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Staying Focused On Goals For The New
 Year Long Enough To Achieve Them                                          December  2010   
Greetings!

I was recently coaching a partner in a small west coast law firm about their plans for this year when he said, "I'm not sure I see a point in setting goals because everything seems to quickly conspire against us and we easily get so caught up in the day to day operations of the firm that we don't have time to focus on our goals. Then by the next time we meet, the priorities have all shifted."

Perhaps you can relate. It's easy to set goals; the hard part is staying focused on them long enough to accomplish them. As you think back over last year are you completely satisfied with your revenues? Your personal and professional goals? Feel like you're working harder than ever, but not making more money?


We have the solution-it's called the Rainmaker Retreat. You owe it to yourself to find out more.

Send to a Colleague

Sin
cerely,
Stephen Fairley

888-588-5891
Contact Me

P.S. Want to start this year off right and create a Marketing Action Plan (MAP) for your law firm? Attend our webinar on 5 Steps to Create Your Law Firm Marketing Action Plan.


Critical Success Secrets Of High Achieving Attorneys Disclosed In This 'Must Read' Article

One secret of highly successful attorneys is that they make time to plan for the future. We recommend meeting at least once per quarter with your senior partners (even if you are the entire partnership) to evaluate achievements, set new goals and work on your law firm Marketing Action plan.

Ideally, your firm has already made plans and set goals for the New Year.  Many of you are fully geared up to achieve your goals and objectives and make the necessary improvements in your practice and life. 

However, many goals made at the start of the year are often forgotten sometime in early March. 

Here are 4 rules for legal professionals for staying focused and achieving your goals:

 

1. Ask someone to hold you accountable. Accountability is key when it comes to keeping your commitments. Whether it's your firm partner, an attorney in a different firm, or one of our business coaches, set up a regular time to meet with someone you trust and who has your best interests at heart and request they keep you accountable.


Simply knowing that they will ask you about your progress every week can make a big difference to a lot of people.


2.  Make sure they are S.M.A.R.T. goals. This is an acronym for Specific, Measurable, Achievable, Results-oriented, and Timed. A good goal needs to incorporate all of these criteria. It is not sufficient to say "I want to be a millionaire." That statement may be measurable, but does not include time frames, it does not lay out a specific game plan for how you will accomplish this goal, and it may not be realistic for you at this point in time. 


An example of a SMART goal is: "I want to meet in person with a minimum of 4 different potential referral sources every month for the next 6 months and ask them to send me business."


3.  Make your goals smaller. While this may seem contradictory at first, we have found that sometimes setting a goal that's so big it feels unreachable actually kills your motivation. Break up your long-term goals into smaller ones that you can reach on a regular basis. 


For example, gaining 50 new clients in the next 12 months may sound overwhelming, but this works out to about 1 per week. If you know that you convert 50% of prospects that come to your legal practice then you only need 2 new people to walk in your door per week in order to achieve your goal.


4.  Focus on the right goals. Whenever I have a consulting client that goes more than 2 weeks without achieving the goal they set I start asking questions to determine if this is a goal they really feel passionate about.

If there is no commitment to a particular goal it will be very difficult for most people to devote time to accomplishing it.  Before you commit time, energy and resource to a goal, make sure it is something you truly care about and that will make a noticeable difference in your practice.
More Details
RAINMAKER
"Done For You"
E-Newsletter


One critical component of every attorney's Marketing Action Plan needs to be a monthly e-Newsletter (or e-zine). 

A proven way to get more referrals for your law firm is by staying connected with current and former clients, potential leads and referral sources. Send them relevant, valuable information every month to build trust and confidence and remind them of your services. 

Don't have time to do it alone? We have the solution with our Rainmaker Monthly e-Newsletter. It's customized just for your law firm. Nothing could be easier! 

"Just have to say how wonderful it is to return to the office and read so many responses to the e-zine...We have received 26 responses so far... Nice work!"  Peggy Cramer
Director of Communications
Hanson Law Firm, PC

Learn More About The Rainmaker "Done For You" E-Newsletter

Sincerely,
Stephen


Quick Links
 
 
 

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Register Here by January 1, 2011 for the next Rainmaker Retreat and receive the 'Rainmaker Retreat Live!' 6 CD set for FREE! ($497 Value)


"Rainmaker Retreat Live!" our consistent best seller
is a 6 CD set and 70 page manual.  It covers our Rainmaker marketing system with strategies and practice examples you can employ to quickly make it 'rain' new leads and clients. We sell a boatload of these every year for $497...


Build and create a 'lifestyle' law firm that is professionally satisfying, but allows you the time to do what is important to you.

   
  Friday, January 28th and Saturday, January 29th - Las Vegas, Nevada

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For more information please call: 888-588-5891 or visit  www.RainmakerRetreat.com  

The Rainmaker Retreat is where we teach lawyers how they can have it all; increasing the number of clients they have, doubling their income, and yet working less.


Discount Pricing available for multiple attendees from the same firm.
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How to Set Yourself Apart From Your Major Competitors- Several dates and times to choose from!  Join us for this complimentary 60 minute call and get a sneak peek at our Rainmaker Retreat . Reserve your spot for this free teleseminar. *Capacity is Limited

 
Tuesday, January 11th 3pm ET - Developing a Marketing Roadmap to Make 2011 Your Best Year Ever.  There's no better way to start the year off right than to create a Marketing Action Plan (MAP). Marketing without a strategy is one of the most damaging and costly mistakes a law firm can make.  In this 60-minute interactive webinar you will learn the 5 critical steps of developing a 90-day game plan for marketing your law firm and give you viable options to help you implement the MAP.
 

Tuesday, January, 11th - Phoenix Legal Networking Group.  This meeting is specifically designed to help attorneys and their staff discover how to effectively market and grow their business. Join us for some great food, good fun, a few laughs, to reconnect with other attorneys, and learn How to Make This Year Your Best Year Ever! 5 Steps to Create Your Law Firm Marketing Action Plan (MAP)


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