Depth Perception: Don’t Overvolunteer

A lot of attorneys, new and seasoned, volunteer for everything under the sun until they’re so busy, they just wanna puke.  Now, that’s not the goal of volunteering.  When it comes to working with organizations, legal-specific or otherwise, the idea is not to overwhelm yourself, but to actually generate busines, based on your in-person networking and referral marketing efforts.

But it’s hard to do that if you can only spend a microscopic amount of time on your commitments, or none at all.

Of course, there’s a simple solution, here – that’s maybe easier said than done – which is not to overcommit.  But it is difficult to turn down opportunities when you feel like, as a young lawyer, there may not be all that many others.  And, as a more experienced lawyer, you might feel like everybody wants a piece of you.  In either case, it’s hard to say ‘no’.  But one of the most important things you can do as a businessperson is to train yourself to say ‘no’ to opportunities that aren’t really a fit for you, or that you don’t have the bandwidth to accommodate.

And, your membership roster is a good a place as any to start to trim the fat, and work on your ‘no’ muscle.

So, if you’re a member of your state and local bar association, and one other networking group, maybe just do that.  Give yourself the time and space to write for those organizations, to participate in meetings, to set up and speak at programs, and more.

You’d be surprised what a little concentrated effort can do.  And, your results (as well as your revenue) should improve.

You can’t be everywhere, all at once – so, stop trying to be.

. . .

If you need to trim down your marketing commitments, and get a solid marketing plan together, give us a call!

The Wyoming State Bar offers free law practice management consulting services through Red Cave Law Firm Consulting.

To request a consult, visit the Wyoming State Bar’s law practice management page, and start running your law firm like a business.

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