The Legal Marketing Center Blog

Successful Rainmakers and legal marketers are not born, they are taught.  That’s why you are reading this - to learn how you can develop the characteristics and traits that are necessary to turn a you as a lawyer into a marketing maven who will earn more money, with better clients.

The characteristics that follow do not stand alone.  They are not isolated - if you are missing one of the characteristics, you are missing them all.  If you develop one of them, you develop them all.  To develop these personality traits, you must work on yourself from within, and for some of you, this will involve a complete shift in your fundamental thinking.  You must stop thinking of yourself as merely a competent lawyer, and start thinking in terms of how you project yourself to others.  You must realize that every interaction you have with other people is a potential marketing opportunity.

So, what are the characteristics of a successful rainmaker?  Here is my list:

1. They look the part.  They are appropriately dressed, project confidence and competence as lawyers, and you can tell by looking at them that they are successful.  This confidence comes from the fact that they know everything they can about their niche practice area.  They are proud of who they are and what they do.  They have a profound understanding that they provide an invaluable and necessary service to their clients.

2. They are highly selective in the clients they will accept.  They are adept at qualifying their potential clients, only accepting clients whom they truly care about, and insuring that their clients will receive a benefit from them that far exceeds the fee for their services.

3. They want to get rich.  Attorneys who are truly successful in their business development efforts are that way because they want to get rich.  There is nothing wrong with getting rich as long as your clients benefit from your services along the way.

4. They have a burning desire to achieve.  Successful rainmaking means never quitting, no matter how much pain and how many challenges you encounter during your legal career.  Successful rainmakers don’t take rejection personally.  Period.

5. Lawyers who are truly successful learn about what scares them and proceed to overcome their fears.  Do you have a fear of going to trial?  A fear of confrontation with other attorneys?  A fear of making mistakes?  Successful lawyers learn what their fears are and confront them head on… then overcome them.

6. Enthusiasm for Life.  This is one of the most important traits of an attorney who knows how to develop business.  They understand that life is not without its share of ups and downs, but they take these bumps in stride.  They understand how to make their own luck.  If they have an irate client, they solve the problem and move on.  In addition, they truly enjoy meeting, socializing with, and getting to know other people.

7. Caring about clients.  Most attorneys feel that they should not become emotionally involved in the lives of their clients.  Successful rainmakers understand that this is a big mistake.  By becoming emotionally involved with their clients, they are able to show their clients just how much they care.  This leads to many well-deserved referrals from happy and satisfied clients.

8. Successful rainmakers are always striving to make themselves better.  They are constantly reading, educating themselves about the latest trends in business development, attending practice building seminars, etc.  They understand the importance of honing their marketing skills and always making themselves better.  They are open to advice from others and aren’t so stubborn as to believe that they already know all the answers.