by Andi Groomes

As coach who helps people in professional services create and execute strategies to grow their business, I meet a lot of attorneys while conducting my marketing efforts.  You know the drill, lots of events, introductions and chatting.  My partner Karen and I have a secret frustration that I’m compelled to share with you now… so the secret is officially over.

There are just too many “Commercial Litigators” in the world today!  You know who you are.  This is your standard introduction.  “Hi, I’m Sally Jones, I’m a Commercial Litigator” More often than not you are in the early stages of your career, so I offer you an opportunity to leap frog ahead of the others.  Here are few observations you may want to consider before you introduce yourself this way again:

1. Many people who are not lawyers do not understand what a commercial litigator is or does.
2. If they wanted to refer business to you because they liked you so much, they really don’t know, based on your introduction, which of their friends you can help.
3. By introducing yourself this way you have doomed yourself to blend in with all the other lawyers who also introduce themselves this way…  take it from us, there are tons who do the same.

If you want to distinguish yourself from the rest, you should develop an area of specialty, otherwise known as a niche. For example, even within the HealthCare industry there are many areas of specialization. Take five-minutes and consider the following questions:

1. Who was your favorite client and what did you enjoy about working on their case?
2. What industry interests you because you are jazzed about it or they are underserved?  Your strengths are a great match for their culture and challenges.
3. Schedule time on your calendar to begin doing research about an industry that is interesting to you.

My five minutes are just about over, so here’s the bottom-line:

Having a niche is the best way to distinguish yourself from the competition and develop expertise that makes you more attractive to your ideal clients.