Tip #1: Have a positive attitude. Don't let a negative attitude towards business development stop you from realizing your potential. Enlist allies within your firm to help you. Find a mentor or hire a coach. The truth is, whether you're presenting your case to a jury or meeting with potential new clients, your success in these endeavors is influenced by your ability to sell yourself, your profession, and your firm. And when it comes time for partnership review, you will be evaluated on your ability to bring in new business and generate increased revenue.

Tip #2: Find a role model. Pay attention to the way in which senior attorneys conduct themselves. Identify those attorneys whose business development methods you respect and whose practice styles and personalities most closely match yours. Adopt those attributes you find most effective.

Tip #3: Achieve balance. Your most important asset is you. Make a commitment to regularly balance and renew the physical, mental, social and spiritual aspects of your well being. You'll become a better lawyer, a better rainmaker and, most importantly, a healthier and happier human being.

Tip #4: Make a plan. While your past experiences with business planning may have left you frustrated, personal business planning can be simple. Even if your ultimate goal is unrelated to business development, an individual marketing plan will help you achieve it. Focus on one goal that you want to attain: then develop a formal plan to get there. Once you do, you'll be amazed at how a plan will substantially increase your likelihood of success.

Tip #5: Become an expert. Most of your potential clients need to see you as an expert before they will seek your counsel. So, despite how good you know you are, make sure others know as well. Be visible. Credential yourself. Make reputation-building activities part of your job description. Give speeches and publish articles on timely issues in your area of expertise. Chair a committee. Attend industry conferences and tradeshows. If you are uncomfortable speaking or networking, take courses to improve your skills and build your confidence.

Tip #6: Create a memorable personal commercial. Apart from the need to exchange pleasantries, you tell other people what you do for two reasons: they might have a need for your services or they might know someone else who has a need for your services. In either case, they should remember enough about you so they'll think of you when the need arises. Have two or three different personal introductions that you use (depending on the situation) to describe who are and what you do in a way that is interesting, informative and memorable.

Tip #7: Don't rely solely on the marketing department. There are no short cuts to successful rainmaking. It requires commitment, and that includes face-to-face networking, business development and relationship management. Building a client base is mostly about you, so don't rely solely on the advertising, brochures, press releases, direct mail campaigns and other promotional activities of your marketing department.

Tip #8: Think long-term. Act now. A sales cycle is the length of time it takes from your first contact with a potential client to closing the sale. An attorney's sales cycle might run anywhere from six months to six years. This means that if you're not marketing today, you won't have business down the road. Your future success depends on your current activity.

Tip #9: Change your definition of failure. The practice of law is often a win-lose event. Not so with marketing. Marketing is more like an ongoing numbers game. To win one new client, most attorneys need to have at least 10 to 15 prospective clients in the pipeline. This means that every potential client you fail to win brings you that much closer to the one you will win. Once you recognize this fact and change your mind set, you will see the success-not the failures-in your marketing efforts.

Tip #10: Use the media to your advantage. Companies that call you after learning about you in the media are substantially more likely to hire you than those that you call first. Take local editors to lunch and find out who their audience is, how they select stories and who covers the beat you're interested in. Tell them about your expertise. Become a valuable resource by providing hot leads and names of others who can help on a story. Pay attention to who gets quoted and why. Practice using short, colorful phrases that clearly state a viewpoint so that when you finally get the call, you'll know how to be quotable.

Tip #11: Treat everyone with respect. In today's rapidly changing marketplace, you never know what role the people you meet today will play tomorrow. Today they might be competitors, suppliers, partners, employees or employers. Tomorrow they might be your clients. Ignore status and respect everyone. And never forget-even the little people get lucky.

Tip #12: Make marketing everyone's responsibility. These days, you never know where or when the business will come. As a result, make sure everyone in your firm knows what your firm does and how to communicate this information to others. Create an internal firm newsletter or simply send e-mails announcing new achievements. Recognize and reward staff for referring new clients. Build your own marketing machine.

Tip #13: Focus on your existing clients. Spend as much time with your existing clients as you do trying to find new ones. The best business comes from additional requests and unsolicited referrals from existing clients.

Tip #14: Make your clients your best marketers. Word-of-mouth marketing is 100 times more effective than advertising when you do a good job-and it is 1000 times more damaging than crawling into a box when you do a bad job. Never underestimate the power of word-of-mouth marketing and its ability to cut both ways.

Tip #15: Know which clients you want. With limited resources, you need to focus on the profitable opportunities and ignore the unprofitable ones. How do you do this? The first step is to make sure you have a solid understanding of your firm's own market position and future objectives. How do want to be perceived in your marketplace? What type of business opportunities will help you cultivate this perception? What are your core competencies? Begin applying your answers to the opportunities on your plate and you'll increase your chances of picking the right clients. For example, if you're trying to focus more on high-end, bet the company litigation opportunities you may think twice about responding to an RFP for commodity work. The criteria you establish do not have to be complicated-but they should accurately reflect your firm's strategies and objectives.

Tip #16: Meet before you propose. Always try to meet with your prospective client before you write or present a proposal. You not only increase your likelihood of success, but you also give yourself the opportunity to identify the client as one your firm wants to work with.

Tip #17: Be a sponge. The key to conducting successful meetings with prospective clients is to spend more time listening than speaking. Ideally, you should learn as much as possible about the client and their organization before the meeting. During the meeting, most of your time should be spent listening and asking questions that demonstrate your knowledge of their situation and what next steps the firm can take on their behalf. When you speak, talk about how you helped other clients in similar situations to achieve the objectives they sought.

Tip #18: Uncover the true decision-makers and client needs. Finding the decision-maker and determining what they really want is not always easy. Indeed, whether you're part of a formal competition for business or simply conducting an informal meeting with a prospective client, office politics, personality differences and the effects of hierarchical structures can all be part of the organizational dynamic. It's up to you to unscramble the code. Perhaps a colleague can provide insight into the decision-making process based on his or her experience with the prospective client in previous engagements. And, during your meeting with the prospective client, don't be afraid to ask questions about how the decision-making process will work for the current engagement and how it has worked in the past. Pay close attention to the responses and any comments about other participants in the selection process.

Tip #19: Be wary of RFP competitions. Requests for Proposals (RFPs) are becoming more and more common as a method by which corporations select outside counsel. The process provides a framework for active dialogue between participants and, in some instances, can speed up the overall selection process. But, not all RFPs are worth the time and effort involved in a response. Before engaging in any RFP competition, you need to assess whether the RFP is even worth a response. Ask yourself: Do we have any likelihood of winning this business? Will it be profitable? What is the primary purpose for which the prospective client is using this process? Are they looking for the low bidders on commodity legal work? Are they trying to pressure their existing law firm to secure lower rates? Or, are they engaging in this process because they genuinely want to develop high-valued, partnered relationships?

Tip #20: Promise little. Deliver lots. Turn the seemingly benign practice of under promising and over delivering into a powerful art form that impacts everything you do. Whether you're planning to return a call, attend a meeting or finish a research project, always give yourself extra time so that you can deliver sooner than expected. Also, always build in a buffer for costs. Then, as the engagement progresses, communicate clearly and often about costs. You will avoid blindsiding your client and you will maintain the ability to adjust your client's expectations should unforeseen events occur. Finally, be realistic about your abilities and the results you expect from your efforts. Don't take on work you're not able to perform. And, even if you're absolutely sure about potential results, be conservative and choose your words wisely. Be sincere and honest and build a record of exceeding your clients' expectations.

Tip #21: Find out why you won or lost. Once the client makes a purchasing decision, it is very important that you learn from the client what did and did not go well during the business development process. This will help you improve your performance with future prospective clients. While you may be tempted to call the client yourself, you'll increase your chances for a candid response if you have a senior attorney or a marketing expert who wasn't part of the process call your prospective client ask for feedback.

Tip #22: Make the quest for knowledge eternal. According to the great business philosopher Jim Rohn: "Formal education will earn you a living. Self-education will earn you a fortune." Put yourself in a constant state of learning-learning about how to be a better lawyer and learning how to be a better partner to your clients.

Tip #23: Learn more about your client than you do about yourself. Learn everything you can about your clients' business objectives and stay on top of the legal and business issues that directly impact them, their company and their industry. Read trade magazines, annual reports, articles, brochures, product documents and financial publications. Attend your clients' industry conferences. Make yourself a trusted resource for the latest research and key information. Forward articles on regulatory developments that might be of interest to your clients. Practice preventative law.

Tip #24: Use plain English-not legalese. Whether you are speaking or writing, keep it simple. Be obsessive about it. Taking the time to translate legal jargon and technical terms into clear, succinct guidance is the essence of what you do as an attorney. Do this well and you will leave your competition behind.

Tip #25: Be real. Not as easy as it sounds for attorneys. The veneer of confidence and professionalism that we are programmed to present can come across as arrogance and rudeness in the context of client relationships. Learn to change hats when you finish the brief or leave the courtroom. Don't be afraid to let your guard down and be yourself when you're with your clients.

Tip #26: Be a master of alternative fee arrangements. Your clients are usually under some degree of pressure to reduce costs and get quality results. As a result, take the time to thoroughly understand the various forms of alternative fee arrangements. Know when they make sense and when they don't. Make it your goal to fairly allocate risks and rewards so that you achieve a proper balance between client satisfaction and your own profitability. This ensures that both your firm and the client emerge from the engagement knowing that their respective best interests have been served. This is the key philosophy behind any lasting client relationship.

Tip #27: Staff projects wisely. Don't wait for your client to tell you. Pay close attention to how tasks are divided between in-house staff and outside lawyers and, unless you've been told otherwise, always try to allocate the best possible resource at the lowest possible cost to the client.

Tip #28: Take ownership of problems. In the face of a problem with a client, avoid placing blame. Assume responsibility and focus on solving it.

Tip #29: Empower your support team. Identify the skill sets of each member of your support team and put each member in positions where they can work hard and succeed. They'll care more deeply about doing good work and make your job easier. Most importantly, your client will be the ultimate benefactor.

Tip #30: Find a way to get it done. Be the go-to partner-not the can't-do lawyer. Clients don't come to you so you can tell them what they can't do. They want to get it done and they want to know how. Instead of saying "we can't do that"- ask more questions and clarify your clients' objectives. Then, do everything you can to find a legally safe way to achieve them. Make yourself invaluable.

Tip #31: Don't be afraid to make staffing changes. Remain acutely aware of the relationships that exist between your own attorneys and the client. If problems arise, be willing to make staffing changes whenever necessary.

Tip #32: Don't reinvent the wheel. Don't try to fool your clients. If you have existing work product or are working on a matter that doesn't require as much work as one might imagine-be up front with your clients. They will appreciate your candor and repay you in spades by giving you more challenging and profitable work in the future.

Tip #33: Package your services into a product. Look for ways to group standardized legal opinions and boilerplate work product into an affordable package for your clients. Then make sure your clients and prospective clients know about these products. The volume of high-margin business that flows from these efforts will more than compensate for any initial sacrifice to profit margins.

Tip #34: Involve others in your firm. Look past the current engagement and recognize that your ability to share your rich, experience-won client knowledge with others in your firm will give you a strong edge against your competitors.

Tip #35: Make perception your ally. What matters in the end is not the quality of the services you provide-it is your clients' perception of the quality of your services. Find out what elements of service matter most to your clients and then do everything in your power to master them and deliver them.

Tip #36: Be a loyal partner. Win a loyal client. Loyal clients don't get that way overnight. At first, they're rough around the edges. Your loyalty to them is what smoothes the bumps and brings out the shine.

Tip #37: Consider client loyalty your best insurance policy. If you're having trouble seeing the value of client service activities always remember that the consequences for things going wrong are much less severe in strong client relationships than they are in weak ones.

Tip #38: Say thank you. Find ways to regularly thank your clients for their business. Send them handwritten cards. Take them to lunch or an entertaining event. Offer to conduct educational seminars for their organizations. Let them know you value their business.

Tip #39: Use technology to your advantage. Many lawyers are either afraid of technology or they rely on it too much. Don't make this mistake. Recognize that in most instances technology serves to support and improve your business development activities and your personal, face-to-face relationships with your clients. Focus on finding ways to use it to your advantage (e.g., generating leads, sharing information, conducting research and streamlining communications), but never let it replace what you do.

Tip #40: Embrace and profit from change. Recognize that changes are part of business and life and focus your attention on how you can help your clients benefit from them. Be curious. Make learning about your client and new developments that will affect them part of your daily routine. Combining your thorough understanding of your client's business with your mastery of change is a surefire recipe for rainmaking success.

Tip #41: Help your clients become rainmakers. Find ways to get business for your clients. Get creative. Make an introduction. Use your network. Chances are, you know someone who could use the products or services of your clients' organizations.

Tip #42: Ask your partner (a.k.a. "client") for help. If your clients consider you a partner and not a commodity-peddling vendor, they should be as willing to help you win new business as you are to help them. Don't be afraid to ask for their assistance.

Tip #43: Spend half your time in your clients' shoes. Spend the other half making their experience with you and your services even better. The way you speak, the way your write, your attention to detail, the way you respond to client calls and requests-all make an impact on how your clients perceive you. Maintain your sensitivity to these issues by thinking about them on a daily basis. Then, put yourself in your clients' shoes for one day each month. See what it's like to be your client and your firm's client. Keep finding ways to improve the client experience.

Tip #44: Remember that you are only as good as your next success. Don't get overconfident. Stay humble. The pace of change in today's marketplace gives you no time to rest on your laurels.

Tip #45: Stay in touch. Take your clients to lunch. Keep a service file and forward important articles with your comments on a regular basis. Make these marketing and service activities part of your weekly schedule. The little things add up.

Tip #46: Make the rules before the game. Work with your clients to establish performance standards before each engagement. Make sure the performance standards are clearly defined, measurable, attainable and carry specific deadlines for deliverables. This will help you and your clients target and measure performance throughout the engagement and it will help you avoid any confusion over expectations that might otherwise arise.

Tip #47: Debrief after every engagement. At the conclusion of every engagement or matter, meet with your clients to have a post-engagement debriefing and performance assessment. If there's a problem with your performance, you'll nip it in the bud. If there's an opportunity for more business you'll pick it while it's ripe.

Tip #48: Spread your wings. Once you have gained your clients' trust and respect, work with them to develop additional relationships with members of your respective organizations. It creates an environment rich in opportunities to cross-service your clients' needs. This increases the value of your relationships because it allows your firm to provide existing clients with additional services from new attorneys and new practice areas.

Tip #49: Survey your clients. Do you know how well your clients think you and your firm are doing? At least once each year, take the time to ask your clients how well you and your firm as a whole are doing. This is different than debriefing your client after one engagement. This is about grading the overall performance of every person in every engagement or matter. It's about doing it in a formal, consistent and organized way so that you can track your progress and make improvements year-after-year. If that's not reason enough, an overwhelming majority of corporate counsel think client surveys are important and many see the surveys as an opportunity to discuss future needs.

Tip #50: Be a part of your clients' business plans. If you've developed strong client relationships it's time to turn those relationships into valuable business. This means reviewing your clients' business plans and making them your own. It means knowing how your clients' organizations breathe. Dig into the financial forecasts, sales goals, competitive forces, industry trends and, applicable government regulations. Find ways to do more than just provide legal services. Find ways to help your clients solve their most difficult problems and achieve their most ambitious objectives. Make this your focus and the lucrative business opportunities will emerge.