) ________________ for the purpose of ____________________________.
I will do research on (prospective client/existing client) by _____________ (date).
The three most important needs of this person are:
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I will ask the following questions of this person during my meeting:
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4. The advances I will work toward during phone calls or meetings are:
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5. I will ask _________________, my primary contact at _______________ (client firm), to introduce me to two new people who work for that same client firm. (This is designed to expand your contacts with an existing client.)
6. I will reduce my reliance on __________________ (client) from ____ percent of my revenues down to _______ percent.
7. I will conduct ______ (number) client satisfaction interviews with my clients this year. I will start with clients (list at least three) ___________, ____________, and ____________ in the first quarter; and (list at least two) ________________ and ______________in the second quarter. I will do these in person.
8. I will meet with _____ (number) prospective clients this quarter. These are people I know, but for whom I am not doing any business.
9. I will devote ____ hours to marketing and business development each week of this year. I will diligently keep track of the time I invest in this area.
10. I will meet with _________ (number) people in my network each quarter of this year. I will start by meeting with ______________, _________________, and _____________.
11. I will meet with _____ (number) of my partners each quarter of this year. I will start by meeting with __________ by February 1, ____________ by February 15, and ________________ by March 1, etc.
12. I will meet or speak with ____ (number) referral sources each quarter of this year. I will start by calling _________________ by January 30. The questions I will ask are:
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13. I will write ____ articles this year and place them in publications that my clients read. My target publications are ______________________ and _____________________.
14. I will speak ___ times during the year at industry or trade conferences where my prospective clients congregate. (Related questions: Where am I currently scheduled to speak and on what dates? How do I get on the agenda for those conferences? Do I know the name of the chair of the speakers committee? If not, can one of my clients or partners make an introduction or sponsor me as a speaker?)
15. I will learn the following new skills this year that will increase my value to the market. (For instance, I will learn about capital funding in the biotech field to better serve the needs of my environmental clients. I will learn how to use LinkedIn so I can better communicate with my referral sources.)
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16. I will call dormant clients ______________ and _______________ by _______(date) to ask them if they would like to receive the firm newsletter; or ask them to join a group/organization or speak to a group to which I belong.
17. My accountability partner to achieve the above is ____________________________.
We will talk by phone at _____________ a.m./p.m. each _____________(choose a day of the week).
