Happy New Year! Hopefully my readers are in full swing thinking about their revenue goals and rainmaking plans for 2016. Many of you in the tax preparation world are taking those last few deep breaths, doing a little networking and getting prepared for the busy season onslaught. Those of you not in tax are also busy with year-end financial reporting and possible new projects for the new year. Unfortunately, busy season and busy season mindset is not conducive to consistently generating revenue and staying on a plan for rainmaking in the upcoming months. I’ve talked before about a consistent plan. And coming off of that plan for 2 ½ months isn’t a great option.
The Elephant
The elephant in the room around this is our time restraints. It just stands to reason that during busy times we are not as focused on generating more revenue. Our mindset is that we barely have bandwidth to do the work in front of us in the next few weeks – let alone taking on additional work. But, it’s also important to remember that the work we do today on rainmaking activity will bring us revenue down the road. And, consequently, if we don’t engage in some outreach activities, we may be short of our revenue goals later in the year. Good rainmakers are always looking out for the next project, because it’ll be nice to have some revenue in June and July too! But that hourglass sits there with its sand draining, and you let yourself off the hook regarding your outreach activities because it is busy season.
Think Differently
If you want to be a rainmaker today and in the future, you have to think differently. Once you’ve practiced it and you’re really at the rainmaker level, you’ll be bringing in business and delegating it. Obviously there’s a balance, but you will be viewed differently within the firm if you are generating sales rather than simply doing work. If you are a sole proprietor (and not reporting to someone else about your Rainmaking prowess), and you have more work than you can do – think about hiring someone. This is really where you need to ask yourself about your motivation. Do you want to take the next step and be viewed as a Rainmaker in your firm or for yourself? This is where the rubber meets the road.
So, yes, I’m suggesting that even when you’re at your busiest – carve out some time to intentionally go to meetings and do some networking. Pick your events carefully so you don’t waste your valuable time. If you are a tax person, sure, you’ll go to fewer events in February and March than you will in May or June, but enough to keep the networking touches going. Also, keep in mind that you can do some networking with existing clients during your one-on-one tax return planning meetings and begin planting the seeds for follow up projects in a few months. The key is, don’t take a complete break from rainmaking activities during busy season because you’ll find yourself behind in May and June. You might even find that getting out of the office a little bit during your craziest time gives you some needed energy from some people that are NOT in “busy season mode”.
In short, as you think about your Rainmaking strategy for 2016, make sure you build in small chunks of networking time even during your busy season so that you don’t get too far behind. That elephant is going to continue to take up space if you let him.
