What Are Your Unshakable Beliefs?

• Author: David V. Lorenzo
• Pages: 5-6

What Are Your Unshakable Beliefs? §3.

5

§3.

WHAT ARE YO UR UNS HA KA BL E BELI EF S?

I don’t need marketing. Marketing is for sleazy lawyers who are constantly chasing a

buck. I am a professional. As long as I do a good job, clients will find me.

This quote is from a lawyer I went to lunch with not too long ago. He has been practicing for

over 20 years. He made a big deal of telling me that I should “reach out to a broader group of

people” because “no self-respecting lawyer would hire a consultant to teach him about business

strategy or marketing.”

About 10 minutes after he imparted his words of wisdom on me he went to pick up the lunch

tab. I offered to split it. He refused. When the waiter returned and announced that his credit card

had been declined, I ended up taking care of it.

You may think his comments about law firm marketing have nothing to do with his credit

card issue. Maybe the bank made a mistake. Maybe the magnetic strip on the card was worn out.

Or maybe this guy was just totally full of crap.

I see that often—lawyers who believe that marketing is unprofessional or something they

should avoid because of some false stigma associated with it.

These beliefs have limited this particular lawyer during his entire career. He is a terrific

lawyer. One of the best in his practice area. But he never got the big, high profile cases. Never

commanded big fees. And he is now “of counsel” to two separate firms because he cannot

develop enough business to land a full time position or to maintain his own solo practice.

But he believes that focusing on marketing and business strategy would somehow cheapen his

practice. And for this guy, that is an unshakable belief. It is part of his DNA.

I do not work with people like that. They see no value in what I do. We do not share the same

belief system.

I improve the lives of lawyers. Business strategy and marketing are the tools I use to do that.

I teach lawyers to use these tools. My clients make more money and have more fun while practic-

ing law.

My belief system is different than the belief system of those people.

Here are my unshakable beliefs: