Lawyer Business Advantage

In this episode, Alay and Gary discuss:   Perception of leadership and authority.  Building relationships for purposes other than growing your business.  Leveraging your role as a parent for business development. Referring business between other lawyers, including your competition.    Key Takeaways:   You’re not pushing your business card on everyone you meet. Talk about what you do and its v...

In this episode, Alay and Gary discuss:   Why what works for the rainmaker doesn’t necessarily work for each attorney.  Different ways of tackling business development that fit your strengths.  Building a business development strategy for your law firm.     Key Takeaways:   The rainmaker’s strengths may not be your strengths – your business development should play to your strengths.  I...

In this episode, Alay and Richard discuss:   Issues Richard saw with recruiters and how he’s made the change for his firm.  Building a recruiting firm with the individual law firm in mind.  How smaller firms can compete with larger firms when hiring an attorney.  Richard’s best-selling book, Win the Talent Game:  A Guide to Lateral Hiring for Law Firms and Lawyers. Key Takeaways:   The majority of...

In this episode, Alay and Janet discuss:   Leveraging conferences as in-person events begin their return.  Preparation before a conference.  Scheduling meetings with other conference attendees or speakers.  Standing out before, during, and after the event.       Key Takeaways:   Be proactive in your preparation and attendance at events and in the follow-up.  Understand why you are attending t...

In this episode, Alay and Steve discuss:   Harvesting low-hanging fruit to build your business.  Overcoming the fears of rejection and damaging relationships.  Balancing building relationships and billing hours.  Helpful language for asking for the referral.    Key Takeaways:   What are you doing to deepen your relationships that make it easier for people to give you introductions when you as...

In this episode, Alay and Steve discuss:   Shaking up the negative connotations around networking.  How to know when you’ve found your right networking partner.  Creating your own networking group. Tips to improve your networking.    Key Takeaways:   The ultimate goal is to spend 80% of your time with 20% of people – your strategic partner dream team.  You can create your own group with...

In this episode, Alay and Steve discuss:   Why lawyers usually call selling “business development.” Having a business development system in place and not wasting time along the way.  Working with a coach to build your book of business.    Key Takeaways:   Sales is a skill that can be learned and honed to your needs. Qualify potential clients. You can’t work with everyone and not everyone is a...

In this episode, Alay and Bruce discuss:   Gaining an advantage with your clients by being clear and making decisions easy.  Remaining the right choice by removing risk. Positioning yourself to attract your ideal clients.  Be specific about what you want.    Key Takeaways:   Billboards and awards do not demonstrate trust. Alignment with the client does form the basis for trust. It’s not just...

In this episode, Alay and Bruce discuss:   Bruce’s 40-40-20 rule.  Minimizing challenges early in your sales process.  Attracting your future best clients.     Key Takeaways:   Your bottom clients are somebody else’s best clients. It’s not about the work, it’s about the fit.   Your offer is not what you do, it is what your client can do because of what you do. The right audience is not...

In this episode, Alay and Bruce discuss:   Working with clients who are the best fit for you.  The difference between cogs, experts, and advisors. The value of different roles. Why nothing is your biggest competitor.  Building trust and backing that with knowledge.   Key Takeaways:   Shedding the clients that drain your energy will increase your ability to do work with those who give you ener...

In this episode, Alay and Eric discuss:   Putting in the time to learn the craft.  A frictionless approach to the client journey.  Developing functional workflows.  Defining roles and responsibilities with a focus on strengths.  Key Takeaways:   Use a detailed intake process to weed out the clients that are not right for you.  Take the time in the beginning to build your intake process and run all...

In this episode, Alay and Brad discuss:   Best practices from the manufacturing sector that apply to law firms.  Why the billable rate is the wrong metric to focus on when looking at growth.  Defining success to ensure successful staff.   Key Takeaways:   Focus on a happy customer and everything else will take care of itself. Take care of the client first.  The process does not need to change, eve...

In this episode, Alay and Jennifer discuss:   Environmental law as a practice area. Creating your perfect law firm and building a successful business.  Challenges to overcome in building a successful law firm.  Proactive and educational marketing.    Key Takeaways:   There are ways to communicate your value without it being only about the money. Let people know what you do and why it is impor...

In this episode, Alay and Julie discuss:   Running your firm, not being run by your firm.  Working with a coach to make the changes you want with your life and business.  Understanding your DISC personality profile and how it relates to others around you.  Working through time management challenges and delegation.    Key Takeaways:   It is easier to throw yourself into your work 100% than to...

In this episode, Alay and Bo discuss: What profit is and why it is so important.  Understanding where you’re making money and how you can make more of it.  The concepts of realization and utilization, how well you price, and how well you maintain pricing.    Key Takeaways:   Many law firms look at cash in the door to understand if they were successful, but there are many ways of understanding...

In this episode, Alay and Andrea discuss:   Differences in men and women in professional coaching and in running a law firm.  Embracing the discomfort to grow and evolve your organization.  What it means to think bigger using TRUST.  Two tips all attorney entrepreneurs should be thinking about.    Key Takeaways:   The real problem is not a problem, it’s a feeling that attorneys are trying to...

In this episode, Alay and John discuss:   Why service professions often benefit from business coaching.  Business coaching versus executive coaching.  Advice to law firm owners looking to grow in the next year.  Increasing your presence in the marketplace.    Key Takeaways:   Over time, your website should be bringing in business in the areas you want to focus on and the clients you want to h...

In this episode, Alay and Mike discuss:   Taking time to recharge.  Why goals are so important.  Understanding the behaviors that need to happen to achieve certain goals.  Working with a coach to achieve your goals.    Key Takeaways:   Break your goals down into high-priority tasks.  You have to know the why and understand why it is important to you.  The most successful people have coaches i...

In this episode, Alay and Greg discuss:   How strategic transition is different for lawyers than other industries.  Why the software is an indicator of how a law firm does business.  What work can be done before acquiring or being acquired.  The three eyes of the entrepreneur.  Key Takeaways: While these issues are relevant for all law firms, it is key to understand their impact on firms of 10 emp...

In this episode, Alay and Ben discuss:   The value of accountability.  Working with a coach to help identify priorities in your business.  Why people don’t do what they know they should be doing.  Having SOPs and actions for situations that will throw off your plans.    Key Takeaways:   Incremental improvements will result in substantial results.  Clarity is king – if you know where you...

In this episode, Alay and Keith discuss:   Who should be looking into succession planning.  Defining financial success and leaving a legacy.  Creating enterprise value. Internal and external succession planning.    Key Takeaways:   When your firm hits a certain threshold, you should reevaluate compensation and ensure it isn’t tied directly and solely to production. Enterprise value comes when...

In this episode, Alay, Raquel, and Demetrio discuss:   How COVID changed the game for small businesses.  What to look for when vetting a virtual staffing firm.  The importance of reviews and references of your virtual staffing company.  The universe of virtual services that a law firm can utilize.       Key Takeaways:   Law firms should hire a VA that has training done in advance, so you don’...

In this episode, Alay and Jerry discuss: Why lawyers don’t change their practice areas (even when they want to).  Getting unstuck from your practice area. The benefits of taking the leap of faith to change your practice area.  Finding your small wins as you make the transition.       Key Takeaways: Law is like any other business – when you get into a routine it can be difficult to break...

In this episode, Alay and Lisa discuss:   How COVID impacted men and women.  Navigating the future of work authentically for employers and employees.  Diversity, equity, and inclusion in the workplace.  Refocusing on what builds you up, not what tears you down.    Key Takeaways:   COVID reduced women in leadership roles to levels from the 1980s.  During the pandemic, we saw a smaller impact o...

In this episode, Alay and Steve discuss:   Why Alay originally started focusing on attorneys in his coaching practice.  Alay’s book, Staffing Up: The Attorney’s Guide to Hiring Top Talent.  Hiring at the right time for the right role.  Time management and investing your time wisely.  The changing future of legal and coaching.    Key Takeaways: If you run your law firm as a business, you have...