Many believe that “rainmakers are born not made”. I was recently speaking with a managing partner of a large law firm. He was adamant that he and his partners believe that an individual either has the rainmaker personality or they don’t. His definition of a rainmaker personality is one who is outgoing, gregarious and has no reservations about striking up conversations with strangers at events. The person has the uncanny ability to bring in the clients through their magnetic personality. So, does that mean if you do not have that outgoing personality that you can never be that rainmaker? Absolutely not!

As a service professional, you are always interacting with other people by definition. Interacting with people is the ability to connect at a level that makes both parties comfortable. It is called rapport. Wikipedia defines rapport as “one of the most important features or characteristics of subconscious comm...

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No question this economy has shaken things up. It has caused us to gasp at how quickly things changed. We have had to toil through two life changing years. Ten years prior, most of us had plenty of business as there were more clients than we could even handle. Every discipline from lawyers to insurance brokers saw huge increases of professionals within their ranks. Today, we now have too many professionals chasing a much smaller pool of potential clients.

Whether or not you get left behind is going to depend on you and your attitude. Some have already resigned themselves that this is larger than they can handle. They will hang on as long as someone pays them. Others have decided to see this as an opportunity to take advantage of a period of disruption. They are building their stable of clients by finding a way to combine out of the box thinking with hard work to make it happen. As a result, they are increasing their income and making themselves indispensable to their firms.<...

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 For years, I have always looked forward to the “Masters” week. It signifies the new rite of spring with all its beauty. It is the first major golf tournament of the year. At the professional golf level, just to play in the Masters is considered a great honor. To win the Masters is the pinnacle of professional golf. For some who have won multiple tournaments and not to have won a Masters, leaves a career incomplete. For others who have not had a lot of success on the PGA Tour, winning the Masters makes a career!

It seems that each year the Masters produces its own story filled with incredible shots, the highs and lows of human emotion, storybook endings and the disappointment of what could have been.

The Masters of 2010 was no different. Phil Mickelson, this year's champion, showed all of us how one can have the heart of a lion and produce incredible results while simultaneously being cognizant of others, acting with integrity and sharin...

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As a service provider, you enjoy making a difference for others. In fact, each time you work with a client you serve their interests by applying your expertise to either keep them safe, improve their business or support their ambitions/objectives. Your “feel goods” come from doing your best work and getting the best results you possibly can.

That is the problem! Because of what you do for a living you have a tendency to put what is important to you on the back burner because you are always pouring your heart out for your clients. Believe it or not is important to your clients that you move yourself to the front burner!

This is an age old problem for most service providers. Most of us focus on the “technical” side of our businesses because that is our comfort level and what we are trained to do. We are very structured in the process of dealing with our client’s issues and keep those efforts very well organized.

When it comes to th...

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Have you ever thought about how rainmakers gets the results they do? Results are about getting to an intended destination. Whether one is planning a trip or setting their goals for their business the process is the same. The idea is for an intended result to occur. The planning process is simply identifying the specifics on what will be needed for an intended result to occur.  Results do not happen by chance; they happen because of intention.

The word “result” makes for an interesting acronym which appropriately describes what it takes to achieve intended results once the specifics have been identified to get the job done. Here is an interpretation of what the acronym means:

R - To achieving an intended result one must be REALISTIC. If you were planning a trip from Los Angeles to New York by automobile, you would probably identify the route as well as the stops along the way.  You would need to be realist...

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Do you want clients who not only appreciate the hard work you do for them but, who also appreciate the benefit of working with you and are happy to pay your bill? Who wouldn’t you say!

To build and sustain a book of business with those types of clients is the ideal situation for most service professionals who make their living providing services to individuals and businesses. Why? Because there is a relationship and those are the type of clients who remain loyal long term.

They understand the value they receive for what they are charged and they become your best sources of business to other prospective clients who operate in similar markets and market segments. You are seen as the expert who can solve their issues. Whether your expertise is in law, accounting, wealth management, consulting, banking, insurance or real estate to name a few, you have the ability to set yourself apart, even in a crowded marketplace.

The challenge in fashioning a boo...

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 Economic uncertainty presents two fundamental choices to service professionals who must do great work for their clients and attract new clients to drive revenue to their firms. Does one look for the quick fix or does one look at developing a strong position for the long term?

There are no easy answers. The challenges that the current economy is creating for most service professionals in various disciplines is significant and rather daunting. We continue to see a contraction in almost every discipline with many being left behind. Clearly, unless you are attracting clients and driving revenue to your firm you are vulnerable. Every discipline is over populated and those that are merely technicians are expendable.

Given the circumstances, most will want to find a way to get new clients quickly because they know that it will enhance their position and create more value for themselves thereby giving them short term security. It is ...

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In her recent article in the Wall Street Journal, Sue Shellenbarger wrote a compelling article about what it means to be your own boss. She shared the story of an owner of a plumbing business who has seen his business hit hard by the impact of the economic recession.  Even though he is struggling, he genuinely is still excited about going to work every day and making a difference for his customers.  How, can he possibly be excited about such difficult circumstances you ask?  He believes that even though things are tough he still has the ability to control his destiny.  Fate is in his own hands rather than expectations being dictated by someone else.

The findings, psychologists say, based on a study by Gallup-Healthways Well-Being Index, reflect the importance of being free to choose the work you do and how you do it, the way you manage your time, and the way you respond to adversity.  The survey a...

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The worst financial crisis since the great depression has produced the most significant recession in our lifetime. The implications of its impact on our economy both for the short term and more importantly, the long term, are significant for those who provide services to businesses and individuals.

Service professionals in all disciplines are being affected by the “new normal”. It does not matter if you are a lawyer, accountant, banker, consultant, commercial insurance broker or other type of service provider which provides service to businesses or individuals. Your ability to weather this economic storm will depend on your ability to adapt to the “new normal”.

In the past year, we have seen available manufacturing capacity go to 65%, its lowest level since 1948. The average work week has declined to 33 hours for 80% of American workers. Consumer confidence is at 48% and u...

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In his new book, How The Mighty Fall, Jim Collins offers us a fascinating look at how once mighty companies come tumbling down to irrelevance or death.  Whoever thought that companies like Bank of America, AIG and Citicorp, would fall the way they have or companies like Circuit City, Lehman Bros. and General Motors would go bankrupt. If they can fall, it shows us that any company can fall.

It might be worthwhile to look at the 5 stages of decline that Collins identifies in his book from the perspective of service providers. There is no question that the radical change in the economy has impacted many professional service firms and the individuals who have contributed to their success.

Take the legal industry as an example; there have been well over 30,000 displacements form large and small firms around the country since the first of the year. In fact, there have been some wel...

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