Time to take stock

By Linda Julian

Lawyers and other professionals rarely benefit from the best disciplines of business or sales management.

It pays to jot down the answers to these questions, regularly.  Better still, run through this checklist with your business development coach or a sales-aware colleague: 

• Who is the client/prospective client ?
• What is the specific prospective matter or type of work ?
• What is the size of the opportunity  -  quantify it
• What is the expected timeframe to convert this to a real, live matter/project ?
• What obstacles have to be overcome ?
• What might delay it ?
• What is the probability of success ?
• What action do you need to take to wage an effective business development and conversion campaign ?

Be tough and honest.  That way you'll be able to make good decisions about what to pursue and how to resource it.