The Rainmaking Podcast

By Scott LoveBusiness Entrepreneurship Marketing

The Rainmaking Podcast episodes

October 15TRP 350: Value Creation Through Strategic Alliances with Kyle Harkema
Every two weeks, the business development tactics top lawyers use are free at therainmakingmagazine.com
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Most strategic alliances look perfect on paper. Six months in, they’re falling apart — and nobody knows why.
Dr. Kyle Harkema is the author of Strategic Clarity: The Practical Method for Transforming Vision into Results and a scholar-practitioner with a doctorate in business administration. In this episode, he joins Scott Love to break down why alliances fail — and the exact behavioral framework leaders need to build partnerships that actually deliver.
What you’ll learn:
Why alliances fail even when the strategic logic is sound — and what’s really going wrong

The one sentence that reveals whether your alliance is ready: “Because we’re working together, our customer can now ___”

The 5 trust-building questions every alliance must answer before work begins

Why lagging KPIs (revenue, EBITDA) are the wrong place to start — and what leading indicators to watch instead

The warning signs that a partnership is breaking down: multiplying meetings, slowing decisions, and information that stops flowing cleanly

When and how to structure revenue share, licensing, or a joint venture spin-off

Why a contract preserves the friendship — and how to structure one that holds up when priorities conflict

How to identify the right alliance partner: complementarity, incentive compatibility, and behavioral alignment

The “set it and forget it” trap — and why every alliance needs a semi-annual check-in at minimum

3 action steps: define your joint value proposition, build a strategic decision framework, and measure the behaviors that create value
Visit: https://therainmakingpodcast.com/
YouTube: https://youtu.be/_E7xsyl4xa0
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If you are a successful law firm partner or law firm founder and want to hear about other options, please book a time on Scott Love's calendar here:
https://attorneysearchgroup.com/schedule
Or email Scott to connect with him at: [email protected]
📅 Monthly webinars for transactional partners: RainmakingSeminars.com
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This podcast is sponsored by SurePoint Legal Insights (formerly known as Leopard Solutions)–turning legal intelligence into opportunity.
For a free demo, visit this link: https://surepoint.com/legal-insights/
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About Kyle Harkema:
Kyle Harkema is the author of Strategic Clarity: the practical method for transforming vision into results. This book is a research-backed diagnostic mirror that decodes how your company truly thinks, listens, and acts. Because strategy lives in behavior—not plans.
Dr. Kyle Harkema, DBA, MBA, is a distinguished scholar-practitioner with a wealth of experience at the intersection of academia and industry. With an academic foundation built on rigorous study and research, combined with extensive practical experience in the business world, Dr. Harkema epitomizes the modern scholar-practitioner—a professional who not only understands theoretical frameworks but also knows how
to apply them in real-world contexts.

Links:
https://www.kylejharkema.com/
https://www.youtube.com/@KyleJHarkema
https://www.amazon.com/Strategic-Clarity-Practical-Transforming-Results/dp/B0GSSFW28Z/ref=sr_1_1?crid=2JLLWIRMP1RUR&dib=eyJ2IjoiMSJ9.UR4TNoOVMfqJ_fvS4GMcOBOoA1bE6XarRTdlIr2fLZ4.7bK32nKomY_dIBRWCAAvsOJGqGgJfdVkX6xM0FIBQN4&dib_tag=se&keywords=strategic+clarity+harkema&qid=1791577862&sbm=true&setroute=search&sprefix=strategic+clarit%2Caps%2C148&sr=8-1

Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices
25 min
October 13TRP 349: The Transactional Partner’s BD Advantage: How Corporate, Finance & Real Estate Lawyers Win More Business with Ryan Grelecki
Every two weeks, the business development tactics top lawyers use are free at therainmakingmagazine.com
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Corporate, finance, and real estate partners have a business development advantage most of them never fully leverage. Ryan Grelecki is here to change that.
Ryan Grelecki is a global consultant and master GrowBIG® facilitator at Bunnell Idea Group — one of the most respected BD consulting firms in the legal industry. In this episode, he joins Scott Love for a webinar built specifically for transactional lawyers: deal lawyers, corporate partners, finance and real estate attorneys who are ready to turn their built-in advantages into a real business development system.
What you’ll learn:
Why transactional lawyers have 4 structural BD advantages that litigators simply don’t have

The mere exposure effect: why frequency of contact is one of the most powerful forces in relationship-building

Who to target in every deal — not just clients, but strategic partners who become referral engines

The “protomoi” framework: how to identify the 5–10 relationships most critical to your practice growth

Why a face-to-face ask is 34x more effective than email — and how to use that inside every deal

White space analysis: how to mine your existing clients for work you’re not getting yet

What “earned dogmatism” is — and why becoming an expert can actually close you off to growth

The give-to-get investment: how to design a low-risk, high-value experience that earns the right to ask for work

The 4 C’s of conference attendance: Clarity, Connect, Converse, Commit — and why 75% of the work happens before you arrive

How to build BD habits that survive busy seasons — the MIT framework and the no-zero-days system

3 action steps for transactional partners ready to build a real pipeline
Visit: https://therainmakingpodcast.com/
YouTube: https://youtu.be/MIsxplvDHuU
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If you are a successful law firm partner or law firm founder and want to hear about other options, please book a time on Scott Love's calendar here:
https://attorneysearchgroup.com/schedule
Or email Scott to connect with him at: [email protected]

📅 Monthly webinars for transactional partners: RainmakingSeminars.com
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This podcast is sponsored by SurePoint Legal Insights (formerly known as Leopard Solutions)–turning legal intelligence into opportunity.
For a free demo, visit this link: https://surepoint.com/legal-insights/
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About Ryan Grelecki:
Ryan C. Grelecki, J.D., is a global consultant and master GrowBIG® facilitator & coach at Bunnell Idea Group, where he helps professionals in the legal, consulting, insurance, and other industries build the skills to grow client relationships and win new business. He specializes in designing relationship-focused, give-first BD curricula and 1:1 executive coaching experiences that turn technical experts into confident rainmakers.

Links:
https://www.linkedin.com/in/ryangrelecki/
https://bunnellideagroup.com/

Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices
32 min
October 08TRP 348: After a Merger: How to Build Trust and Collaboration with Dr. Heidi Gardner
Every two weeks, the business development tactics top lawyers use are free at therainmakingmagazine.com
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Most law firm mergers fail to deliver on their promise. Not because the financials were wrong — but because nobody did the cultural due diligence.
Dr. Heidi Gardner is a Distinguished Fellow at Harvard Law School, former Harvard Business School professor, McKinsey consultant, and author of two best-selling books — Smart Collaboration and Smarter Collaboration — both published by Harvard Business Press. She leads Gardner & Co., a research and advisory firm that helps professional services leaders turn collaboration into client growth. In this episode, Dr. Gardner joins Scott Love to break down exactly why post-merger trust and collaboration fail — and what leaders must do differently before, during, and after a combination.
What you'll learn:
Why mergers fail more often than not — and what "working" actually means from a client's perspective

The cultural due diligence most firms skip entirely — and the data you should be asking to see before signing

The two flavors of trust that are both essential for collaboration: competence trust and character trust

Why homophily — the instinct to affiliate with your own tribe — is the silent killer of post-merger integration

How to use data to identify collaboration leaders vs. islands — before and after a merger

Why "not every dollar is a good dollar" — and what a sticky, strategic dollar actually looks like

The difference between leading and lagging indicators of merger success — and which ones to track quarterly

Why hero-worship success stories backfire — and the less sexy story that's actually more valuable to tell

What the Smarter Collaboration Profile psychometric reveals about partnership blind spots and bifurcated cultures

Why law firms absolutely do not invest enough in leadership development — and what that costs them

3 action steps: visit SmartCollaboration.com, get curious about your clients, and examine your collaboration network
Visit: https://therainmakingpodcast.com/
YouTube: https://youtu.be/td3QJm__7Ig
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If you are a successful law firm partner or law firm founder and want to hear about other options, please book a time on Scott Love's calendar here:
https://attorneysearchgroup.com/schedule
Or email Scott to connect with him at: [email protected]
----------------------------------------
This podcast is sponsored by SurePoint Legal Insights (formerly known as Leopard Solutions)–turning legal intelligence into opportunity.
For a free demo, visit this link: https://surepoint.com/legal-insights/
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About Dr. Heidi Gardner:
Dr. Heidi Gardner authored two best-selling books Smart Collaboration and Smarter Collaboration, published by Harvard Business Press. A Distinguished Fellow at Harvard Law School, she was previously a professor at Harvard Business School, a consultant at McKinsey & Co., and manager at P&G. She presently leads the research and advisory firm Gardner & Co., and has lived and worked on four continents. She helps professional service firm leaders turn collaboration into client growth and sustained performance.

Links:
https://www.linkedin.com/in/heidi-k-gardner-ab5b825/
smartercollaboration.com
https://www.amazon.com/s?k=smarter+collaboration&crid=3AHLKBDCRF21B&sprefix=smarter+collaboration+%2Caps%2C122&ref=nb_sb_noss_2

Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices
32 min
October 06TRP 347: Career Assessment for Law Firm Partners with Scott Love
Every two weeks, the business development tactics top lawyers use are free at therainmakingmagazine.com
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Every year, around bonus and distribution season, law firm partners ask themselves the same question: is it time to make a move?
In this solo cast, Scott Love — legal recruiter with 30+ years in the industry and specialist in corporate and finance partner placements — walks through the 10-category career assessment framework he uses with partners every day. If you've ever wondered whether your current firm is still the right fit, this episode gives you a structured, honest way to think it through.
What you'll learn:
The 10 categories that determine whether a partner should consider a move — from leadership confidence to long-term personal fulfillment

Why most partners leave for one of two reasons — and how to identify which one applies to you

The 1–10 satisfaction scale: what a six or below actually means for your next step

Why "I'm not asking you to leave — I'm asking you to have a 30-minute conversation" is the right frame

The "rule it out, then rule it in" approach to evaluating another firm without overcommitting

How to use a personal journal to track your diligence at each round without losing perspective

Why the most important question isn't which firm pays more — it's which firm is best for your clients

What the LPQ process actually looks like — and how Scott's team helps partners navigate it

The free resource at partnersonthemove.com: flowcharts, quizzes, ethics guidance, compensation info, and more — no registration required

When to reach out to Scott directly — even if you're not sure you're looking
Visit: https://therainmakingpodcast.com/
YouTube: https://youtu.be/erxMA31lttg
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If you are a successful law firm partner or law firm founder and want to hear about other options, please book a time on Scott Love's calendar here:
https://attorneysearchgroup.com/schedule
Or email Scott to connect with him at: [email protected]
----------------------------------------
This podcast is sponsored by SurePoint Legal Insights (formerly known as Leopard Solutions)–turning legal intelligence into opportunity.
For a free demo, visit this link: https://surepoint.com/legal-insights/
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About Scott Love:
Scott Love is a legal recruiter solely focused on recruiting corporate and finance partners for global law firms in major markets. He is the host of The Rainmaking Podcast, co-author of Rainmaker Confidential, and speaks professionally at conferences on sales, client development, and recruiting.
📘 Book: Rainmaker Confidential — RainmakerConfidential.com
📖 Rainmaking Magazine: free complimentary subscription at TheRainmakingMagazine.com
🎓 Free Webinars: RainmakingSeminars.com
🌐 Free resource for partners: partnersonthemove.com — no registration required

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21 min
October 01TRP 346: The Rainmaker's Voice: How Professionals Turn Expertise into Trust with Paul Marchegiani
Every two weeks, the business development tactics top lawyers use are free at therainmakingmagazine.com
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You can have the best legal mind in the room and still lose the pitch. What separates the attorneys who win business from those who don't often has nothing to do with the quality of their work — and everything to do with how they show up.
Paul Marchegiani is the founder and CEO of Vox Vera®, a performance skills consultancy that trains lawyers, executives, and public figures in presence, voice, and spoken communication. A former BigLaw litigator, 15-year Hollywood dealmaker at Warner Bros., NBCUniversal, Miramax, and Amazon Studios, trained opera singer, actor, and the only U.S. lawyer to hold a P.R.A. teaching certification from Patsy Rodenburg, Emeritus Director of Voice at the Royal Shakespeare Company — Paul brings a perspective on communication that no one else in the legal world can.
What you'll learn:
Why legal training produces brilliant writers and analytical thinkers — and what it costs them in a pitch room

What clients are actually evaluating when law firms present (it's not just the law)

Why introvert vs. extrovert is the wrong frame — and what to think about instead

What Paul learned negotiating 1,000+ deals in Hollywood that applies directly to legal business development

How tensions in the body become credibility leaks — and how to spot and release them

What presence actually is (and why the Royal Shakespeare Company's approach changes everything)

Why getting in your head about how you're coming across is the worst thing you can do while speaking

The CEO nonprofit case study: one session, one board presentation, and feedback they'd never received before

Why poetry has a place in the practice of law — and how working with heightened language makes you a better communicator

3 action steps to start developing your Rainmaker's voice right now
Visit: https://therainmakingpodcast.com/
YouTube: https://youtu.be/XRXsJ_maA7Y
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If you are a successful law firm partner or law firm founder and want to hear about other options, please book a time on Scott Love's calendar here:
https://calendly.com/scott-736/half-hour-phone-meeting-with-scott
Or email Scott to connect with him at: [email protected]
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This podcast is sponsored by SurePoint Legal Insights (formerly known as Leopard Solutions)–turning legal intelligence into opportunity.
For a free demo, visit this link: https://surepoint.com/legal-insights/
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About Paul Marchegiani:
Paul Marchegiani ("mar-keh-JAH-nee") is a Los Angeles-based performance coach, former in-house entertainment lawyer and BigLaw litigator, and Founder/CEO of Vox Vera® — a premium performance skills consultancy that trains lawyers, executives, and public figures in presence, voice, and spoken communication. Prior to launching Vox Vera, Paul worked for over 15 years in Hollywood as a client-side studio executive at Warner Bros., NBCUniversal, Miramax, and Amazon Studios. He began his legal career as a litigator at Orrick and Morrison & Foerster after receiving his J.D. from U.C. Berkeley. Paul is an experienced stage performer and the only U.S. lawyer and senior business executive to hold a P.R.A. teaching certification from Patsy Rodenburg, Emeritus Director of Voice at the Royal Shakespeare Company. He teaches communication skills at Stanford Law School, Berkeley Law, and the University of Chicago Law School.

Links:
https://www.voxvera.com
https://www.linkedin.com/in/paulmarchegiani/

Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices
28 min
September 29TRP 345: Lateral Partner Hiring & Integration with Shireen Hilal
Every two weeks, the business development tactics top lawyers use are free at therainmakingmagazine.com
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Half of all lateral partner hires don't last. That's not a recruiting problem. It's a vetting, compensation, and integration problem — and most law firms are making the same mistakes at every stage.
Shireen Hilal is the CEO of Maior and a former COO of a national law firm where she drove +20% revenue and +30% profits per partner. She's also a former AmLaw 50 litigator and has led strategy for a $1B division at KPMG. In this Sometimes Tuesdays episode, Shireen joins Scott Love to break down exactly why lateral partner hiring goes wrong — and what firms and candidates can do differently.
What you'll learn:
Why the LPQ (lateral partner questionnaire) is not enough — and what you need to do instead

How to assess the real portability of a book of business (hint: headline revenue is the last thing to look at)

Why cultural fit isn't a soft factor — and how to assess it with the same rigor as financials

The "coloring in the lines vs. entrepreneurial" framework for diagnosing cultural misalignment before it happens

What actually comes out at dinner vs. a 45-minute Zoom — and why in-person matters for expensive hires

Why confirmation bias derails lateral hiring decisions — and a simple fix that adds real data

What the onboarding vs. integration distinction means — and why giving someone a password is not integration

The trend Shireen is hoping becomes standard: tying a sponsoring partner's year-end metrics to the success of their lateral hire

What candidates should ask that no one thinks to ask — including talking to a recently acclimated lateral partner

3 action steps across vetting, comp, and integration to immediately improve your lateral hiring outcomes

Free resource: Shireen's one-sheet of the right late-stage questions to ask — reach out to her directly via the show notes
Visit: https://therainmakingpodcast.com/
YouTube: https://youtu.be/z5ZdvcjrdA8
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If you are a successful law firm partner or law firm founder and want to hear about other options, please book a time on Scott Love's calendar here:
https://calendly.com/scott-736/half-hour-phone-meeting-with-scott
Or email Scott to connect with him at: [email protected]
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This podcast is sponsored by SurePoint Legal Insights (formerly known as Leopard Solutions)–turning legal intelligence into opportunity.
For a free demo, visit this link: https://surepoint.com/legal-insights/
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About Shireen Hilal:
Shireen Hilal is the CEO of Maior, where she helps law firms build better strategies and improve operations. Shireen founded Maior after two decades in law and professional services, including practicing as a litigator in AmLaw 50 firms, serving as the COO of a national law firm (+20% revenue and +30% profits per partner during her tenure), leading strategy for a $1B division of KPMG, and building change programs at BDO. Shireen also writes columns for Law360 and Today's Managing Partner.

Links:
Maior's website: https://www.maiorconsultants.com/
Shireen's LinkedIn: https://www.linkedin.com/in/shireenhilal/

Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices
30 min
September 24TRP 344: Cross-Selling in Professional Services Firms with Rebecca Hnatowski
Most law firms say they want to cross-sell. Few have the internal foundation to actually make it happen.
Rebecca Hnatowski is the founder of Edwards Advisory and a specialist in cross-selling strategy and lateral integration for law firms and professional services organizations. In this episode, she joins Scott Love to break down why cross-selling initiatives stall — and exactly what has to be in place before the first client conversation ever happens.
What you'll learn:
Why "let's cross-sell" without internal groundwork almost always fails

The trust problem at the root of most cross-selling breakdowns — and how to fix it

Why partners refuse to share clients (and how origination credit structures make it worse)

How to build a manageable cross-sell target list from data your firm already has

A gap analysis framework: how to identify which clients have unmet legal needs in other practice areas

How to use AI (including Claude and ChatGPT) to research target clients and identify opportunities in minutes

When to bring in an external consultant vs. handle cross-selling initiatives internally

How a post-merger integration timeline affects cross-selling readiness — and when to wait

How to turn a target list into actual client strategy conversations (including the perfect year-end ask)

Why leaderboards and internal competition keep cross-selling initiatives alive past the first six months

3 action steps to start building a real cross-selling program at your firm today
Visit: https://therainmakingpodcast.com/
YouTube: https://youtu.be/7dBb6ypgRvU
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If you are a successful law firm partner or law firm founder and want to hear about other options, please book a time on Scott Love's calendar here:
https://calendly.com/scott-736/half-hour-phone-meeting-with-scott
Or email Scott to connect with him at: [email protected]
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🎙️ The Rainmaking Magazine helps lawyers, consultants, and professional service providers build thriving practices through smarter business development.
📖 Subscribe to Rainmaking Magazine — free complimentary subscription: https://www.rainmakingmagazine.com
----------------------------------------
This podcast is sponsored by SurePoint Legal Insights (formerly known as Leopard Solutions)–turning legal intelligence into opportunity.
For a free demo, visit this link: https://surepoint.com/legal-insights/
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About Rebecca Hnatowski:
Rebecca Hnatowski is the founder of Edwards Advisory, LLC, where she helps law firms and lawyers turn relationships into opportunities for growth. Drawing on nearly 20 years of in-house legal marketing and business development experience, she helps firms put cross-selling into practice by strengthening internal relationships, identifying client needs, and connecting colleagues' capabilities to those opportunities. Through tailored strategies, interactive workshops, and coaching and accountability, Rebecca helps attorneys follow through — and helps firms make more of the talent and relationships they already have.

Links:
Learn more at: edwardsadvisory.com
https://www.linkedin.com/in/rebeccahnatowski/

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29 min
September 17TRP 343: Can Trust be Measured? with Kim Bohr
Everyone says trust matters. Kim Bohr can prove it — with data.
Kim Bohr is President and CEO of SparkEffect and the researcher behind the State of Organizational Trust™ — a national study that shows trust directly impacts revenue, reputation, and retention. In this episode, Kim joins Scott Love to answer the question most leaders never think to ask: can trust actually be measured? And if so, what do you do with the answer?
What you'll learn:
Why trust is a measurable, tangible asset — and how SparkEffect's Trust Performance Index proves it

The 5 domains of organizational trust: strategic clarity, psychological safety, relational continuity, technology trust, and fairness

Why 85% of organizations experienced a significant disruption in the last 24 months — and why most leaders aren't equipped to handle it

The finding that will reframe how you think about change: disruption handled well can actually increase trust above baseline

What micro-disruptions are — and why ignoring them is silently fracturing your team

The difference between engagement surveys and real trust measurement (and why most surveys get it wrong)

What "doing nothing" costs organizations in customer trust vs. those who respond well (91% vs. 30%)

How one leadership team went from consistently low trust scores to an upswing — and what had to change first

The 5 everyday practices that build trust on the ground, starting tomorrow

3 action steps for leaders who want to turn trust into a competitive differentiator
Visit: https://therainmakingpodcast.com/
YouTube: https://youtu.be/MRdQ5gmgzpU
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If you are a successful law firm partner or law firm founder and want to hear about other options, please book a time on Scott Love's calendar here:
https://calendly.com/scott-736/half-hour-phone-meeting-with-scott
Or email Scott to connect with him at: [email protected]
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🎙️ The Rainmaking Magazine helps lawyers, consultants, and professional service providers build thriving practices through smarter business development.
📖 Subscribe to Rainmaking Magazine — free complimentary subscription: https://www.rainmakingmagazine.com
----------------------------------------
This podcast is sponsored by SurePoint Legal Insights (formerly known as Leopard Solutions)–turning legal intelligence into opportunity.
For a free demo, visit this link: https://surepoint.com/legal-insights/
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About Kim Bohr:
Kim Bohr is President and CEO of SparkEffect, where she leads the firm in helping Fortune 1000 companies and emerging enterprises navigate disruption without fracturing trust. With over 25 years of executive experience, Kim and her team partner with leaders, Boards, and CEOs on strategy, talent, and organizational performance. Kim is a published author, host of the Courage to Advance podcast, and a sought-after keynote speaker whose talks draw directly from SparkEffect's proprietary research on the State of Organizational Trust™.

https://sparkeffect.com/rainmaking
2026 State of Organizational Trust report: https://info.sparkeffect.com/trust
Kim's LinkedIn: https://www.linkedin.com/in/kimbohr/
Kim's Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/kimbohr_sparkeffect/
SparkEffect LinkedIn: https://www.linkedin.com/company/sparkeffect/
SparkEffect Facebook: https://www.facebook.com/profile.php?id=61555355996682
SparkEffect Instagram: https://instagram.com/@sparkeffect_
SparkEffect YouTube: https://www.youtube.com/@WeAreSparkEffect
Courage to Advance podcast: https://sparkeffect.com/sparkeffect-podcast-courage-to-advance/

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27 min
September 15TRP 342: [Legal] What Would Private Equity Do? With Brad Blickstein
Most law firm leaders reject private equity on principle. But what if you could use the PE playbook to grow your firm — without taking a single dollar of outside money?
Brad Blickstein is a legal industry futurist, founder of Blickstein Group, and author of What Would Private Equity Do? Unlocking Value in the Law Firm You Already Own. In this episode, Brad joins Scott Love to break down exactly what private equity would do to professionalize business development, pricing, and accountability at a law firm — and why every managing partner should be asking this question whether or not they ever plan to sell.
What you'll learn:
Why you don't need a PE fund to apply the PE playbook — and what that playbook actually looks like

Why pricing is the lowest-hanging fruit at most firms (and why too many decisions are made by instinct)

What "eminence marketing" is — and why it's not the same as pipeline management

Why law firm business development is still largely episodic and partner-dependent — and how to systematize it

The heresy that will make some partners hit pause: "Clients are firm assets, not partner-owned"

Why the origination credit model is the #1 structural barrier to cross-selling — and what to do about it

How PE-backed portfolio companies manage their sales pipeline — and what law firms can learn from it

Why "sales" is a capability, not a dirty word — and how one mentor reframed it forever

What AI-native spin-off firms and firms like Pearson Ferdinand signal about where the market is heading

3 action steps for law firm leaders ready to start thinking like a PE-backed firm
Visit: https://therainmakingpodcast.com/
YouTube: https://youtu.be/_cYCbz0U1TU
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If you are a successful law firm partner or law firm founder and want to hear about other options, please book a time on Scott Love's calendar here:
https://calendly.com/scott-736/half-hour-phone-meeting-with-scott
Or email Scott to connect with him at: [email protected]
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🎙️ The Rainmaking Magazine helps lawyers, consultants, and professional service providers build thriving practices through smarter business development.
📖 Subscribe to Rainmaking Magazine — free complimentary subscription: https://www.rainmakingmagazine.com
----------------------------------------
This podcast is sponsored by SurePoint Legal Insights (formerly known as Leopard Solutions)–turning legal intelligence into opportunity.
For a free demo, visit this link: https://surepoint.com/legal-insights/
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About Brad Blickstein:
Brad Blickstein is a legal industry futurist – he has developed a national reputation for his insight into the changing ways that legal services are being consumed and delivered in the modern marketplace. As the founder and principal of Blickstein Group, Brad focuses on helping legal service providers better understand and serve their clients while providing information about law departments and legal operations. Brad also helps clients see the future – educating them on the industry's evolution of legal services and their consumption, and helps position them for success by developing novel products, systems and solutions, which make the delivery of legal services more modern and efficient. A highly respected legal industry strategist and futurist, Brad has been responsible for multiple initiatives that have created a deeper understanding of—and driven change in—the market for legal services. Before most corporations even had legal operations departments, he launched his Annual Law Department Operations Survey, which remains the most comprehensive survey on the topic. He also conceived the long-running Annual Legal Spend Survey, the Legal AI Efficacy Report, and in 2020, the Annual Legal Pricing & Project Management Survey. Brad is a frequent speaker and writer who has contributed regularly to Above the Law and Legaltech News. He is a fellow in the College of Law Practice Management. He received his A.B. from the University of Chicago.

Links:
https://blicksteingroup.com/team/brad-blickstein/
Order Brad’s book:
https://blicksteingroup.com/wwped/
linkedin.com/in/bradblickstein

Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices
27 min
September 10TRP 341: Expanding Trust in Your Niche with Scott Love
Most professionals believe you have to know someone, like them, and trust them before you do business. Scott Love says only one of those is non-negotiable — and it's trust.
In this solo cast, Scott Love — legal recruiter, host of The Rainmaking Podcast, and co-author of Rainmaker Confidential — breaks down what trust actually is, how to build it at scale, and why reframing your business as a "trust-earning business" changes everything about how you develop clients.
What you'll learn:
Why "know, like, and trust" is misleading — and the only attribute that's truly non-negotiable

How trust can be borrowed instantly through a referral (and what that means for your strategy)

The three dimensions of trust: skill & competence, intention to serve, and execution & follow-through

How to use thought leadership, testimonials, and professional involvement to signal trustworthiness before you ever meet someone

Why small missed commitments quietly destroy client relationships — and how to protect against it

How to build a strategic referral partner campaign from data you already have

What a "trust funnel" looks like — and how Scott built one for his own recruiting practice

Why speaking on panels and writing white papers should be seen as trust-building, not marketing

How to scale trust from one-to-one to one-to-many through intentional generosity

3 action steps to expand trust in your niche starting this week
Visit: https://therainmakingpodcast.com/
YouTube: https://youtu.be/YWOJs4m2CUg
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If you are a successful law firm partner or law firm founder and want to hear about other options, please book a time on Scott Love's calendar here:
https://calendly.com/scott-736/half-hour-phone-meeting-with-scott
Or email Scott to connect with him at: [email protected]
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🎙️ The Rainmaking Magazine helps lawyers, consultants, and professional service providers build thriving practices through smarter business development.
📖 Subscribe to Rainmaking Magazine — free complimentary subscription: https://www.rainmakingmagazine.com
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This podcast is sponsored by SurePoint Legal Insights (formerly known as Leopard Solutions)–turning legal intelligence into opportunity.
For a free demo, visit this link: https://surepoint.com/legal-insights/
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About Scott Love:
Scott Love is a legal recruiter solely focused on recruiting corporate and finance partners for global law firms in major markets. He is the host of The Rainmaking Podcast, co-author of Rainmaker Confidential, and speaks professionally at conferences on sales, client development, and recruiting.
📘 Book: Rainmaker Confidential — RainmakerConfidential.com
📖 Rainmaking Magazine: free complimentary subscription at TheRainmakingMagazine.com
🎓 Free Webinars: RainmakingSeminars.com

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15 min

About The Rainmaking Podcast

From the publisher's feed

The Rainmaking Podcast will help you to get more business, better business, and all the business from your clients. This podcast is for professional services firms, law firms, and professional sales…