Hard to identify one thing. Of course, the first thing is Always Talk
About Collaborative Practice! Bore your friends and acquaintances, if
you must. And every time you talk about Collaborative Practice, talk
from a genuine belief that Collaborative Practice is the preferable
approach to dispute resolution.
Over the years, I have talked with countless financial, mental health
and legal practitioners who say how much they want a practice like
mine: nearly 100% collaborative, no litigation. When I ask what they
do, they tell me that they only tell people about Collaborative
Practice if they [the practitioners] believe that the client can do
it. When they do present Collaborative Practice, it seems that they
do so diffidently, without conviction and almost as an afterthought.
I have found that when I tell Every potential client about
Collaborative Practice, almost invariably they are attracted to the
process. They recognize whether or not it can work for their own
situation. It's not my job to make that decision for them. It's my
job to present each alternative in a reasonable way. I can, and do,
acknowledge a prejudice for Collaborative Practice, and I can explain
why.
I don't have the time to go on, but you get the idea:
The one thing? Know your product, present it all the time,
acknowledge your bias, and enroll those clients. It's not hard when
you actually believe in yourself and your product!! [Something that
marketers have known for hundreds of years!!]
George Richardson
At 8:15 PM -0400 3/28/08, dmurch1@xxxxxxxxxxxxxxxx wrote:
The collaborative question for this week is: What is the single most
effective thing you have found in building a successful collaborative
practice?
March 24th, 2008
Collaborative Practicioners:
Lorraine Lopich
Marg Opatovsky
Dave Murch
