legal sanity

A few months back, I cobbled this post featuring rainmaking tips from several sources. The connection conversation continues with this new article compelling lawyers to cultivate a “network of endless referrals” by asking prospects “feel-good questions.” This kind of questioning places the focus squarely on the prospective client instead of on ourselves and our “awesome services.” The piece ends with a list of “feel-good” inquiries that includes the following:

How did you get started in your particular line of business?
What do you enjoy most about what you do?
What significant changes have you seen take place in your profession through the years?
What one sentence would you like people to use in describing the way you do business?
How can I know if someone I’m speaking to would be a good prospect for you?

I agree that a dialogue grounded in these kinds of questions can foster some great business opportunities. But, this approach presumes that the questioner is also a highly skilled listener. I’ve discussed listening as a key lawyering skill before. A similar refrain is sounded in this post on listening v. talking from Lisa Haneberg’s great blog, Management Craft. For more rainmaking inspiration, you can check out the article roundup in this posting at The Job Blog. My posts here and here discuss the practical and insightful approach to business relationship building espoused by author, consultant and educator Keith Ferrazzi.You’ll find a selection of his recent articles on networking and related topics here.