Jay Harrington | Being more proactive in your business development creates a win-win for yourself and your contacts.
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Shying away from asking for business? It’s time to overcome that hesitancy. Being more proactive in your business development creates a win-win for you and your contacts.

Lawyers invest significant time and energy in building professional relationships — but then shy away from actually asking for the business. This hesitation often stems from concerns about appearing unprofessional or damaging a relationship. In 2025, it’s time to overcome that hesitancy and understand that being more direct and proactive in your business development creates a win-win for yourself and your contacts. If you’re confident in your ability to deliver value, and your contact needs legal services, what are you waiting for?

Timing Your Approach to “The Ask”

When asking for business, it’s important to recognize the right moment. Look for signals that indicate a contact might benefit from your services. These could include:

They’ve mentioned recurring legal challenges in their business.
They’ve expressed frustration with their current legal situation.
They’re entering a new phase of business growth.
They’ve asked detailed questions about your experience with specific issues.

In some cases, the right moment with a contact is right now. The need is obvious and glaring, and you have the solution, and now is the time to ask. In many other cases, the contact needs to be nurtured and more trust has to be established in the relationship. Be thoughtful about picking the right moment.

Different Approaches for Different Situations

“Making the ask” looks different depending on the circumstances. Here are a few ways to approach things, and keep in mind that the “ask” is oftentimes a request for further conversation.

The Direct Approach

This works well when you’ve identified a specific need: “Based on what you’ve shared about your upcoming transactional needs, I think our firm could provide valuable guidance. Would you be interested in scheduling a more formal discussion about how we might help?”

The Exploratory Approach

This approach is useful when you sense an opportunity but need more information: “You’ve mentioned several challenges around your supply contracts. I’d love to learn more about these issues and explore whether our expertise in this area might be helpful. Could we schedule a focused conversation about this?”

The Value-First Approach

This can be effective when you want to demonstrate expertise before asking: “That regulatory issue you mentioned — we recently helped another client navigate something similar. I’d be happy to share some insights about the approach we took. If helpful, we could discuss how this might apply to your situation.”

The Referral Follow-Up

Here’s an approach perfect for warm introductions: “John mentioned you might be interested in discussing your IP portfolio strategy. We’ve done extensive work in this area for similar companies. Would you like to explore how we might help strengthen your IP position?”

Handling the Response

Bringing in business requires developing a thick skin and getting comfortable hearing variations of “no” in response to your business development efforts. But keep in mind that “no” often means “not yet.” If a contact isn’t ready to move forward and hasn’t completely closed the door to working together, keep nurturing the relationship and look for future opportunities. Some responses you might hear:

“We’re happy with our current counsel.”

In response, you might say: “I understand completely. Would you be open to keeping in touch? I know that legal needs often evolve, and I’d welcome the opportunity to be a resource if your situation changes.”

“This isn’t the right time.”

Try to keep the conversation going in this situation: “I appreciate your candor. When would be a better time to revisit this conversation?”

“I need to discuss this with others.”

If you’re not dealing with the ultimate decision-maker, then provide some resources that help your contact position you well with their colleagues: “Of course. Would it be helpful if I provided some information about our experience in this area to share with your team?”

The key is maintaining the relationship and building momentum for future conversations. Every interaction, even those that don’t immediately lead to business, can move things forward.

Ready to Get Started?

Begin with situations where you feel most comfortable, perhaps with contacts you know well or in areas where your expertise is strongest. As you gain confidence, you’ll find that asking for business becomes a natural extension of your professional relationships, not a departure from them.

One of a Kind: A Proven Path to a Profitable Law Practice

BY JAY HARRINGTON

In today’s legal market, developing a profitable and consistent book of business requires a strategic approach. If you’re open to new ideas and are interested in growing your practice, this book is a great resource to kickstart the next stage in your career.

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