As a former school teacher I’ve had ample opportunity to be on both sides of reports cards – both getting grades, and giving them. When we were children, report cards are handed out primarily for our parents’ benefit. The further we go with our education, the less grading is for parents, but to give us as adults, a means to measure our successes … or failures.
Even though most of us have finished our formal education, and few of us measure our progress through life with grades, we continue to use numbers to measure our successes and achievements.
“How many pounds have I lost on this diet? How many days have I gone without smoking? How many miles did I walk? How much did I earn this year compared to years past?”
We know that an essential key to success is writing down one’s goals. But those who are successful also document their progress in a consistent way, so that their path to success can be adjusted if need be.
The Pipeline Focuser™, one of the LWP Five Key Focusers, provides a format to document weekly progress by tracking: 1) the number of initial or vision meetings scheduled each week; 2) the outcome of each of those meetings; and, 3) the total dollar amount of engagement agreement value for the week.
The Pipeline Focuser™ is probably the least understood focuser of the Five Key Focusers. But the information it captures documents an important aspect of your firm’s growth and is directly reflected in your monthly revenue.
Take a look at the sample, completed through the end of the week. Note how the focuser reflects the meetings on the firm’s calendar. This focuser is ready to be reviewed by the team in their weekly staff meeting, together with the focuser for next week, which will show the potential new clients and matters for next week. It will also indicate which prospects did not engage, and what further action may be needed (see the Follow-up Focuser™). Here is your firm’s weekly report card.
If your firm is not currently tracking this information, either through the Pipeline Focuser™, or some other system, I hope you will make this a part of your firm culture going forward.
If you want to learn more about Lawyers With Purpose and are interested in attending our Practice With Purpose Program to learn more about Medicaid, Asset Protection and VA, click here to register today to reserve your spot. We'll see you in Phoenix in October!
Nedra, Catale – Coaching, Consulting & Implementation, Lawyers With Purpose