I did a workshop in Maine the other day.

I overheard a couple of disturbing conversations, and I’ll pass those along to you now.

Before I get to that, let me just say this. Maine! What a great state! Beautiful scenery, outstanding lobster, and wonderful people. We spent about two weeks clambering around on the rocky coast and had an amazing time. I hadn’t been since I was a kid. I’m glad I finally got back.

When Learning Goes Awry

Now, what was so disturbing?

I had an awesome group attend the program. We went in several unexpected directions, and I could see light bulbs turning on in the attendees’ heads. It was exciting.

Sometimes, however, at the breaks, the conversations drifted into discussions of training programs for lawyers. They talked about offerings like mine that they’d attended or heard discussed. They had lots of positive and negative opinions about the various teachers, books, recorded programs, etc.

Some of the people with opinions were the same people who’d never created an auto-responder. They were the same people who’d never spoken at a Rotary Club. They were the same people who had websites about themselves rather than about their prospective clients.

They knew more about the programs (and had sometimes attended a number of them) than they did about how, when, and why to act to grow their practices.

If you’re complaining about time management yet are able to do a 15-minute recitation of the pros/cons of all the law practice productivity offerings, then you’ve got your priorities screwed up. See what I mean?

The Power of Action

I start my program with a rant about taking ACTION. I implore attendees to write down one action they’re going to take. I explain that a single action will pay for the program and may result in a return of 5, 10, 20, or even 100 times on their investment.

I do that rant because it’s true!

Attending my program or any program does NOTHING if it’s not accompanied by action. It does nothing!

How is it that so many of us get so focused on learning but fail to take action?

Even that question starting with “how” is pointless. Thinking about it all does nothing. Doing is what brings us clients and makes us money: doing, not thinking, not learning, and not discussing. Put the emphasis on doing.

How One Action Sets Off a Chain Reaction

A single phone call made right now—yes, pick up the phone this instant—can change everything.

The call results in your leaving a voicemail. The voicemail gets returned, a lunch gets scheduled, the lunch takes place, and a relationship gets started.

The relationship turns into referrals, the referrals turn into clients, the clients turn into cash, and they send their friends and family along as well.

The friends and family send more clients, which results in you leveraging yourself by adding staff, marketers, developers, and associates. You discover the clients’ needs and build software to help them, and they buy your apps. They download your paid videos and workbooks, and they buy your forms. Of course, they buy your legal services as well.

The business grows, and you solve your time management issues by hiring an assistant or two or three.

It’s the phone call—that one call—that starts the process. It’s never the education; it’s the action.

Sure, you may need some education. But you don’t need much. You need action: that’s where you achieve your goals.