Begin Again But Better
First of all, Happy New Year! We sincerely wish you the best year yet. And to that end, it's a great time to consider planning your 2022. Annual plans don't need to be time-consuming to create, challenging to manage, or include more than one goal. That's all up to you. Below is a simple process to help you put your goals into words and then put those words into action. The key? Be realistic.
Set The Goal(s)
Your 2022 goals depend on your own firm. The best way to set your goal is to think about the things that caused you the most frustration in 2021. Although it would be great to erase Covid, unfortunately, that's not in anyone's ability. So focus on the things you can control.
For many law firms, adding new clients is the biggest issue. For others, it's improving client communication. And yet others are challenged most by time-consuming redundant processes, like time tracking, invoicing, and collections. Think about the things that you dread doing and that's a good starting point.
Remember, don't set too many goals. It's much better to pick one or two goals and get those through to completion rather than having so many goals none of them get finished but they all inch forward. You can always add new goals throughout the year...
Remember to be specific about the goals. Rather than saying you want to add more new clients to your firm, try setting a specific goal like a 10% increase in new clients within the first 6 months of the year, or something like that. Be sure to make the goal measurable and specific.
Create a Plan
Now you know what you want to accomplish. How will you get there?
You are an attorney, not a management consultant. No need to recreate the wheel. Web searches can lead to some good ideas. Connect with fellow attorneys and ask them what they do to address a similar goal if they have one. Your local Bar Association is a great resource. There are so many options out there in terms of content, including Lawyerist, Attorney At Work, and the ABA, of course.
Let's stay with the new client acquisition goal. To gain new clients, you need to be where they are looking. The top two ways clients find attorneys are through referral and online search. For referrals, it's easy to ask past and current clients to refer the firm if friends or contacts ask them. Be sure you first ask them how their experience is, and if they have feedback on working with your firm. Everyone likes to be asked their opinion about their experience, whether they act on it or not. To be found online, well, you need to be there. Make sure your website is updated. Not only in terms of content but in look and feel. A dated website appearance doesn't convey to the potential client that your firm is up on the latest technology. Does your website make it easy to connect with your firm? If a new client came to your website, would they find the information they need? Consider social media, too. To find some other options on getting your firm in front of new clients, read this blog post.
Find a Champion
Someone needs to be 'responsible' for each goal. If you are a solo attorney, you can either choose to do it yourself or outsource. If you are a firm of more than one, you have more options. In either case, the first step is to decide who has the right skill set. If no one in the firm does, consider gaining those new skills.
We really love HubSpot CRM. They offer a wide variety of training tools in the HubSpot Academy. Many of the training options are free. Of course, there are several other online training options with varying pricing. We are huge fans of Bar Associations. Reach out to them, too, to see if they offer any CLE or are connected with possible providers that offer a discount.
Set Reminders
The best-laid plans often go astray. More often than not, goals are more or less set aside as business gets busy. If you use a planner of any sort, or even your calendar, set weekly or bi-weekly check-ins. They don't need to take multiple hours for the check-in, of course. But do set aside time to actually do the work. Block time on your calendar and follow through.
Another option is to share the goal with others in your life. That could be family, friends, or professional contacts. By sharing the goal, you will automatically get questions from time to time about how it's going. That's another great reminder and maybe a bit of social pressure for you to stay on task.
Be sure to track your goal. If it is the 10% new client growth within the first 6 months of the new year, do you know the baseline? What was your new client acquisition for the previous 6 months? It's critical to see how many new clients came to the firm and then how many of those ended up hiring the firm. The bi-weekly reminders should include tracking information.
It's About Balance
We can all have the best intentions on a daily basis. We set high goals while keeping the regular day-to-day going, too. That's how we end up working way longer than we should, adding too much stress to our lives, and more or less ignoring our personal lives. That's not the best approach, for you, your clients, or your friends and family.
Be sure to set a hard stop time every day. Find ways to be more productive with the time you have on a daily basis. And just like you booked time on your calendar to work on the goal(s), book time on your calendar to spend time relaxing or doing something that isn't related to work. All work and no play and all that is very true.
The start of a new year is a great time to focus on one or maybe two goals for your firm. But it doesn't have to solely be at that time of the year. You can accomplish goals and add new ones at any time. Or even change your goals. The ultimate goal is to improve your firm, in whichever way you feel is best, at any time.
