Five Personalities That Should NOT Hire a Coach
If you’ve been reading my “stuff” over the past five years, you know that I always try to provide valuable takeaways and tips to improve your business development. This article…
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Top Issues Attorneys are Having with Business Development
In working with thousands of attorneys over the past 15-plus years, I always ask the same question, “With regards to business development, what are your primary challenges, frustrations and concerns?”…
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Walt Hampton Podcast Highlights
Enjoy the highlights from my interview on BE THAT LAWYER with Walt Hampton! This edited transcript addresses time mastery, how full reactivity mode can set you back, and how freedom…
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Dan Gershenson Podcast Highlights
Explore the highlights of my interview on BE THAT LAWYER with Dan Gershenson! This edited transcript addresses lessons learned from developing a small business, the biggest mistakes made in social…
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Social Media for Lawyers: Developing Your Personal Brand to Drive New Business
One of the most common questions I’m asked as a business development coach for attorneys is, “Should I be posting on social media and is this a good use of…
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Geo Bellas Podcast Highlights
Here are some great highlights of my interview on BE THAT LAWYER with legal superstar and tech master Geo Bellas! This edited transcript addresses technology advancements in the legal field…
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Roy Sexton Podcast Highlights
This is an edited transcript of the interview I conducted back on October 5, 2020. If you haven’t heard of Roy Sexton, he’s a truly unique, one-of-a-kind personality in the…
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Walker Lawrence Podcast Highlights
This is an edited transcript of the interview I conducted back on June 1st 2020. If you haven’t heard of Walker Lawrence, you’re going to love this interview. In addition…
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Legal Business Development lessons from…Seinfeld??
I don’t know about you, but I’m a huge Seinfeld fan. I’ve probably seen each hilarious episode four or five times. Even with the massive amount of shows being pumped…
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10 Tips to Improve Your Zoom Meetings and Drive New Business During a Pandemic
As your friendly neighborhood lawyer coach, I get the privilege of hearing excuses from attorneys on why business development growth is down right now. While no one can deny that…
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Two Growing Trends in America: Platform Tennis and Legal Business Development
Part of being an effective marketer these days is authenticity. I’m trying to practice what I preach by sharing more about my personal life and the interests that occupy my…
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Business Development for the Lawyers Who Hate It
I’m sitting here this morning at a Discount Tire in Mount Prospect waiting for my car to receive four shiny new tires. The problem? My lease is up in two…
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Fishing for New Business for Your Law Practice
Steve Fretzin, his father-in-law, and his son enjoy a fishing expedition. Recently I enjoyed the most wonderful fish fry dinner with my family. We have this special treat each summer…
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Coronavirus-Proofing Your Law Practice
Well, if you’re not totally sick of people advising you on things to do during the pandemic, I hope I can help you out today. Since we are both experts,…
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Going Solo: Five Important Steps to Ensure Success
Whether you’re dealing with slashed hours, compensation reduction or general reduction in legal staff, it’s never a bad idea to get prepared for going solo. The unfortunate truth is that…
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FRETZIN’S Five Email Tips that Get Results for Lawyers
One of the biggest time wasters in legal business development is emailing. You might have asked yourself one of the following questions: Is my email too short or too long?…
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Revisiting LinkedIn as a Power Tool for Legal Networking
It’s hard to believe that I started teaching LinkedIn over 12 years ago. Back then, in a room full of 50 people, I would ask, “How many of you are…
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Law Firm Culture: Three Areas to Evaluate
Originally published in Chicago Lawyer Magazine in Dec. 2019. By Steve Fretzin Culture has been defined as “A way of life of a group of people–the behaviors, beliefs and values…
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Top 10 Business Development Snafus to Avoid When Building Your Law Practice – Part 2
Last month I provided five of the harshest business building snafus that lawyers experience in trying to build a successful law practice. In case you missed it, this included: 1.…
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Top 5 Business Development Snafus to Avoid When Building Your Law Practice
By Steve Fretzin With 2020 knocking on our front door, it might be time to take stock and look to make changes in the new year. If you’ve read my…
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Five Time-Saving Networking Tips for Lawyers
As you’re scrambling to find new originations as the year ends, it might make sense to look at where mistakes were made and inefficiencies held you back. One critical area…
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Strategies That Can Help Female Attorneys Succeed
The legal landscape is always evolving. In the not too distant past, the idea that a woman could or should make it rain or run her own firm was considered…
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Tips for Lawyers to Improve Their Public Speaking
Many of the attorneys who hire me to help them with legal business development efforts are struggling with how to get better results with their public speaking. I hear things…
Read More Is Your Law Firm Overlooking These 5 Marketing Keys to Growth?
While there are many different things you should be doing to market your law firm this year, there are a few “must dos” that can mean the difference between simply…
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Harrowing Life, Death Experience Not Needed to Set Your Goals
I’m sure you have read about people who were given a second chance at life? Well, I’m one of those people. In 1996 I was a passenger on a privately…
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Attorneys Need Forward Progress When Building a Book of Business
Imagine that you’ve just had a productive call with a new prospective client and she says, “Terrific, let me think about this and I’ll reach back to you in a…
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How Can I Get More Legal Clients?
In some form or another, virtually every lawyer will at some point ask themselves, “How can I get more legal clients?” We attend networking events because we believe that we’ll…
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Crazy Times. Is it Time to Recession-Proof Your Law Practice?
Originally Posted on the Chicago Daily Law Bulletin In 2008 my phone started ringing off the hook. Attorneys from all over Chicagoland were panicking due to reduced billable hours, lost…
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Repost: Staying ahead of the game, growing a legal practice efficiently and ethically in 2019
Written By: Brad Rosen, J.D. Originally Posted Here: https://jimhamiltonblog.blogspot.com/2019/01/staying-ahead-of-game-growing-legal.html Chicago-based attorney marketing coach, Steve Fretzin, recently presented a workshop focusing on key business development principles, networking skills, and social media trends for…
Read More Be the Best Type of Legal Networker
In order to be the best type of legal networker, you need to first learn to recognize the different types there are. This is an acquired skill developed with time…
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The Business of Law: Why Lawyers Must Develop their Own Books of Business
It’s happening every day. Change. Just read the Daily Law Bulletin or National Law Review. New law firm mergers and buyouts are becoming commonplace. Law firms are looking more like…
Read More 5 Steps to a Productive Follow-up Meeting: Networking to Build Your Law Firm
Once you’ve determined that a new contact is a potential business partner, it makes sense to set up a follow-up one-on-one meeting as the next step in networking to build…
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Making Valuable Legal Networking Contacts: Start with the B.I.L.L.
When you attend events with the mission of making valuable legal networking contacts, remember that asking people questions about themselves is absolutely essential. Keep in mind the “80/20 Rule” for…
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Email Marketing: Lawyers need to weigh the benefits as a marketing tool
Click here to read this article on the Chicago Law Bulletin. I am asked almost daily about the benefits of email marketing and newsletters. While I’m a huge advocate for…
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Learn the Three Types of Networkers at Legal Networking Events
When I say “there are three types of networkers at legal networking events,” this isn’t about me defining individuals for you ahead of time. Rather, this blog is about helping…
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Four Tips for Writing Your Best Attorney Elevator Pitch
Before heading out to conquer the networking world, it’s important to have an effective infomercial, otherwise known as your attorney elevator pitch. An infomercial is your 30 – 60 second…
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Five Quick and Easy Ways to Build Your Brand Equity as a Lawyer
One of the areas attorneys struggle with is building their “Personal Brand Equity” within the marketplace. I define Personal Brand Equity (PBE) as “The value premium that an attorney generates…
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Set Concrete Legal Networking Goals: Productive Legal Networking Part 2
In my last blog, I talked about the importance of having a plan before you attend networking events: and in today’s blog, we’ll go over the next step which is…
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FRETZIN Saves You Time: Here’s a List of Networking Groups in Chicago
Many of my clients have been asking for a “cheat sheet” to events local to the Chicagoland area. While I can’t say they are all created equal, it’s up to…
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Productive Legal Networking Part 1: What’s Your Plan?
Of the hundreds of attorneys I’ve worked with over the past 11 years, I’ve found that 95 percent don’t have an effective, written plan for productive legal networking. Before you…
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In Business Development for Attorneys, Setting Strong Agendas is Key
Imagine it’s Thanksgiving dinner and the whole family is sitting around the table waiting for the feast to begin. Unfortunately, something is different this year. The table isn’t set. It’s…
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Make a Plan to Maximize Legal Networking
Before launching into the tactics of networking, it’s important to have a good understanding of your ultimate goal so you can be sure to maximize legal networking opportunities. Call legal…
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The Lateral Attorney Transition: Two Tips to Make Your Next Hire a Good One
Before you start the lateral attorney transition process, call legal business development expert Steve Fretzin at (847) 602-6911 for help with your strategy. Anyone in the legal community knows that…
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Effective Networking for Attorneys Begins with Good Habits
In the last blog, we talked about why it is important to devote time to networking. Today we’ll delve a little deeper into that idea and talk about how effective…
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Legal Networking – Set Yourself up for Success
Is legal networking worth your valuable time, or is it a waste? Call legal business development expert Steve Fretzin at (847) 602-6911 to learn more about building your law firm’s book…
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Social Media Marketing in Law | Is it really for you?
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As a marketing and business development coach, one of the most common questions I get from attorneys is regarding the value of posting on social media. Opinions vary on this…
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How to Prime the Business Pump: Teaming with Partners Good for All
Back in early 2016 I published an article entitled, “Cross-marketing Your Legal Practice” to explain the importance of cross-marketing legal services as a value-add for your existing clients. In reviewing…
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Law Firm Websites: Basic Brochure or Branding Tool for Success?
Recently, I was reviewing a law firms website with the managing partner to discuss his thoughts on the existing platform. He looked at his website and without hesitation said, “I…
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Perfecting Your Sales Pitch
Is Your Elevator Pitch Letting You Down? “Hi there, what do you do?” Ever been to a networking event and been stumped by the most simple question? The truth is…
Read More Fretzin’s Top Five Networking Tips for Attorneys to Increase Originations
As you’re building or rewriting your business development plan for 2018, it might make sense to look at where improvements and efficiencies can be made. One critical area that’s typically…
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Get the New Year off to a Successful Start with 10 Tips
With 2017 fading in our rearview mirror, you may be asking yourself what needs to change to improve your marketing efforts in 2018. In my experience, the key to success…
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Are You an Effective Legal Networker?
I am a big fan of effective networking. If you’ve read my book, The Attorney’s Networking Handbook, you will understand the emphasis and importance I give on this matter. I use…
Read More Being a “True Giver” When Networking
Over the past 10 – 15 years there has been a dramatic increase in the number of people actively focusing on networking. Increasing competition, along with more widespread attention on…
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Business Development can be Murder to Attorneys
Success in business development can easily be explained through the analogy of a lawyer conducting a murder trial. While this might be a strange way to illustrate my philosophy on business…
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The Legal Language of Business Development
Understanding and using the legal language of business development may mean utilizing existing relationships to grow a book of business. One of the greatest challenges for any attorney is the…
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3 Tips for Lawyers to Effectively Use Their Time
Lack of time seems to be the proverbial excuse of lawyers from engaging in business development and marketing activities. As a coach working exclusively with attorneys, no one understands the…
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Challenging Times or a Good Time for Lawyers to Find New Business Opportunities?
Uncertain times call for the need to instill stability and confidence with your client. Take time to set a meeting and explore opportunities for the client and yourself. Your ability to…
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The Future of Law: Business Development Training for Law Students
Recently, I had the great pleasure of speaking at a Chicago Bar Association event for young attorneys on the topic of networking. After about 20 minutes I observed how ravenously…
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Investing in Business Development… A Law Firm’s Conundrum
When it comes to internal attorney growth, many law firms struggle to move the needle and help their senior associates and partners effectively grow their books of business. Many firms…
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3 Tips To Improve Your Public Speaking & Actually Get More Business From It
Effective public speaking is key to capturing your audience’s attention to understand your message, and ultimately get more business from it. Over the past 15 years, I have spoken about…
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How to Bring in More Business — And Avoid Being That Flashy Salesman
When it comes to selling legal services and book building, attorneys have a unique set of problems. Unlike traditional salespeople, most attorneys never wanted anything to do with sales. You…
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Three Tips For Young Lawyers On How to Bring in the Business
As a young lawyer, there are a number of confusing and conflicting theories about book building and what role it should play in your life. You may hear things from your…
Read More “Most Attorneys Are Not Really Built for Sales”
Written By: Claire Bushey Steve Fretzin coaches lawyers on how to improve at an exercise that many detest: selling their services to prospective clients. A former salesman himself for advertising and…
Read More 5 Ways Law Firms Waste Money on Biz Development
Law firms facing a competitive market have been upping their business development game in recent years, but in a tradition-bound profession not known for its sales prowess, it can be…
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Retaining Clients Doesn’t Just Happen. Come Up With A Plan & Follow It!
In the Declaration of Independence it states that “all men are created equal.” While this may apply to how we treat others with respect and dignity, we can choose to…
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For Lawyers Today, “What’s the Difference Between Sales and Business Development?”
Most people hate the word, “sales.” This word has justly taken its share of lumps over the past hundred years as soapbox salesmen and carpetbaggers made profits off of uneducated…
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Comparing Legal Business Development to Murder Trial
One of the easiest ways to explain how to be a successful business developer is by using the analogy of a lawyer conducting a murder trial. While this might be…
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Cross-Marketing Your Legal Practice
One of the smartest moves you can make as an attorney is to cross-market. While the concept may seem easy to digest, many attorneys struggle with implementation when meeting with…
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What Can a Lawyer Learn About Business Development From a Golf Pro?
Over the past 30 years I have played hundreds of rounds of golf, never thinking much about how it related to my business development plan. I was too busy swinging…
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How to give yourself a gift during the holidays: What about a few clients?
It’s Holiday time! Do you have the Santa Claus Blues? When you think about the holidays, what runs through your head? Is it the department store music? Is it the…
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The 5 Worst Business Development Moves For Law Firms (Excerpt from Law360 article)
Worst Business Development Moves By Y. Peter Kang Law 360, Los Angeles (October 26, 2015, [5:42] PM ET) Click here to be able to view the whole article, or for…
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3 Reasons Why Lawyers Struggle With Legal Marketing
There are literally dozens of reasons why lawyers struggle with legal marketing. Fear of rejection, slaving away at the billable hour or just plain hating “sales” may top the list.…
Read More The Power of Specializing
I was a mile wide and an inch deep. This is how I’ve felt over the last number of years when thinking about my sales coaching practice. Over the past…
Read More Necessity vs Curiosity: How to really connect with the elusive prospect
The difference between a curiosity appointment and a needs based appointment should be totally clear to you. In today’s challenging and competitive marketplace it has never been tougher to find…
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