{"id":132611,"date":"2025-09-04T15:35:31","date_gmt":"2025-09-04T23:35:31","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/xira.com\/p\/2025\/09\/04\/solving-the-formula-to-become-a-rainmaker\/"},"modified":"2025-09-04T15:35:31","modified_gmt":"2025-09-04T23:35:31","slug":"solving-the-formula-to-become-a-rainmaker","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/xira.com\/p\/2025\/09\/04\/solving-the-formula-to-become-a-rainmaker\/","title":{"rendered":"Solving The Formula To Become A Rainmaker"},"content":{"rendered":"
\"\"
<\/figcaption><\/figure>\n

My wife and I have become increasingly skeptical about television. I\u2019m guessing you have too. We\u2019re all on the same endless search for something, anything, worth watching. It\u2019s not just that so much of what\u2019s out there is junk. It\u2019s also that, once we figure out a show\u2019s formula, we\u2019re out.<\/p>\n

Spoiler alert: most writers follow formulas that carry a series from one season to the next. Maybe it\u2019s the \u201cProblem-Solution Cycle,\u201d where the core conflict resolves just in time to reset again. Or it\u2019s \u201cCharacter Arc Plus World Expansion,\u201d where the protagonist evolves through new dilemmas and settings.<\/p>\n

But here\u2019s the twist. While a predictable formula might ruin a good show, it\u2019s really the secret weapon for lawyers looking to grow their books of business. At the heart of every successful rainmaker is a formula, something they created, borrowed, or straight-up stole.<\/p>\n

For me, it started with wasting an absurd amount of time networking. I had no direction and no results, so I had to develop a formula out of pure necessity to reclaim my time and drive real business. In my second book, \u201cThe Attorney\u2019s Networking Handbook,\u201d I opened with a truth bomb: no one I knew had wasted more time networking than I had, and that still holds. So, I committed to fix it, get efficient, and build something that actually worked.<\/p>\n

For lawyers buried in billables who understand the value of their time, there\u2019s no reason to reinvent the wheel. A proven process beats winging it every time. While I can\u2019t share every formula I use with clients, I will give you one that captures the core of them all: Planning, Process, and Performance<\/strong>.<\/p>\n

Planning<\/strong>
You\u2019ve heard it: failing to plan is planning to fail. That saying exists for a reason. One of the first questions I ask prospective coaching clients is, \u201cDo you have a written plan?\u201d The most common answers? Either \u201cNo,\u201d or \u201cYes, the one my firm makes me write every year.\u201d Both responses usually explain why they\u2019re talking to me in the first place.<\/p>\n

A real plan, one that works, must be both strategic and tactical. It should clarify what you\u2019re doing to build business, where you\u2019re spending your time, and list the actual actions you\u2019ll take to produce results. Without it, you\u2019re flying blind.<\/p>\n

Process<\/strong>
This might be the most overlooked piece of the puzzle. You\u2019ve got processes for brushing your teeth and running a trial. But you don\u2019t have one for business development? That\u2019s a problem.<\/p>\n

I get it. You didn\u2019t learn this in law school, and you probably didn\u2019t sign up for it. But here you are. And if you want control, freedom, and long-term sustainability in private practice, building your own clients is nonnegotiable.<\/p>\n

The key is to become a student of the game. Read. Watch. Listen. Learn from people who have figured it out. Doing this will save you years of trial and error and build long-term wealth. If you\u2019re not sure where to start, check out my blog at fretzin.com\/blog<\/a>, my YouTube channel @stevefretzin, or any of my five books on Amazon. I give away plenty of secrets and processes to help you succeed.<\/p>\n

Performance<\/strong>
Even with a solid plan and process, execution is where most lawyers fall short. Performance is about showing up and getting it done, especially when things get busy. From interviewing hundreds of rainmakers on the \u201cBE THAT LAWYER\u201d podcast, one theme always comes up: consistency.<\/p>\n

Business development must be part of your weekly rhythm. Block time on your calendar for lunch meetings, events, or even just LinkedIn activity. Stick to your plan to avoid falling into the trap of \u201crandom acts of marketing.\u201d<\/p>\n

And don\u2019t forget the other side of performance: improvement. Ask yourself, do you have 10 years of business development experience, or one year of experience 10 times over? If you\u2019re not debriefing after calls and meetings to identify what went well or what tanked, you\u2019re likely repeating costly mistakes.<\/p>\n

Case in point: I recently evaluated a lawyer who wasn\u2019t asking enough, or the right, questions in prospective client meetings. After some quick math, we realized it had cost her millions in lost originations. Yes, it was a tough pill to swallow, but we agreed that the past is the past, and that her future earnings will look a whole lot different.<\/p>\n

There are formulas all around us, most we never think about. But when it comes to building business, my \u201cThree Ps\u201d haven\u2019t failed me or my clients. If you can commit to planning for success, following a process, and consistently performing and improving, business development becomes second nature.<\/p>\n

And if you\u2019re looking for direct help applying these ideas, shoot me a DM on LinkedIn or email me at steve@fretzin.com. I\u2019m here to help.<\/p>\n

\n

Steve Fretzin is a bestselling author, host of the BE THAT LAWYER Podcast, and business development coach exclusively for attorneys. Steve has committed his career to helping lawyers learn key growth skills not currently taught in law school. His clients soon become top rainmakers and credit Steve\u2019s program and coaching for their success. He can be reached directly by email at\u00a0<\/em><\/strong>steve@fretzin.com<\/em><\/strong><\/a>. Or you can easily find him on his website at\u00a0<\/em><\/strong>www.fretzin.com<\/em><\/strong><\/a>\u00a0or LinkedIn at\u00a0<\/em><\/strong>https:\/\/www.linkedin.com\/in\/stevefretzin\/<\/em><\/strong><\/a>.<\/em><\/strong><\/p>\n

The post Solving The Formula To Become A Rainmaker<\/a> appeared first on Above the Law<\/a>.<\/p>\n

\"\"
<\/figcaption><\/figure>\n

My wife and I have become increasingly skeptical about television. I\u2019m guessing you have too. We\u2019re all on the same endless search for something, anything, worth watching. It\u2019s not just that so much of what\u2019s out there is junk. It\u2019s also that, once we figure out a show\u2019s formula, we\u2019re out.<\/p>\n

Spoiler alert: most writers follow formulas that carry a series from one season to the next. Maybe it\u2019s the \u201cProblem-Solution Cycle,\u201d where the core conflict resolves just in time to reset again. Or it\u2019s \u201cCharacter Arc Plus World Expansion,\u201d where the protagonist evolves through new dilemmas and settings.<\/p>\n

But here\u2019s the twist. While a predictable formula might ruin a good show, it\u2019s really the secret weapon for lawyers looking to grow their books of business. At the heart of every successful rainmaker is a formula, something they created, borrowed, or straight-up stole.<\/p>\n

For me, it started with wasting an absurd amount of time networking. I had no direction and no results, so I had to develop a formula out of pure necessity to reclaim my time and drive real business. In my second book, \u201cThe Attorney\u2019s Networking Handbook,\u201d I opened with a truth bomb: no one I knew had wasted more time networking than I had, and that still holds. So, I committed to fix it, get efficient, and build something that actually worked.<\/p>\n

For lawyers buried in billables who understand the value of their time, there\u2019s no reason to reinvent the wheel. A proven process beats winging it every time. While I can\u2019t share every formula I use with clients, I will give you one that captures the core of them all: Planning, Process, and Performance<\/strong>.<\/p>\n

Planning<\/strong>
You\u2019ve heard it: failing to plan is planning to fail. That saying exists for a reason. One of the first questions I ask prospective coaching clients is, \u201cDo you have a written plan?\u201d The most common answers? Either \u201cNo,\u201d or \u201cYes, the one my firm makes me write every year.\u201d Both responses usually explain why they\u2019re talking to me in the first place.<\/p>\n

A real plan, one that works, must be both strategic and tactical. It should clarify what you\u2019re doing to build business, where you\u2019re spending your time, and list the actual actions you\u2019ll take to produce results. Without it, you\u2019re flying blind.<\/p>\n

Process<\/strong>
This might be the most overlooked piece of the puzzle. You\u2019ve got processes for brushing your teeth and running a trial. But you don\u2019t have one for business development? That\u2019s a problem.<\/p>\n

I get it. You didn\u2019t learn this in law school, and you probably didn\u2019t sign up for it. But here you are. And if you want control, freedom, and long-term sustainability in private practice, building your own clients is nonnegotiable.<\/p>\n

The key is to become a student of the game. Read. Watch. Listen. Learn from people who have figured it out. Doing this will save you years of trial and error and build long-term wealth. If you\u2019re not sure where to start, check out my blog at fretzin.com\/blog<\/a>, my YouTube channel @stevefretzin, or any of my five books on Amazon. I give away plenty of secrets and processes to help you succeed.<\/p>\n

Performance<\/strong>
Even with a solid plan and process, execution is where most lawyers fall short. Performance is about showing up and getting it done, especially when things get busy. From interviewing hundreds of rainmakers on the \u201cBE THAT LAWYER\u201d podcast, one theme always comes up: consistency.<\/p>\n

Business development must be part of your weekly rhythm. Block time on your calendar for lunch meetings, events, or even just LinkedIn activity. Stick to your plan to avoid falling into the trap of \u201crandom acts of marketing.\u201d<\/p>\n

And don\u2019t forget the other side of performance: improvement. Ask yourself, do you have 10 years of business development experience, or one year of experience 10 times over? If you\u2019re not debriefing after calls and meetings to identify what went well or what tanked, you\u2019re likely repeating costly mistakes.<\/p>\n

Case in point: I recently evaluated a lawyer who wasn\u2019t asking enough, or the right, questions in prospective client meetings. After some quick math, we realized it had cost her millions in lost originations. Yes, it was a tough pill to swallow, but we agreed that the past is the past, and that her future earnings will look a whole lot different.<\/p>\n

There are formulas all around us, most we never think about. But when it comes to building business, my \u201cThree Ps\u201d haven\u2019t failed me or my clients. If you can commit to planning for success, following a process, and consistently performing and improving, business development becomes second nature.<\/p>\n

And if you\u2019re looking for direct help applying these ideas, shoot me a DM on LinkedIn or email me at steve@fretzin.com. I\u2019m here to help.<\/p>\n

\n

Steve Fretzin is a bestselling author, host of the BE THAT LAWYER Podcast, and business development coach exclusively for attorneys. Steve has committed his career to helping lawyers learn key growth skills not currently taught in law school. His clients soon become top rainmakers and credit Steve\u2019s program and coaching for their success. He can be reached directly by email at\u00a0<\/em><\/strong>steve@fretzin.com<\/em><\/strong><\/a>. Or you can easily find him on his website at\u00a0<\/em><\/strong>www.fretzin.com<\/em><\/strong><\/a>\u00a0or LinkedIn at\u00a0<\/em><\/strong>https:\/\/www.linkedin.com\/in\/stevefretzin\/<\/em><\/strong><\/a>.<\/em><\/strong><\/p>\n

The post Solving The Formula To Become A Rainmaker<\/a> appeared first on Above the Law<\/a>.<\/p>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"

My wife and I have become increasingly skeptical about television. I\u2019m guessing you have too. We\u2019re all on the same endless search for something, anything, worth watching. It\u2019s not just that so much of what\u2019s out there is junk. It\u2019s also that, once we figure out a show\u2019s formula, we\u2019re out. Spoiler alert: most writers […]<\/p>\n","protected":false},"author":3,"featured_media":132612,"comment_status":"","ping_status":"","sticky":false,"template":"","format":"standard","meta":{"_et_pb_use_builder":"","_et_pb_old_content":"","_et_gb_content_width":"","_jetpack_memberships_contains_paid_content":false,"footnotes":""},"categories":[16],"tags":[],"class_list":["post-132611","post","type-post","status-publish","format-standard","has-post-thumbnail","hentry","category-above_the_law"],"jetpack_featured_media_url":"https:\/\/i0.wp.com\/xira.com\/p\/wp-content\/uploads\/2025\/09\/Biglaw-bonus-money-lawyer-associate-woman-female-cash-raining-1-1-14jsEE.jpg?fit=443%2C301&ssl=1","jetpack_sharing_enabled":true,"_links":{"self":[{"href":"https:\/\/xira.com\/p\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/132611","targetHints":{"allow":["GET"]}}],"collection":[{"href":"https:\/\/xira.com\/p\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts"}],"about":[{"href":"https:\/\/xira.com\/p\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/types\/post"}],"author":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/xira.com\/p\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/users\/3"}],"replies":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/xira.com\/p\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/comments?post=132611"}],"version-history":[{"count":0,"href":"https:\/\/xira.com\/p\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/132611\/revisions"}],"wp:featuredmedia":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/xira.com\/p\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media\/132612"}],"wp:attachment":[{"href":"https:\/\/xira.com\/p\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media?parent=132611"}],"wp:term":[{"taxonomy":"category","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/xira.com\/p\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/categories?post=132611"},{"taxonomy":"post_tag","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/xira.com\/p\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/tags?post=132611"}],"curies":[{"name":"wp","href":"https:\/\/api.w.org\/{rel}","templated":true}]}}