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Five Critical Elements of Business Development Success

By Aaron Y. Strauss
April 01, 2021

There is no question that a successful career in professional services requires an ability to generate new business — a herculean task for anyone, but especially for a professional without any experience or training.  While acquiring the skills necessary to develop business is certainly a life-long journey, here are five critical elements to consider from the outset.

1. Focus on What is Important, Not Urgent

Jerry Rice, widely considered the best all-time wide-receiver in the NFL, once stated that "today, I will do the things others won't, so tomorrow I can accomplish what others can't." Many attorneys are uncomfortable putting in the work required to maintain healthy relationships in the market, and, when choosing between simply doing the work on their desk today, versus the work required to build for the future; they exclusively choose the former and entirely neglect the latter. However, you must do both if you want long-term career success — in other words, you must learn to develop a dual-focus on what is important, not simply what is urgent. Admittedly, with all of the demands on your time — both personal and professional, this is much easier to say than to do — but, if you truly want to develop the business, you must first find the time to develop relationships. Make a list of the top 20 relationships you'd like to develop over the next quarter and make a point of calling, emailing and meeting up with those individuals. Don't make the list too long or it will never happen.

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