Gradually the stress became unbearable. I didn’t like a lot of my clients, I felt morally conflicted because I felt I was on the wrong side of many cases (insert your lawyer joke here) and I was always having to learn a new area of law that I had no previous experience in.

Even worse, although I made money up front, I quickly hit an earning threshold that blocked me from growing. A generalist simply cannot make the kind of money a specialist can. As long as you or I am running in several directions at once, we dilute our efforts and keep ourselves in the lower earnings range of our profession.

Here are a few ideas that may help you be more selective before you take on clients and work you don’t like:

1. Determine exactly what kinds of clients and what kind of work you desire. Write out a business plan and create a very specific description of both.

2. Calculate a realistic amount you want to earn this year. Then work backwards to how much you must make per month, week, day and hour. This will help you sort through the clients and work that do not meet your needs and goals.

3. Promote that kind of business only. Don’t take out a Yellow Page ad that consists of a laundry list of all kinds of things you can do. Save money and take out a smaller ad that narrowly targets the clients and work you want to take on.

4. Hold firm on your fees. Even if you lose some potential clients, don’t let them try to “dicker” with you on what you charge. You will lose some, but so what? Are those clients really worth the headaches they bring? The best criminal lawyer I ever knew used to say, “Maybe you just can’t afford me. I can recommend some other lawyers for you if you like.” But because she had developed such a great reputation, they wanted her and usually found ways to come up with the money.

5. Start firing clients. If clients are behind on their payments to, you get rid of them. If they bring some more low paying work for you to do, decline. Gradually weed the bottom of your client list out of your practice.

6. Turn work away. Just because someone walks through your door with a check in hand is no reason to jump. If the work offered does not have the potential to meet the income goals you calculated above, say no.

7. Market yourself in the specialty you want to practice in. Establish a
   Co-op Advertising: A Win/Win Proposition
   An easy way for a small business to expand its marketing budget is through cooperative advertising. Cooperative advertising, or as sometimes abbreviated Co-op, is when a producer of goods, for use by service providers or for resale, reimburses the advertising business in part or in full for advertising expenditures that involves its products. These programs are widely available because quite simply they save
   d no previous experience in.

   Even worse, although I made money up front, I quickly hit an earning threshold that blocked me from growing. A generalist simply cannot make the kind of money a specialist can. As long as you or I am running in several directions at once, we dilute our efforts and keep ourselves in the lower earnings range of our profession.

   Here are a few ideas that may help you be more selective before you take on clients and work you don’t like:

   1. Determine exactly what kinds of clients and what kind of work you desire. Write out a business plan and create a very specific description of both.

   2. Calculate a realistic amount you want to earn this year. Then work backwards to how much you must make per month, week, day and hour. This will help you sort through the clients and work that do not meet your needs and goals.

   3. Promote that kind of business only. Don’t take out a Yellow Page ad that consists of a laundry list of all kinds of things you can do. Save money and take out a smaller ad that narrowly targets the clients and work you want to take on.

   4. Hold firm on your fees. Even if you lose some potential clients, don’t let them try to “dicker” with you on what you charge. You will lose some, but so what? Are those clients really worth the headaches they bring? The best criminal lawyer I ever knew used to say, “Maybe you just can’t afford me. I can recommend some other lawyers for you if you like.” But because she had developed such a great reputation, they wanted her and usually found ways to come up with the money.

   5. Start firing clients. If clients are behind on their payments to, you get rid of them. If they bring some more low paying work for you to do, decline. Gradually weed the bottom of your client list out of your practice.

   6. Turn work away. Just because someone walks through your door with a check in hand is no reason to jump. If the work offered does not have the potential to meet the income goals you calculated above, say no.

   7. Market yourself in the specialty you want to practice in. Establish a
      How To Use Gifts To Close The Deal Or Show Appreciation To Clients
      One practice that is not used as often as it should be is that of giving gifts in business. If you are overlooking this aspect of your business it is almost a given that you are missing sales and may also be losing clients that could be easily retained with simple gifts. We will share some ideas with you here that will help you, regardless whether you are looking for gifts for a boss, business associate, or a c
      kind of work you desire. Write out a business plan and create a very specific description of both.

   8. Calculate a realistic amount you want to earn this year. Then work backwards to how much you must make per month, week, day and hour. This will help you sort through the clients and work that do not meet your needs and goals.

   9. Promote that kind of business only. Don’t take out a Yellow Page ad that consists of a laundry list of all kinds of things you can do. Save money and take out a smaller ad that narrowly targets the clients and work you want to take on.

   10. Hold firm on your fees. Even if you lose some potential clients, don’t let them try to “dicker” with you on what you charge. You will lose some, but so what? Are those clients really worth the headaches they bring? The best criminal lawyer I ever knew used to say, “Maybe you just can’t afford me. I can recommend some other lawyers for you if you like.” But because she had developed such a great reputation, they wanted her and usually found ways to come up with the money.

   11. Start firing clients. If clients are behind on their payments to, you get rid of them. If they bring some more low paying work for you to do, decline. Gradually weed the bottom of your client list out of your practice.

   12. Turn work away. Just because someone walks through your door with a check in hand is no reason to jump. If the work offered does not have the potential to meet the income goals you calculated above, say no.

   13. Market yourself in the specialty you want to practice in. Establish a
       One of the Productivity Roles of an Advisor
       The advisor is productive in a variety of ways. Different advisors -- either internal or external ones -- will dedicate their time according to a certain preference. Communication is said to be one of the most important skill of the advisor. He communicates with the sponsor about the problem and with the (other) stakeholders about their view on the issue and additional requirements.During this communicat
       targets the clients and work you want to take on.

   14. Hold firm on your fees. Even if you lose some potential clients, don’t let them try to “dicker” with you on what you charge. You will lose some, but so what? Are those clients really worth the headaches they bring? The best criminal lawyer I ever knew used to say, “Maybe you just can’t afford me. I can recommend some other lawyers for you if you like.” But because she had developed such a great reputation, they wanted her and usually found ways to come up with the money.

   15. Start firing clients. If clients are behind on their payments to, you get rid of them. If they bring some more low paying work for you to do, decline. Gradually weed the bottom of your client list out of your practice.

   16. Turn work away. Just because someone walks through your door with a check in hand is no reason to jump. If the work offered does not have the potential to meet the income goals you calculated above, say no.

   17. Market yourself in the specialty you want to practice in. Establish a
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       I’m not really that old. At 54, I am surely not old enough to remember communicating by smoke signals or drums. But I am old enough that while working for a huge engineering company, I was trained as a back-up for the regular telephone operator, and that meant learning how to operate the old cord switchboard. When Centrex telephone system was introduced, I learned about that as well. Back then, women – even
       ney.

   18. Start firing clients. If clients are behind on their payments to, you get rid of them. If they bring some more low paying work for you to do, decline. Gradually weed the bottom of your client list out of your practice.

   19. Turn work away. Just because someone walks through your door with a check in hand is no reason to jump. If the work offered does not have the potential to meet the income goals you calculated above, say no.

   20. Market yourself in the specialty you want to practice in. Establish a reputation in your field. The people who come to you knowing you are an expert will not try to bargain down your fees and will typically feel privileged to have you working for them.

   I learned the hard way that you have to be very selective about the clients you accept and the type of work you take on. Trust me, door law was a short term fix that created multiple problems later on.

   Learn to specialize and be selective on the type of clients you work with. Not only will your bank account see the difference, so will your peace of mind and lifestyle.

   COPYRIGHT(C)2006, Charles Brown. All rights reserved.