Aspiring Solo’s Review of Rain Making
The following review of Rain Making appeared in the Aspiring Solo blog, which is dedicated to those transitioning past law school, through the bar exam, and on to the practice of law. It is republished below with their kind permission.
Book Review: Rain Making 2nd Edition by Ford Harding
Rain Making–2nd Edition, by Ford Harding, arrived on my desk at a perfect time. I am developing a business and marketing plan for my own practice. It is chock-full of useful revenue-raising marketing tips. As I read through each chapter, I became motivated and inspired to get out there and market my own practice.
Harding describes selling, a.k.a rainmaking, as integral to all professions. To truly succeed in business, one must sell and bring in new business. Law firms are one such environment where selling occurs. The author outlines selling techniques and strategies throughout the book and argues that they apply across professions. Variables include industry peculiarities, geography and individual strengths.
To the extent the book is useful for lawyers… much advice applies to medium/large sized firms or law firms whose clients are other businesses. The book is less useful for solos whose clients are regular citizen-consumers.
The author’s chapters on article publishing, networking and developing leads were especially useful to me. Harding describes how to make full use of your contacts and how to give back to others as a way of expanding your network. He further dissects several industries to illustrate who the key players are.
Rain Making emphasizes the importance of patience in developing a lead. Not only can it take 20-30 tries to get a foot in the door, it can take years to turn a lead into a customer. The author takes his readers through the gamut of dealing with secretaries, making presentations (individually or as a team), follow-ups, sizing up the possibilities operating in most sales situations, and time cycles that occur in various industries.
The chapter on cold calls was not what I expected. I was ready to dismiss this chapter. The term “cold call” conjures up images of telemarketing. Here, cold calls are more like industry-relevant office visits. Harding gleams these visits like a veteran, describing the do’s and don’ts of such visits. Rain Making describes how to hold a conference or seminar (including how to structure it to hold an audience’s attention). The author advises incorporating media relations into your marketing strategy. Legal techies might be disappointed with the chapter on the internet – it is a helpful but sparse discussion on SEO and SEM.
The author, Ford Harding, speaks with authority (the book cover points out that his books are required reading for certification with the Society for Marketing Professionals). Though this is a business type book best used as a reference guide (and I tabbed it throughout for such purpose), I learned a lot from reading it from beginning to end.
Rainmaking is hard work and intimidating. Many people shy away, even run, from the tasks entailed in selling one’s services. Harding walks his readers through the practical, logistical and psychological. He addresses the shyness factor and how to overcome it using reason and common sense. Introverts can do it, too, argues Harding.
Half the battle, I think, is standing strong in the face of defeat or the prospect of defeat. I personally found some of the suggestions intimidating, but only because I am at the beginning of my career. Those of you who have developed proficiency in a single area will benefit from this book. Also standing to benefit, argues Harding, are those who excelled at marketing in their careers. I had a number of instances where I showed promise as a future marketer while still a teenager. There was the door-to-door sales job I had at age 17. Then there was the time I ran for a student body representative seat in college and devised several clever marketing strategies for my campaign (and I won in a close election).
Rain Making is indeed for those who aspire to be principals in their firms – not mere employees. Thus the book speaks to those readers who possess an entrepreneurial mindset. For example, there is a chapter on writing project proposals for clients and another chapter on “turning down small work.” Aspiring solo practitioners often measure their firm’s success this way. Associates rarely have these opportunities in law firms.
A question entered my mind as I was finishing up the book. Is marketing intuitive? So much of the articles and books pertaining to marketing are essentially common sense. Yet my reading of Rain Making was helpful and thought-provoking. Perhaps there is a 50/50 split between intuitive and non-intuitive marketing. I have no idea how this book stacks up against the work of the self-proclaimed law marketing gurus such as Ed Poll or Ben Glass, but as a novice marketer myself, I got a lot of useful tips out of it!
