All successful rainmakers invest significant time and energy into marketing and business development. They are able to create time – it is all part of the job. For other lawyers, why is it so hard to find time for marketing and business development? The simple answer is math. There are only so many hours in the day. Lawyers have billable requirements, administrative responsibilities, personal lives, outside interests, and some non-negotiable commitments such as caring for a child or parent. Combine these time commitments with things like time working with clients that can’t be billed, commuting, sleeping and eating, when can you possible market yourself?
Make a Marketing Time Budget
The first step is to make a marketing time budget. Figure out exactly how much time you have a day, week or month. Block that time and do not let anything get in the way of it. Of course, emergencies happen. Here is a simple math equation to get you thinking:
Total hours of work per year – 40 hours/week x 50 weeks = 2000 hours.
Now, let’s say that you have a billable hour requirement of 1800 hours. That leave you 200 hours of non-billable time, or 4 hours a week. How will you spend it?
Make a Plan
Using the above example, 4 hours a week is not really a lot of time to devote to marketing and business development. Regardless, instead of winging it, you should make a plan of how you will spend those 4 hours. The plan should be based upon your goals. Write down your to-dos and allocate time for each. It really is this simple.
For the record, I suggest throwing out the above math example and dedicate 8 hours a week to marketing and business development.
Time Savers
Marketing is like anything else in life. You will get out of it what you put into it. So, put as much into marketing as you can afford. Obviously, we cannot create more hours in the day. So, use wasted time for marketing. Here are a few examples – all common sense:
- Mix business with pleasure – grab a drink with a client or referral source
- Make calls when commuting – hands free of course
- Dictate a blog while on the bus
- Go on LinkedIn instead of looking at memes
- Take advantage of meals – eat with business contacts
- Use your marketing department if you have one
I am a believer that it will not happen unless you make it happen. If I had a dollar for every time I hear, “I am too busy…” You can find or create time to grow your legal practice. I know you can. If you cannot do it alone, let us help you. Nobody would need a personal trainer or life coach
if we all did what we were supposed to do. If you struggle to make business development a priority, we can coach and cheerlead you to success. We do understand the stress that comes with being a lawyer. For more information, please contact me.