Using Stories to Sell Yourself

BCG's CEO talks about the importance of using stories to sell yourself in a job interview. He explains how the technique is used effectively in selling rugs in Turkey.

Finding Opportunity in Times of Trouble

Lawyers have a tendency to see a glass that is half empty. It is a useful trait if you want to be a good manager of risk. But it can be crippling at a time when change is in the air. If you are finding yourself focusing too much on bad economic news and simply waiting for "the inevitable", here are some suggestions from a sales trainer on how to get out of a mindset of negativity. While these suggestions are aimed at anyone who has to sell for a living, they have great relevance for lawyers.

My favorite suggestion is "2. Hang around with people who think differently". If you find that everyone around you is passively waiting for more work to land on their desk (i.e. because the market for legal services "stinks" right now), then maybe it is time to hang out with other associates. Group negativity is contagious and if you are not careful, it is easy to join in the collective the collective chorus of whining.

Getting the Cold Shoulder

That and other tell-tale signs that you may want to start fine tuning your resume.

Mastering the Art of Small Talk

A down economy is a good time to build your network and reconnect with old colleagues, classmates etc. If you avoid this kind of activity because small talk does not come easily to you, here are some good tips for keeping the conversation going over lunch or coffee.

Adding Value

Worried that prospective clients will think you charge too much? Try focusing on the value that you bring as a legal professional. How? By identifying problems that the business has not yet recognized and by offering solutions.

Success in Scary Times

My colleague Dan Binstock in BCG's DC office just forwarded this to me. It contains some very good tips for getting through these "scary times".

Firms Offer Comfort to Associates

Will I have a job in six months? That is the question that many associates are asking themselves these days. Some large firms are trying to comfort the troops with "hang-in-there, your-jobs-are-safe-memos."

While it is certainly a good HR practice to keep employees informed, particularly during a time of crisis, these memos should not be an excuse to stick your head in the sand. Take a look at your own plate of work. See what is happening in your department more generally. Try to find out if other departments in the firm are busy. Get educated about the clients that you serve and understand what is happening in their industries.

Ultimately, the reality on the ground will dictate firm policy. No firm can afford to keep idle associates on the payroll indefinitely. Don't panic at the first sign of a slow down. But don't ignore the warning signs if six months have passed and you have had no billable work.

Clarification on Palin

I just reread my Friday post about Sarah Palin and realized that some clarification is in order. I did not mean to suggest that Sarah Palin is an impressive debater or that she "beat" Joe Biden. If you look closely at her "answers", she spoke largely in talking points and and in many instances, she simply did not answer the question that was posed by Gwen Ifill. There was not a lot of depth to her answers. But because of the debate format (i.e. there was limited opportunity for follow up) this worked reasonably well for her.

What impressed me about Palin was her ability to show poise and speak in full sentences after being lampooned for her Katie Couric fiasco. It must have taken a lot of inner strength to get back out on a national stage after such a disastrous interview.

Getting Back in the Saddle

First let me say that I don't like Sarah Palin's politics and I do not believe that she is qualified to be either Vice President or President of the United States. But inspiration can come from strange places and politicians teach us so much about how to advance our own careers.

Like millions of Americans, I was glued to the TV last night wondering how Sarah Palin would perform in her "post Katie Couric" world. There was broad consensus from the right and left that in speaking with Katie Couric, Governor Palin demonstrated how little she knew about some very important issues (she couldn't identify any news publications that she reads, she couldn't name a single Supreme Court Case, other than Roe v. Wade, and she continued to make the ridiculous assertion that living in geographic proximity to Russia has provided her with the foreign policy experience that is necessary to be the leader of the free world.) At times, Sarah Palin was inchoherent in those interviews.

But last night, we saw a politician who looked comfortable behind a camera and who appeared reasonably articulate. It was a dramatic contrast to the Sarah Palin who was so brutally parodied on Saturday Night Live.

While I do not think last night's debate will fundamentally change the election (the tide of bad economic news is simply too hard for McCain to overcome), I don't think we have seen the last of Governor Palin. I also think there are good career lessons to be learned from her.

The lesson is that barring a conviction for a heinous crime, one always has the opportunity to resurrect oneself. Governor Palin proved that last night.

So if you embarrassed yourself before a judge, think of Sarah Palin. If you behaved in an immature way when dealing with counsel on the other side of a deal, think of Sarah Palin. If you missed a major case when doing a research memo for a partner, think of Sarah Palin. In most instances, you will have a second chance. It's all a matter of what you do when that next opportunity presents itself.

My Latest Career Column

The Legal Times asked me to write an article providing career advice to lawyers for surviving these turbulent times. Click here to read it.