I have been writing a CLE program for New Lawyer Training to present to the Cincinnati Bar Association. I realized that some of this information is probably good to hear again – no longer how long you have been in practice. This is a compilation of my thoughts, some from my friend Matt Homann and some from an article by AttorneyatWork. I hope you find some of these useful and even try a few.

1. Write something for a publication – bar association, community newsletter, trade association publications, a client newsletter. Add links to article on your website and Linked In profile and send copies to clients.
2. Include you assistant in client meetings – he/she is part of your team and more valuable than you may realize, if you have a good one. (if you don’t have a good one, then get a good one).
3. Keep a business development journal so you can remember who you met, promises made, what you did (follow-up) and whether it worked. Find a system that works and stick to it.
4. Read the business media daily or set up a RSS feed – Courier, Enquirer – and drop a note to clients or prospects you see mentioned.
5. People skills will take you a long way – be charming, empathetic, and attentive. People will remember you for how you treated them not necessarily the result you got.
6. Be accessible – write you cell phone number on the back of your business card before handing it to clients – it shows they matter to you.
7. Business cards – always carry them and have them easily accessible.
1. Update your cards with QR codes and something interesting about you – become more memorable.
8. Add keywords to your LinkedIn profile and website bio – get found more quickly.
9. Take the time to recommend good people on their LinkedIn profiles. Ask them to do the same for you.
10. Delegate everything except those things only you can do. Life is short – make your practice more profitable by engaging help of others who can assist you.
11. Use Evernote to organize your online research. Lots of other uses but start here.
12. Optimize your website for mobile – think about it. Do you wait until you get back to the office to look up something or somebody?
13. Learn how to use punctuation correctly. Letters to clients, blogs, and recommendations you write. If you can’t, then pay someone to review your content.
14. Support a cause and volunteer your time.
15. Identify the most successful businesses in your community and find out who is in charge there. Take them out to lunch. Learn about their business. Foster a new relationship.
16. Write a personal note card to someone – once a day. Maybe takes all of 10 minutes. You want people to notice you, this will get their attention. Look through your business development spreadsheet, LinkedIn contacts, neighbors, boards you serve on, alumni friends and people at your kid’s schools.
17. Start a list of business books to read. Every week set aside 60 minutes to read a random chapter in each. Take notes and start a list of cool ideas.
18. Ask for testimonials from your favorite clients and publish these on your website. Save them in a book or frame them – start a wall of testimonials in your office.
19. Do a random act of kindness once a week. It’s uplifting and makes you grateful for what you have.
20. Ask for feedback from clients, co-workers, and peers – listen and take notes. Don’t comment or dispute. Just listen.