Two weeks ago, you did your brain dump. Last week, you culled your list down to the items that have your name on them — the W’s, the things you genuinely want to do and are willing to commit to for the next ninety days. If you’ve made it this far, your list is shorter and more honest than it’s probably ever been.
But here’s the problem most lawyers run into next: they look at their culled list, see five or six solid items, and try to do all of them at once.
That’s how rainmaking efforts die. Not from lack of good ideas. Too many good ideas are running at the same time, with no real traction on any of them.
So this week, we prioritize.
Here’s how you do it.
Go through your culled list and ask one question about each item: What will move my practice forward fastest? Not what feels most comfortable. Not what’s easiest to start. What will generate business or set the foundation for business in the shortest amount of time?
This is hard for lawyers because comfort and impact rarely line up. The thing that will move fastest is often the thing you’ve been avoiding because it requires the most vulnerability — reaching out to that one dormant contact, asking a current client for an introduction, putting yourself in front of people instead of hiding behind a desk.
Rank your list from one to whatever number you have left. One is your highest-impact item. Be honest about this ranking. Don’t let “easy” disguise itself as “important.”
Now look only at your top three. This is the uncomfortable part. Everything below the top three gets parked. Not deleted — parked. It’s not happening this quarter, and that’s fine. You cannot build a sustainable rainmaking practice by spreading yourself across eight initiatives. You build it by doing three things well.
For each of your top three, ask: What does success look like in ninety days? Be specific. Not “network more.” Something like “have coffee with five dormant contacts,” or “speak at one bar association event,” or “send a personal note to my top ten referral sources.” Vague goals produce vague results. Specific goals produce action.
Here’s why this matters more than it might seem. Most attorneys think rainmaking fails because they don’t have enough time. It’s not a time problem. It’s a focus problem. You have time for three things done well. You don’t have time, energy, or follow-through to do eight things halfheartedly.
The lawyers who build sustainable books of business aren’t doing more than everyone else. They’re doing less, but they’re doing it consistently, and they’re doing the things that actually move the needle.
So this week: rank your list, pick your top three, and get specific about what success looks like in ninety days.
Next week, we put this on the calendar — because a priority without a date attached is just a wish.
The post Rainmaking Recommendation #323: Rainmaking Priorities first appeared on Enlightened Rainmaking.