Megan Senese on LinkedIn: #podcast #connections | 27 comments (2024)

"Did you have clients before you quit?"I am asked that question the most, and I didn't know how to respond in the beginning.I wasn't sure if the question was meant to judge me or determine the legitimacy of what I was doing.Or if they asked to figure out if they could make the risky jump. Or if they were simply just curious.I always answered because honesty and transparency are core to my being.The answer is nope, not one client.That's what makes our launch story so juicy (that and all quitting on the same day). That is what resonates most.We had zero clients before we launched stage. We built something from nothing.We built our book, our brand, and our networks from scratch.That has been my storyline for my entire life: hustle and grind to get what you want. Except this time, it's for me, and it's now with purpose.To help others do it their way, give back to #workingparents (hello, free BD sessions), offer a voice to others, and come to the #legal market with a new, fresh, and differentiated offering.So, no, I did not have any clients when we launched. But I do now.

58

50 Comments

Business development takes time.It doesn’t always have to take a TON time.If you only have time for one #businessdevelopment action today, set yourself up to track your #clients and their #industry.Get a handle of what they are up to.Understand their industry. Send them relevant articles and explain WHY you are sending it to them and how you can help.What’s your favorite “quick” BD activity?

39

9 Comments

I was 19, and my second job was as a hostess at an upscale restaurant.While I am not that old (yet), it was still a time when customers used to call on the phone (the actual landline phone!!) to ask questions about the restaurant.As the hostess, part of my job was to answer the phone and explain what the food was like. I never had beef carpaccio, salmon, or hazelnut-crusted swordfish before. Picture 19-year-old me, phone wedged in between my ear and my shoulder, frantically looking at the menu responding, “Um, the steak is good. The pasta is good… the food is good?”The restaurant owner discovered I never had some of their fancy dishes before, so forget being able to describe them; he began making me small plates of the entrees.He said, “Customers will call, and you need to explain the food in a way that encourages people to come in.”Give your #clients a taste of what it’s like to work with you and what they will expect. Explain your services in a way that encourages them to reach out.If that means taking time to simplify and explain your services to a team member, do that.If that means giving others a little bite of your #services to others, do that.How do you give a bite of your services to others?

46

13 Comments

This post is for my #legalmarketing folks. The first day of summer.At some firms, the pace of work slows down during summer. It might be the first time that you get to think. The summer might be the first time you can breathe.Or maybe the summer is slow for the #lawyers but not you. You are gearing up for the fall when everything moves at warp speed. For me, it always felt like a reset: a time to think about how I would approach the fall. Would I stay with my firm? Find a "better/nicer" firm?Would I get promoted? Would I hold on for that raise or the bonus? Would my role change? Would it be clearly defined?Would someone quit, and then I would get saddled with their job, too? How would I continue to work with that difficult partner, colleague, or boss?This summer, I am offering 1:1 strategy sessions for #businessdevelopment professionals so you can think about yourself for a change instead of how you can support everyone else at the firm. Reach out. Let's talk.

25

2 Comments

In support of Juneteenth this year, I am offering 4 free business development sessions for one Black #lawyer and one #legalmarketing professional.Support, promote, pay, buy from, and financially contribute to black professionals, business owners, authors, and content creators all year long.If you are interested, please send me a note.

59

5 Comments

Happy birthday to my steadfast, fierce, loyal, fabulous, yet grounded cofounder, Kathleen Hilton.I cannot remember a time without her, and I am thankful to be on this journey together, now in our second year of stage.Her boundless creativity, strategic direction, and impeccablegrammar skills are impressive. I am constantly amazed by her ability to conceive and name countless service offerings, products, and affinity groups and create elevated events to unite people. Kathleen is the ultimate connector, facilitating client introductions to develop strategic alliances that have catapulted careers. She excels at coaching and understanding people's needs, even when they don't.Wishing my partner the happiest of birthdays. The best is yet to come.Send Kathleen a birthday note, a message, a song, or a gift (gift-giving is her love language 😉).

55

17 Comments

My favorite offering is our free one. Yep! Our free (yes, really) parental-leave #businessdevelopment package (corduroy) is for any #lawyer returning from parental leave. What's in it for you? 4 free sessions where: I draft your #client outreaches, LinkedIn posts, articles, and blog posts. I create individual marketing and business development plans, set up client Google alerts to track clients and create a realistic cadence for your preferred networking style. I will pitch you on podcasts (I've been on 10). I will pitch your article ideas to legal publications. We will brainstorm additional ways for internal networking and visibility so you can build your book your way. This is what adds purpose to my work. This is why I co-founded a business. When you come to stage, you will get someone who will do the work for you so you can focus on the billable work, and we can focus on the business development.

66

9 Comments

Support to all the parentsWe offer 4 free #businessdevelopment sessions to any lawyer (including dads) returning from parental leave.Happy Father’s Day.

17

“I am bad at networking.” I hear this a lot (mostly) from women. I also thought I was “bad” at networking. Did the thought creep in once you became too aware of what others think? Or was the word “networking” only described to you as something you did on the golf course, over expensive after-hour dinners and martinis? Or were you told to chase the high-ranking #client who doled the work out to the selected few (who looked just like that high-ranking executive anyway).While that might be networking for some, it doesn’t need to be that way for all. #networking can be done 1:1networking can be inviting clients to mommy and me classes networking can be a walk and talknetworking can be setting up your own referralsnetworking can be volunteering togethernetworking can be big or small as long as you are connecting Do it your way.

30

11 Comments