A Closer's Coffee

Part 1 of this series on Lawyer Personality and Profits gave an overview of the results from the various psychological studies that have been conducted on law firm lawyers and how they compare to the general population. In Part 2 we will consider what aspects of the classic lawyer personality correlate to successful rainmaker traits.

Sales professionals (according to Caliper) possess high self-esteem, are impatient, assertive, creative, effective risk takers, and sociable. Here are the Caliper definitions for these select traits:

1. Resilience is the characteristic of healthy self-esteem that allows someone to bounce back after a setback or rejection. Since lawyers often hear “no” and rarely “yes” in the client acquisition process a strong self-concept is essential to success.
2. Urgency is the characteristic to push to get things done now rather than later. This is essential in the selling process because time kills deals. The longer a process is the more likely a new variable will emerge causing the business to flow in a different direction.
3. Ego Drive/Persuasion is the characteristic to always need to win others over to our way of seeing things. It speaks to an inner competitiveness to persuade and influence. Like Alec Baldwin’s character in Glenngarry Glen Ross, the ego driven person is practicing his ABCs: Always Be Closing! A true ego drive personality enjoys playing the devil’s advocate, as it is more important to win the argument than to advance a particular point of view.
4. Assertiveness speaks to the ability to express an unpopular point of view in a strong and confident way. Salespersons are often told in a direct and confrontational way that their goods and services are unneeded. Sales pros have the ability to maintain composure and not wilt under pressure. They possess the inner strength to make their case, and never to acquiesce to the temptation to agree to the prospect’s point of view. Oftentimes it is the person with the stronger frame of reference that will ultimately decide who wins the business or not.
5. Risk Taking is the attribute of knowing how to take well-calculated risks, where the upside is good and the downside is minimal, or at least where the odds are good. This attribute also speaks to one’s ability to try new approaches and discard old ones that have faded in effectiveness. Early adaptors, or those who are willing to try new technologies and methods, are an example of those who have a healthy risk taking profile.
6. Sociability is the preference to enjoy making new friends, and spending time with others on a one-on-one basis. Since rainmaking is about relationships sociability is a very helpful attribute.
7. Abstract Reasoning/Creativity is the ability to form theories about the nature of things, and is required to provide thought-based solutions to complex problems. Since selling is about finding innovative solutions to complex problems, those who demonstrate a high level of abstract reasoning will be more inclined to win the business. Creativity speaks to those areas outside of Abstract Reasoning such as the ability to take a fresh perspective on a sticky problem, develop new ideas, and use other capabilities such as intuition in finding new solutions.
8. Skepticism is a surprising quality top sales producers possess insofar as they are suspicious and do not easily trust. This keeps the rainmaker engaged throughout the entire sales process, and alert to any dangers that may emerge. Suspicious of the motives of others; a healthy dose of skepticism goes hand in hand with good judgment.
9. Empathy is the ability to predict the reaction of another person’s emotional response to a situation without necessarily agreeing with their point of view. Highly empathic persons are able to gauge the other person and tailor their approach consistent with the client’s preferences.

Lawyers typically posses the following traits consistent with top producing salespersons: Urgency, Persuasion, Abstract Reasoning/Creativity, and Skepticism. In some cases lawyers are also Resilient, Assertive, and Empathetic. Natural rainmakers will possess these characteristics in the right proportions. What is not clearly understood in law firms (but is a well know fact in professional sales circles) is that certain persons, who have not been blessed with the perfect combination of traits, are nonetheless successful when they cultivate their strengths and ameliorate their weaknesses.

Since humans are humans, and not bred like Golden Retrievers, they rarely have every single characteristic in the right proportion. But if they have one or two dominant rainmaker traits, and find a way to compensate in areas where they are less gifted, a formula can be developed for success in the client acquisition process. If a rainmaker wannabe were strongly Urgent and Persuasive and was careful to proceed cautiously with the feelings of others, combined with good sales metrics –this could be a winning combination for success in rainmaking. There are many possible successful combinations because selling is a human activity, and therefore many possibilities exist for success. The real issue is whether we are willing take on our weaknesses, and install a consistent discipline to keep them in check.

For example, one sticking point for many lawyers is a low score on the Sociability scale, or the desire for interpersonal contact with a wide variety of persons including strangers. Since this trait is highly correlated with success in rainmaking it is incumbent on the lawyer if he or she is determined for rainmaking success, to address this issue. Here is my One Minute Solution for Sociability success:

1. No negative self talk such as “I don’t like meeting strangers” or “I hate small talk” or “I’m no good in social situations” if you say such negative things about yourself you are guaranteed of self-fulfilled prophecy. Start speaking and thinking about yourself in a more positive way. “I am really improving my social skills, and networking is starting to be a lot more fun for me.”
2. Track your numbers such as number of business cards collected, new contacts on LinkedIn, number of strangers with whom you initiated any sort of conversation, etc. Selling is essentially a math game like baseball so you need to have adequate numbers to have any chance of success. Natural rainmakers are constantly making conversation with others and if you imitate this behavior you will get good results.
3. Improve your social skills by paying attention to the reactions of others. Watch their faces and overall body language and look for good reactions. Stop doing the things that piss people off, and do the things that make them feel good about themselves. Read books on this subject. Get a wingman with superb social skills to help coach you.

Let’s keep in mind that few successful rainmakers possess the perfect combination of personality traits necessary for big success in client development. In my experience many successful rainmakers have two or three of the important traits, and possess the determination to succeed. These studied, dogged pluggers are often able to outperform the naturally gifted who lack a consistent work ethic. Keep in mind Aesop’s fable, The Tortoise and the Hare.

Tags: Calper Personality Profile, Hildebrandt, Hogan Assessment Project, lawyer psychological profile, Martin Seligman, networking, personality profiles, rainmaker