It’s
been
an
obsession
of
mine
to
always
look
for
shortcuts.
When
I
was
younger,
it
was
scanning
through
school
textbooks
to
find
the
bold
print
that
might
be
on
the
test
(not
a
great
strategy,
by
the
way).
Years
later,
it
was
identifying
the
fastest
route
to
get
to
a
destination
(this
was
before
Google
Maps
and
Waze).
I
guess
the
same
can
be
said
for
my
approach
to
legal
business
development.
You
can
use
trial
and
error
to
build
that
almighty
book,
or
you
can
choose
to
hack
the
system
to
grow
it
more
efficiently.
I’ve
always
said,
“Winging
it
is
not
a
strategy.”
To
set
the
stage,
I
want
to
share
a
quote
I
wish
I’d
known
growing
up.
Back
then
I’d
hear,
“Practice
makes
perfect.”
Does
it,
though?
The
late
great
Vince
Lombardi
of
Green
Bay
Packers
fame
said
it
quite
differently.
It
was,
“Practice
doesn’t
make
perfect.
Perfect
practice
makes
perfect.”
BOOM!
When
I
heard
this
for
the
first
time
my
head
almost
exploded.
If
you’re
doing
the
same
bad
techniques
or
skills
repeatedly,
are
you
really
improving?
The
same
applies
to
business
development.
If
you’re
networking
at
events
and
also
meeting
with
prospective
clients
using
bad
techniques,
while
also
not
improving,
how
much
money
is
it
costing
you
in
lost
time
and
business?
If
we’re
on
the
same
page
here,
this
article
will
be
a
game-changer
for
you.
Let’s
talk
about
some
business
development
hacks
that
you
may
not
have
considered.
Hack
1:
A
Failure
To
Plan
Is
A
Plan
To
Fail
Let’s
go
back
to
my
previous
statement
that
winging
it
is
not
an
effective
way
of
running
your
day,
let
alone
your
business
development
activities.
Everything
should
be
planned
out
for
the
year
and
then
broken
down
into
actionable
steps.
Write
down
things
like:
-
Who
are
my
best
client
and
strategic
partner
targets? -
Where
are
they
and
how
do
I
find
them? -
Create
a
list
of
all
your
clients,
friends,
and
colleagues. -
Develop
scripts
for
email
outreach. -
Set
a
goal
for
how
many
meetings
you
can
handle
in
a
week.
I
think
you
get
the
gist.
It’s
critical
to
plan
for
the
year,
down
to
each
day,
to
ensure
business
development
is
a
part
of
it.
Without
a
plan
and
without
calendaring
your
time,
your
client
development
will
always
be
pushed
down
and
away.
Hack
2:
You
Can’t
Manage
What
Isn’t
Measured
This
statement
goes
back
to
perfect
practice,
in
a
way,
because
doing
business
development
isn’t
the
same
as
succeeding
at
it.
It’s
of
critical
importance
to
have
some
form
of
tracking
mechanism
to
not
only
see
your
progress
but
to
understand
what’s
productive
for
you.
For
example,
you
are
attending
four
events
a
month
and
have
no
meetings
to
show
for
it.
It’s
clear
you
aren’t
following
up
with
the
people
you’re
meeting
with
(which
is
a
big
no-no!).
Additionally,
you’re
having
tons
of
great
meetings
but
no
next
steps
or
business
transacted.
You
may
not
be
productively
running
your
meetings.
In
some
instances,
I
call
people
“professional
meeters.”
Funny,
not
funny.
I
highly
recommend
using
a
tracking
journal
or
CRM
(client
relationship
management
program)
to
ensure
you
know
your
numbers
and
can
make
regular
improvements.
Without
knowing
your
history,
you
may
be
doomed
to
repeat
it.
And
many
lawyers
do.
Hack
3:
Become
A
Student
Of
The
Biz-dev
Game
Good
news,
friends!
There’s
a
TON
of
amazing
information
out
there
about
legal
business
development
and
marketing
best
practices.
The
fact
that
you’re
reading
this
article
sets
you
up
to
take
in
more
of
my
content
(and
there’s
A
LOT).
I
have
four
books
and
another
one
on
the
way;
there’s
my
YouTube
channel
under
the
name
Steve
Fretzin;
and
my
“BE
THAT
LAWYER”
podcast
with
over
450
episodes.
There
are
even
scripts
I
provide
that
you
can
read
and
rehearse
to
make
talking
to
people
simpler
and
easier.
Hack
4:
Watch
The
Game
Tapes!
Let’s
face
it,
the
Chicago
Bears
suck.
They
always
do,
and
I
wonder
if
they
are
even
watching
the
game
tapes
to
prepare
for
next
week’s
game.
In
client
development,
are
you
watching
your
own
game
tapes?
Now,
obviously,
you’re
not
recording
the
meetings
you
go
on,
but
maybe
you
should
review
your
notes.
What
was
your
game
plan
going
in
and
what
actually
happened?
Rapidly
debriefing
your
meetings
could
be
highly
revealing
as
you
find
gaps
and
missteps
that
have
led
to
being
ghosted
or
losing
new
client
opportunities.
Failure
to
reflect,
learn,
and
improve
will
create
long-term
setbacks
in
growing
a
significant
book.
Hack
5:
Take
The
Shortcut
And
Invest
In
Yourself
Here’s
a
hack
that
might
sound
self-serving,
but
it
works:
Consider
hiring
a
professional
coach
to
evaluate
your
biz-dev
skills.
Whether
you’re
starting
with
no
book
of
business
or
managing
millions,
everyone
has
room
to
grow.
I’ve
yet
to
meet
a
lawyer
without
the
potential
for
improvement.
Last
week
I
met
a
lawyer
who
claimed
to
have
over
10
years
of
business
development
experience.
What
I
observed
from
speaking
with
him
was
that
he
had
one
year
of
biz-dev
experience
ten
times.
Makes
you
think,
right?
Take
a
moment
and
think
about
how
you
became
a
great
lawyer.
You
didn’t
get
there
by
accident
—
you
had
mentors,
training,
and
years
of
experience.
So
why
approach
business
development
any
differently?
Investing
in
yourself
is
THE
shortcut
to
building
a
stronger,
more
sustainable
practice.
Ultimately,
it’s
up
to
you
to
look
inward
and
figure
out
how
to
proceed
in
this
coming
year.
I’ve
made
it
abundantly
clear
that
planning,
tracking,
rehearsing,
and
debriefing
can
all
make
a
difference
in
your
biz-dev
game.
The
goal
for
anyone
I
coach
is
efficiency
and
results.
Your
knowledge
of
the
law
and
your
client
base
are
the
two
things
that
you
can
take
with
you
in
this
less-than-stable
world
we
live
in.
Take
charge
of
your
future
by
mastering
these
hacks
—
and
watch
your
success
soar.
Steve
Fretzin
is
a
bestselling
author,
host
of
the
BE
THAT
LAWYER
Podcast,
and
business
development
coach
exclusively
for
attorneys.
Steve
has
committed
his
career
to
helping
lawyers
learn
key
growth
skills
not
currently
taught
in
law
school.
His
clients
soon
become
top
rainmakers
and
credit
Steve’s
program
and
coaching
for
their
success.
He
can
be
reached
directly
by
email
at [email protected].
Or
you
can
easily
find
him
on
his
website
at www.fretzin.com or
LinkedIn
at https://www.linkedin.com/in/stevefretzin/.