It’s the last month of the year, and I can feel your motivation for business development flagging. It’s okay, you’re not alone.

So how can you motivate yourself (or others) to finish out the year strong, and get some business development in?

• Identify where you’re most comfortable. By this time of the year, you may be a bit burned out from trying new things, or really putting yourself out there. So put some things on your calendar that you really enjoy. Maybe you’re a great public speaker, or you really enjoy writing. Maybe you’re great at in-person networking events or one-on-one with clients or referral sources. Whatever your go-to is for business development, pick three of those things to schedule in for this month.
• Come up with a plan. For many people, myself included, when you’re working on a project that’s ongoing, it’s easy to forget to take small steps every day. But if you can come up with a plan with measurable steps, it’s much easier to keep up with it. Look at the next four weeks, and what you can do to hit the goals you want to achieve. Do you want to meet three of your top clients in the next month? Include on your calendar reaching out to them by email or phone, make note to follow up once you’ve done that, include open dates on your calendar when you could get together. Want to blog more? Put in firm dates that you’ll publish, and then back into those with times that you’ll edit, write, research topics, etc.
• Put together a group or find a buddy. As I mentioned, you’re not alone in needing motivation at this time of year. Find an accountability buddy or group (you can ask for help from your marketing department if you need it) and meet briefly weekly to check in to see if you’ve advanced your goals for that week. Consider setting a prize for whomever commits to, and reaches their goals first, or whomever brings in a new client first.
• Have fun with it. Business development doesn’t have to be a slog. This is the time of year to get creative. Have a hot cocoa afternoon with a couple of your clients. Co-author a themed piece (that also relates to the law, of course). Ask your clients to volunteer with you, or find out what their charitable passions are, and volunteer with them.

The next few weeks will go quickly, so let’s finish out the year strong!