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In March, Godfrey & Kahn kicked off its fifth annual AKINA Business Development Coaching Program, an intensive three-month program offered to senior associates and junior shareholders. The program helps attorneys identify and concentrate their efforts on those opportunities most likely to generate business. Its underlying focus is to build the firm and its practice areas as a team by developing and leveraging internal relationships.

This year, the firm welcomes Tracy LaLonde, Partner of AKINA Corporation, who will be teaming up with Godfrey & Kahn to help the firm's attorneys develop and leverage authentic relationships through marketing strategies. Tracy helps lawyers, practice groups and law firms develop sustainable skills in business development, as well as in leadership and communication.

Program Format
The program incorporates highly interactive group workshops and personalized coaching. Attorneys start by discussing their individual needs with the trainer so the program can be tailored to focus on those issues. The program consists of three half-day group workshops covering the following topics:

Session 1: Target market, messaging and relationship building. Participants answer the question, "What do you do?" in a simple and memorable way.

Session 2: Selling. Participants think about the actual person who will be requesting specific legal services and answer the question, "Why would this person call you?"

Session 3: Cross-selling and client service. Participants segment their lists of clients, prospects and contacts into groups by importance, and then build custom selling plans for each segment. The objective is to maximize the attorney's return on investment.

Additionally, Tracy meets with participants every week for one-on-one coaching sessions. By the end of the program, participants will have developed a marketing plan that will help them grow their practices using the strategies developed in the program. Members of Godfrey & Kahn's marketing team who are familiar with the Akina methods provide additional support and resources as participants work to accomplish their goals.

By the end of the program, most participants are able to recognize their greatest assets and opportunities to build a book of business. Past participants agree they have learned skills they can continue to use well beyond the program to keep growing their practices.