10 Things That Don't Feel Like Work (But Totally Are): The People Edition
10 Things to Do in Your Business That Don’t Feel Like Work (But Totally Are): The People Edition
Some of the most useful work in a divorce practice doesn’t happen at a desk. It happens in conversation, usually while you’re enjoying yourself enough that it doesn’t register as work at all. Here are ten people-shaped things that count, with no guilt required.
1. Go to a networking event. Pick one where you can talk to people instead of collecting business cards. Referrals in this field come from trust, and trust gets built one conversation at a time. Our Tuesday Table networking is open to all professionals and is a good place to start.
2. Book a 1-1 with a fellow expert. Thirty minutes with a mediator, a CDFA or a therapist teaches you how they work and who they help. The next time a client needs that kind of support, you’ll know exactly who to send them to, and why.
3. Introduce two people who should know each other. You probably know a realtor who would get along with a financial planner you trust. A short, warm introduction costs you five minutes and makes you the person who connects people. That reputation travels.
4. Send a “thought of you” note. Saw an article your referral partner would like? Send it with one line. It keeps you in mind without a single word of pitching.
5. Congratulate someone on their news. A new office, a book, a podcast episode, a work anniversary. A specific, genuine comment on LinkedIn or a quick email is noticed more than you think.
6. Thank a referral source properly. Not a form email. Tell them what their referral meant, without sharing anything private about the client. People keep sending clients to the professionals who notice.
7. Answer a question in a community you belong to. Fresh Starts experts can post and answer questions in the Divorce Ask Anything Facebook group. One thoughtful answer shows how you think, which does more than any bio.
8. Have lunch with someone outside your specialty. A family law attorney and a moving company see the same transitions from very different angles. You’ll come away with a sharper picture of what your clients are dealing with beyond your part of it.
9. Reconnect with a colleague you’ve lost touch with. That person from your training cohort or an old firm is still out there, doing interesting work. “I was just thinking about you” is a perfectly good opening line.
10. Stay for the chat after the event. The formal part of an event is the agenda. The ten minutes afterwards is where people actually get to know each other. Don’t rush off.