Top performing businesses in the legal sector maintain and improve their financial performance by concentrating on maintaining and developing their existing clients and attracting high quality new ones. Forming effective business networks can become one of your firm’s most valuable assets.
The ability to master successful networking techniques is therefore a powerful business development tool. It helps to raise both your own and your firm’s profile, opens opportunities with new clients, develops knowledge or skills, explores new ideas, establishes long-term partnerships and builds presence in other markets.
This course provides a basic introduction to business development and networking.
Audience
Particularly beneficial for those looking to develop commercial opportunities, newly qualified layers and those who are new to the function of business development. Also useful to anyone wanting to improve confidence and networking ability.
Key Benefits
- Understand how you can contribute to business growth
- Learn how to build your personal network by using good research and business development tools
- Develop the skills to networking with confidence
- A beneficial learning experience through personalised feedback and collaboration
- Practical advice on how to apply skills learned from experienced trainers who are all former or current practitioners
- Higher interactive session using specialist techniques to embed learning.
Live Online – 11 March 2025
Live Online – 3 October 2025
Inter-Personal Skills
Through practical exploration of different approaches, this course provides a thought-provoking introduction to business development with particular focus on improving networking skills. Training is taught in an open and relaxed workshop style using realistic exercises and offering ‘best practice’ advice.
The course is very interactive – there will be lots of opportunity for group and individual participation.
You will explore and develop your own style of business development and networking with benefit from both peer and trainer feedback.
- Big Picture Business Development and the Strategy Mix
- Planning for Business Development
- Developing Good Relationships: Building Rapport, Adding Value and Cross-Selling
- What is Networking and What Does it Mean for Me?
- Key Qualities of an Effective Networker
- The Invitation – Planning for Successful Networking
- The Event – Working a Room with Confidence and Spotting Opportunities
- Back at the Office – the ‘Follow-up’ turning opportunities into new business.
None required, but some pre-course preparation enables you to gain most from the course.
Pre-Course Work
Some pre-course preparation consisting of a series of short exercises will feed into the course to promote discussion during the day, facilitating group exploration of the concepts being introduced and how they can be utilised by you.
They also satisfy the Solicitors’ Regulation Authority’s requirement in relation to distance learning if you are taking advantage of this option
Post-Coursework
Reflection on skills learnt and implementation of a personal plan of action to feed into the firm’s business development strategy and to build a personal network by using the skills acquired to network with confidence.
A1 Act honestly and with integrity, in accordance with legal and regulatory requirements and the SRA Handbook and Code of Conduct;
A5 Apply understanding, critical thinking and analysis to solve problems;
B1 Obtain relevant facts;
B3 Develop and advise on relevant options, strategies and solutions;
C1 Communicate clearly and effectively, orally and in writing;
C2 Establish and maintain effective and professional relations with clients; and
C3 Establish and maintain effective and professional relations with other people.