“I’ve got three hearings scheduled for that week,” he said. “We’ll have to meet the following week,” he continued.
I asked him how he’d ended up with three pretty significant matters on the court calendar for a single week. He explained that he’d scheduled them all. He hadn’t really been thinking about the impact of stacking them up like he did, but it happened. He went on to tell me that it seemed like it “happened” all the time.
The Domino Effect
Scheduling his hearings back to back has a domino effect. The week prior to the hearing turns to chaos as he does his final preparations. That leads to putting off other client calls and meetings. One thing leads to another, leads to another…
When he’s preparing for trial, his initial consultations become a low priority. Why worry about new work when he’s so busy dealing with the work he already has to do? His staff tells prospective client callers that he’s not available during the week of the hearings. They also explain that he’s booked solid for the week before because of the client and witness meetings in preparation for the trials. Someone calling right before this marathon begins might have to wait two or three weeks to come see him.
Are clients who are told they’ll have to wait two weeks likely to call elsewhere and get a meeting faster? You bet.
It gets worse…
When we’re putting off initial consultations, you can be absolutely sure we’re also putting off marketing activities. Do we take referral sources to lunch when we’re preparing for trial? No way. Do we take time to write for our blog or website? Not a chance. Marketing gets shoved to the bottom of the agenda—realistically, it’s off the agenda—when we get busy with legal work. That’s not good.
When marketing activities get pushed off the list, we end up hurting our chances of gaining new business. We won’t see the impact this week or next, but over the coming months, this loss of continued effort will affect our revenue. We’ll lose our top-of-mind position with referral sources when we drift away for long periods. We’ll lose our connection with our relationships on Facebook if we don’t stop by and connect. The marketing impact isn’t immediate, but it’s significant.
The Solution: Calendar Management
The solution to this calendar mess? Careful planning and timing of events. Allowing all of the functions of the business to have adequate time on the agenda is critical. Overemphasizing one business element over the others will throw off the balance. It’s one of the reasons we end up with revenue peaks and valleys. It’s not healthy for the business, and it’s scary for you.
Calendar management is a shockingly important piece of keeping the revenue flowing. Every decision has an obvious impact but also many subtle impacts as well. Tread carefully when it comes to allocating your time. It’s the only resource you can’t replace. Use it wisely.
