Home > Insights
When it comes to the way your law firm operates - and what you expect your lawyers to do to keep it profitable - you might be surprised what your associates don’t understand.
Writing an effective business plan doesn’t have to be painful. Here’s how you can get more out of yours in 6 steps.
In demanding times like these your business development plans become even more important. Here’s how to tackle them plus 5 CPD sessions to show you even more.
Firms want fee earners to be more than reliable technicians. They want professionals with commercial nous who can make good business development decisions based on intuition rather than just analysis. But not everyone knows instinctively what constitutes good BD. And what works for one firm may not work for another. So, how can you develop that instinct?
Back in 2005 this research provided ideas for Marketers in professional services firms who wanted a seat at the leadership table. I think its just as relevant today.
In this episode of The Boutique Lawyer Show, host Jerome Doraisamy welcomes back Prodonovich Advisory Principal, Sue-Ella Prodonovich (who also regularly serves as a judge for Lawyers Weekly awards programs), to discuss how business development can, and does, prove more difficult for women leaders in law.
Investing a little time in your small talk has the potential to pay off big. Here’s why.
Recently, I sat in on a brilliant 90-minute webinar about how to use ChatGPT to write well. The talk opened my eyes so much that I wanted to share it with you.
Shutting down your phone and talking frankly could be the key to growing your practice. Here’s why.
You have just 120 hours a year to get your Business Development (BD) done. So what should you focus on?
In 2021, the Law Society of Singapore launched their first programme for small to mid-sized law firms called Raising The Bar (RTB). RTB is a four to five-month acceleration programme customized to help law firms transform their business journey. Here’s how three firms applied what they learnt in RTB …
As the legal industry diversifies beyond traditional structures, we’ve witnessed the rise of the hyperspecialised law firm. Often spinoffs from large law firms, hyper-specialised boutiques focus on a particular area of expertise, type of client, or local area
Winning back clients can be easier than wooing new ones. Wondering how to do that? The key is understanding why they left in the first place.
As the pressure to innovate mounts, firms are looking for previously unexplored avenues which may provide competitive advantage.
In professional services, the laws of Business Development (BD) are being re-written before our very eyes. I explore what it takes to succeed in today’s marketplace.
Why you should stop thinking about winning work and start thinking about building your ecosystem.
In my view, most firms make it too easy to say ‘no’ to pitching for work. Here are 8 reasons to say ‘Yes’ to a Request For Proposal (RFP) you don’t think you can win.
If you’ve been on my mailing list or reading my articles on LinkedIn for more than 12 months, you’d probably know that at this time of year, I like to send out the same email entitled: “Sweet. Glorious. Nothing.” This year I thought I’d do something different …
If you left your firm would your clients follow you to a new one?* If you don’t know then your probably don’t know your clients well enough.
Silly season will soon be upon us, and if you’re an introvert like me, chances are you could be dreading it… That’s why I’ve come up with these tips to help you find it both rewarding and (dare I say) enjoyable.
As professionals we often think we need be the dominant player, setting the course and steering the ship. But the best ideas usually arise when we’re surrounded by ambiguity.
Anyone who’s read my articles for any length of time will be aware of my contempt for pushy cross-selling. But that doesn’t mean you shouldn’t be servicing your clients by joining with your firm’s other sections, areas or practice groups; far from it.
There’s a trend among professional services firms to doing more training online. But is it effective when it comes to building networks and learning the right way to do BD? Or are you better off going back to face to face?
A lot of firms worry about having partners run their client feedback. You shouldn’t be one of them.
Q: How do you motivate a busy professional to write an article? A: You can't. So here's 7 steps to make it easier for everyone...
Subscribe
Category Search
“In my experience, Sue-Ella is by far the best business development adviser in Australasia.”
Chair & Partner, Global Law Firm, June 2023“I've said for a long time now that Sue-Ella Prodonovich writes brilliant marketing tips for us non-marketer professional services people - this one though is pure genius! I can tell you it works. And I've been saying to anyone who will listen for years now that the day of the rainmaker is over.....”
Partner, BigLaw (March 2023)“I’ve always enjoyed your articles and regulalry circulate them to our lawyers saying ‘this is what you need to know’.” Managing Partner, BigLaw (Feb 2023)
“I just wanted to say that I find your emails really good and this one was excellent.” MD, LawTech (March 2022)
“Love your updates. Thank you.” Litigation Partner, Large Law Firm (March 2022)
“What an amazing smorgasbord of tips and insights for new fee earning partners within professional services firms. Sue-Ella Prodonovich you are, and always will be. an absolute guru with incredibly sensible ideas from a BD perspective.” - Business Marketing Lead, Big 4 Consulting (Aug 2021)
“I enjoy your regular newsletters. They take less than 5 minutes to read and I always get a couple of valuable take outs.” - Partner, International Specialist Law Firm (May 2021)
“As ever your comments and advice are spot on, and generally delivered with your characteristically slightly wry style. “ - Partner Large firm (March 2021)
“Great insights. This is genuine and real when so much of the other Tosh I read at the moment is entirely superficial.” - Partner, Large Firm (June 2020)
"Your article was thoughtful, and authentic, in itself - and very relevant to the times. I have appreciated it so much, that I have passed it on to our team.” - Partner, Large Firm (May 2020)
“What a great read! You’ve given me great insights and invaluable ways of thinking.” - Bid & Tender Executive (May 2020)
“I want to let you know that I have found your updates incredibly insightful over the past few years. The one that sticks in my mind is ‘Why the rainmaker is dead: the new rules for winning work’. ” Partner, Global Law (Sept 2020)
The results are in, and most of us agree: in the context of professional services, BD is more difficult for women. But could the shift to online offer a ray of hope?