American Prepaid Legal Service Institute

Business Development in 15 Minutes a Day

Do you ever hear yourself saying there are never enough hours in the day?

Do you ever complain you don't have time to go out and build your book of business?

Do you want 2009 to be the year you attract a huge number of new clients?

If you answered yes to any of these questions, then you need to boost your productivity and your network -- from your desk with only 15 minutes per day!

Yes, that is right -- grow your book of business right there from the comfort of your desk. How, you ask?

Apply these three strategies to build your practice, increase your network and improve your business development activities to achieve outstanding results:

KNOW YOUR NICHE

Where are you best suited? I work with attorneys and women in business. I investigated where those audiences hung out, what they liked to read, what their pain points were and where they networked -- then I went there, too.

Where do your potential clients go? What magazines do they read? Who do you know that knows those types of people? Who can make those connections for you? Spend 15 minutes today writing down your specific niche and what your ideal client looks like.

KNOW YOUR MOVERS AND SHAKERS

Every city has them. Ask around. The most common question I asked of every new person I met when I first relocated from Sydney, Australia, was: "Who are the movers and shakers I need to meet?" Time after time, the same five or six names came up -- so I made sure I met them all.

Do you know who the movers are in your sphere? Get to know them and see how you can help them. Today, add to your "to do" list the task to ask one person in your network this question: "Who are the movers and shakers I need to meet?"

KNOW YOUR SCHEDULE

Determine what type of person you are. Are you a night owl or an early bird? If you are a morning person, schedule your business development calls for the morning. A great time to reach people is between 7.50 and 8.10 a.m. Their morning meetings haven't started yet, and they are often available to talk.

If you are a night owl, make your calls after 2 p.m. and before 6 p.m. You will be at your best this time of the day and more engaging. Business development is an essential part of every firm (large or small) and you need to schedule time to do it. It won't happen by itself. Schedule 15 minutes today make at least one business development call. Now, do this every day for two weeks and you have contacted 10 new potential clients.

So it only takes 15 minutes per day -- how can you make your day more productive?