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We are in the advice business. We bring our talent, skills, knowledge and experience to a situation and give the best guidance possible to our clients.
The people who engage us do so because they need help. Sometimes they want to avoid pain and sometimes they want to attract something favorable. Ultimately, they are looking to us to help them improve their current state.
When we are at our best, we objectively assess the situation and deliver powerful advice in a way that makes the client feel as though our idea was hatched in his brain. To him, our presence was simply validation that he is the smartest person in the world. And this idea, which was germinating in his head forever, magically sprung to life when we showed up.
We do not take a victory lap. We do not gloat. There is no touchdown dance.
If you can keep your ego in your pocket you can make a great living in the advice business.
In an age where pundits handicap everything from sporting events to elections, you can bet that anyone claiming to know, with certainty, about the outcome of a future incident is only partially informed. The real expert is behind the scenes, throwing up. He knows that in spite of his talent, skills, knowledge and experience, there is still a 10% chance that he is wrong. And he spends his entire career trying to reduce or manage that percentage.
Want to make a great living and live a great life?
Hone your craft. Strive for continuous improvement. Smoke an expensive cigar, alone, when you are successful. And then move on to the next client. Charge lots of money. But never, ever, brag about your role in the success of a client matter.
Practice educational marketing not boastful marketing. Offer references – other people who will boast of your success.
The most successful lawyers and consultants work behind the scenes to make things happen. They are the real force behind the big deal or the acquittal but more often, they are judged by what DOES NOT happen.
Think of it this way: The guy you see on TV who won the big case is never the best lawyer. The best lawyer is the guy who convinced the prosecutor not to file in the first place.