Success Stories

“When I sought personal coaching, I chose Mark Maraia, who dramatically transformed my thinking (and actions) about how good relationships lead to true progress in business and professional development. Mark focuses on the inner work necessary for professionals to transcend reluctance about sales and marketing, and about the importance of genuine relationships with clients and colleagues. His books, “Rainmaking Made Simple” and “Relationships Are Everything!,” as well as his “Maraia Minutes” newsletter are frequent sources of topics for business development meetings at Womble Carlyle. Viewing the world from the perspective of a trained lawyer, he is able to translate business development concepts into language and easy-to-implement steps that help transform good lawyers into trusted advisers and rainmakers.”

Steve Bell, Chief Client Development Officer, Womble Carlyle Sandridge & Rice PLLC

"My first exposure to the Maraia Method® seven years ago helped me become a top rainmaker in my firm. It took on even deeper meaning and value when I went in house for 3 years because it had an enormous impact on all my relationships with the senior executive team and board members. Now that I’m back in private practice, I’m teaching it to my junior partners. I can’t say enough about it’s impact on my career. It’s been transformational."

Christopher J. Zinski, Partner, Schiff Hardin LLP

“Mark and his team excel at presenting a variety of ideas and letting each attorney choose what works for his or her personality and strengths. This tailored approach resonates with a lot of individuals and has added a dose of energy into our business development efforts; for the first time, some partners have discovered that business development can actually be fun.”

Katherine Hollar, Chief Marketing Officer, LATHROP GAGE LLP

“Mark’s coaching was fantastic. He was very persistent in getting me to do things that I should be doing, but without his prompting I’d not have done them. Thanks to Mark, I do far more planning for marketing meetings and I find myself taking much greater pains to listen carefully to what people are saying. As a result, I feel much more comfortable with marketing, and perhaps more importantly, I’m having fun doing it.”

Ted Stamatakos, Seyfarth Shaw, Chicago, Illinois

“I was very highly impressed by Mark Maraia’s coaching. The approach he suggested for marketing is great. I particularly loved his idea of tutoring prospective clients. It has changed my attitude about how to deal with people. A client bought $25,000 in training from our firm because I used this technique and it also helped us land a toxic tort case which may generate as much as $300,000 in fees. My attitude with clients used to be ‘If you want to learn about this pay me.’ Now I realize that is not the best approach. Mark has really helped me round out my marketing skills.”
John Meyers, Seyfarth Shaw, Atlanta, Georgia

“Mark’s coaching has been tremendously helpful. I have always considered myself very sales phobic, but Mark has an incredible talent for helping me reframe what I’m doing in order to make the relationship building process feel comfortable and natural. Mark’s advice makes sense and plays well in action. I particularly liked his suggestion that I approach every meeting with the mindset of “what can I do to help?”
Brenda Feis, Seyfarth, Shaw, Chicago, Illinois

“Few professionals providing services to law firms have the insight, skill and ability to bring about the behavioral change that is often required. Mark Maraia does, he is exceptional. Mark’s use of relevant case studies and anecdotes, combined with his extensive coaching experience, enable him to quickly gain and maintain confidence.”
Trish Carroll, Minter Ellison, Sydney, NSW, Australia

“Mark’s coaching was very helpful. I now realize that I can make a little time each day for marketing. Mark’s suggestions are always practical and easy to implement.”
Steve Connolly, Garvey, Schubert & Barer, Portland, Oregon

“Mark is great! He definitely practices what he preaches. The use of his ideas make it more likely that I will continue to follow through on my marketing commitments.”
Ellen Himmel, Garvey, Schubert & Barer, Seattle, Washington

“As an experienced trial lawyer who has attended half a dozen marketing programs I came into Mark’s program with lots of skepticism. Even with the best intentions I usually forgot everything in a week, no matter how sensible it was in the abstract. Not with Mark’s program. The real world experiences I had during the coaching period helped reinforce how the concepts apply. Most importantly, my behavior has changed!”
Bruce McDermott, Garvey, Schubert & Barer, Seattle, Washington

“Mark’s coaching was very helpful because it held me accountable. I took his suggestion to heart about making a phone call every few days. This resulted in me making 5-10 calls that I would never have made. I look forward to your feedback on my marketing plan for the next quarter.”
Gerardo Barrios, Phelps Dunbar LLP, New Orleans, Louisiana

“Mark’s coaching was very helpful and extremely effective. Before working with Mark I was doing nothing in the marketing arena. The fact that he got me to willingly undertake anything that resembles marketing is a small miracle. The structure Mark laid out for marketing during the firm’s retreat was very helpful for people like me where it isn’t second nature, mainly because he made it seem very natural and comfortable. While I’ve got a lot further to go, I think I have made incredible progress in a very short time. Without Mark’s diligent support, I would never have gotten this far.”
Gwen Young, Wheeler Trigg & Kennedy, Denver, Colorado

“Mark has helped me achieve what I previously thought was impossible: have fun while marketing. What I’ve realized from working with Mark is that relationships and listening are key. Mark’s detailed suggestions on specific situations that I face have helped keep me going.”
Chris Fenelon, Locke Liddell & Sapp, Houston, Texas

“It would not be overstating things to say I had an epiphany while working with Mark. I now view networking as putting people together for their mutual benefit. His insights on how to approach my partners for introductions were both practical and useful. I would strongly recommend Mark’s services to any lawyer who wants to get better at building client relationships.”
Amelia Koch, Locke Liddell & Sapp, New Orleans, Louisiana

“As a new partner, I found marketing to be somewhat mystifying. Mark’s program helped me find my own style and removed much of the mystery.”
Paul Nason, Locke Liddell & Sapp LLP, Dallas, Texas

“What I liked most about Mark’s program was his emphasis not on marketing the firm in a superficial manner, but instead on developing a true legal practice, which means nothing more than being an excellent lawyer who communicates properly with clients and others who need his or her services. Mark helps us to readjust our attitudes and habits to accomplish this difficult task.”
Matthew E. Johnson, Sidley & Austin, Chicago, Illinois

“I have tried many of Mark’s marketing ideas and they work extremely well. I particularly appreciated Mark’s signature suggestion of “avoid random acts of lunch.” It reflects Mark’s fundamental attitude about marketing…know what you are trying to achieve at each encounter with a client or prospect.”
Ken Wylie, Sidley & Austin, Chicago, Illinois

“I am a big supporter of Mark’s talents both as a participant and as a member of the firm’s management committee. I have personally benefited from his insights and have seen remarkable changes in some of my partners. For example, after I got a great legal result for one of my clients, Mark showed me a natural way to leverage that result into further introductions within the client organization. Mark’s suggestions are highly detailed and practical. They work so well that it’s hard to believe I wasn’t doing some of these things my entire career. If you want to accelerate marketing skills development within your firm Mark is your man.”
Jerry Santangelo, Neal Gerber & Eisenberg, Chicago, Illinois

“Nearly two years ago when I first began working with Mark as a senior associate I had aspirations of making partner. I’ll never forget Mark’s suggestion: ‘if you want to become a partner, act like you are already a partner and they won’t have any choice.’ I’m happy to say that it worked for me and I have Mark to thank for it. Not only did Mark provide specific, concrete suggestions on what I should be doing to become a partner he was a cheerleader in those efforts.”
David Wilson, Robinson & Cole, Boston, Massachusetts

“As a former national board member of the Legal Marketing Association and after 14 years as marketing director for my firm, I have had an opportunity to hire and observe many trainers in the legal profession and can say Mark Maraia is second to none in delivering value. His unique approach to teaching lawyers involves relentless follow up (and I do mean relentless!). In short, Mark is terrific at what he does and I would strongly recommend him to any firm that’s serious about helping its lawyers to market their skills more effectively. ”
Linda O’Connell, Robinson & Cole LLP, Hartford, Connecticut

“As a senior partner in practice for many years I was somewhat unsure of the value of having a marketing coach. I was pleasantly surprised by the results. I have nothing but praise for Mark’s insights and help.”
Norman Kahn, Aird & Berlis, Toronto, Ontario, Canada

“Mark’s coaching has had a very positive impact on my marketing efforts. One area Mark really helped me improve is my use of public speaking as a marketing tool. Mark had very good ideas on how to get existing clients involved with the seminar (either through attendance or input into the substance of the seminar) and how to use the seminar itself to establish contacts and make advances with potential clients. I heartily recommend him to any firm which wants to get serious about developing marketing skills.”
Mike Gamboli, Partridge Snow & Hahn, LLP, Providence, Rhode Island

“I can make an unqualified recommendation of Mark as a marketing coach. As a partner with a considerable book of business, I was not sure what kind of value he might bring to my marketing efforts. He’s got great insight on what works and how to make the most of opportunities without overdoing it or scaring clients away. I look forward to many more years of working with and learning from him.”
Randall Steichen, Dorsey & Whitney LLP, Seattle, Washington

“As a long time marketing partner at this firm, I have attended and observed many marketing programs put on for us by numerous consultants. Mark’s unique programs focus on individuals, and help turn marketing adverse lawyers into good marketers, and good marketers into excellent ones. Mark delivers value beyond pure marketing – he teaches all of us the arts of entrepreneurship and client focus.”
Peter Sipkins, Dorsey & Whitney LLP, Minneapolis, Minnesota

“Mark Maraia is one of the finest outside providers I’ve ever worked with. In fact, I have urged retaining Mark so that he can be available to the lawyers in our firm on a long term basis.”
George Ferrell, Dorsey & Whitney LLP, Seattle, Washington

“Mark’s program is wonderfully suited for in house counsel who return to private practice. Mark Maraia proved extremely helpful as I repackaged substantial in-house experiences and insights in order to open a lot of doors with the network of peers who had suddenly become prospective clients. Mark showed me a natural way to do this without being perceived as pushy or intrusive.”
Lou Strawn, Locke Liddell & Sapp, Dallas, Texas

“Working with Mark was a fantastic learning experience. He empowered me to use the natural talents I already possessed for rainmaking purposes. Until I met Mark, I was neglecting a vast potential network (more than a thousand people). By utilizing Mark’s suggestions, I anticipate many of these people will someday become clients. Mark’s ideas and suggestions are practical and work well in the real world.”
Greg Piel, Jacobs Chase Frick Kleinkopf & Kelley LLC, Denver, Colorado

“I learned the power of following up on the advice I render to clients. It had a positive impact on my most important client relationships and it’s something I’m still doing as in house counsel. Mark helped me develop a plan to more effectively utilize my “non-billable” time. We look forward to seeing Mark in Australia again soon.”
Patrick George, Minter Ellison, Sydney, NSW, Australia

“Overall, we give your performance our highest marks.”
Rodney R. Patula, Squire Sanders, San Francisco, CA.

“I agreed to participate but was somewhat skeptical about learning anything of real value. Your ideas and methods were surprisingly effective and I have put them to work for me in daily contacts with clients and potential contacts.”
Diane S. Barrett, Holme Roberts & Owen, Denver, Colorado

“You advice is always practical, not theoretical. You give concrete, individualized assistance/coaching that does not require attorneys to drastically change their current practices.”
Scott D. Eller, Best & Flanagan LLP, Minneapolis, Minnesota

“I thought Mark’s coaching was useful and practical, particularly on how to get more out of speaking engagements. Mark’s follow-up calls also served as a reminder to keep at marketing even if I’m incredibly busy.”
Jim Matthews, Lindquist & Venum, Minneapolis, Minnesota

“As a senior litigation partner in the firm, I personally found Mark’s workshops and ideas to be extremely valuable. In one instance, I used Mark’s ideas to prepare for and win a beauty contest involving a major piece of litigation which led to seven figures in fees for our firm. With Mark’s input, I spent several days preparing for the meeting in order to be fully conversant about the litigation. We planned to give “something of value” to the prospective client regardless of whether we ultimately were hired. Our team made such a big impression on the client that they hired us as co-counsel for the target defendants rather than the more limited role first contemplated. You won’t find a more effective marketing coach for lawyers.”
Stephen D. Busch, McGuire Woods, L.L.P., Richmond, Virginia

“Working with Mark has really changed my view of selling. Until I met Mark,
I had a total disdain for selling. What I’ve realized is that selling and marketing in the way which Mark suggests is very comfortable and natural. I also know better than to have ‘Random Acts of Lunch.’ Mark’s visit helped me focus on major client relationships instead of getting out there to meet new people.”
Don Anderson, McGuire Woods L.L.P., Jacksonville, Florida

“While I am already very effective in the marketing arena, I have learned how to channel my energy in even more productive ways. I would strongly urge the firm to continue this kind of program. I really appreciated Mark’s phone calls and the constant encouragement. A pure classroom experience would never have the same impact.”
Edward Cerasia II, Proskauer Rose, Newark, New Jersey

“Thanks for keeping me on your e-mail newsletter list. I enjoy seeing your letters.
I also want to let you know that I believe there have been some lasting benefits at our firm from the assistance you provided some years ago.
Phillip G. Nichols, Esq., Pircher, Nichols & Meeks, Los Angeles, California

“Mark’s training has been invaluable for my practice and my professional growth. He changed my way of thinking about marketing——from ‘getting a client’ to ‘building a relationship’ with people whom I want as clients and friends. Mark’s enthusiasm and commitment to his lawyer-clients is impressive and inspiring. I’m glad I know him!”
Linda L. Holstein, Senior Partner, Parsinen Kaplan Rosberg & Gotlieb, Minneapolis, Minnesota.

“It’s so easy in a busy practice to put off practice development activities. With Mark’s reminders (and tips on how to remember to do it myself) I have gotten much better at making time for it. I have gotten more organized about this whole area. I would heartily endorse Mark.”
Brad, Partner in the Salt Lake office of a large southwestern firm.

“As the marketing partner of our firm for many years I thought I had seen every kind of trainer possible until I met Mark Maraia. Mark is more than just an outside provider of services, he becomes an appendage to the firm’s marketing efforts. Mark covers basic concepts that for the average lawyer are devilishly hard to apply. Mark’s mastery lies in his ability to get lawyers to successfully ACT on the ideas. He has had a transformational effect on their behaviors.”
David Matheson, McMillan Binch, Toronto, Ontario, Canada

“I found Mark’s program to be very helpful for 3 reasons two which were foreseeable and one which wasn’t. First, I needed someone to sketch out the proper structure for a marketing meeting and Mark’s program does that extremely well. Second, Mark’s friendly follow up calls kept me on my toes. The real surprise came from learning how to focus on building relationships rather than worry about getting work. The whole approach that Mark advocates has a more comfortable feel to it. I am definitely more effective now than the way I approached it before.”
Jim, Partner in the Denver office of an Arizona firm

“The most valuable thing you will get from working with Mark is a different way of thinking about client relationships. Mark got me to expand the boundaries of my thinking beyond anything I’d expected. I am taking more risks and in one case was successful in asking a long time client for an introduction to another prospective client. What surprised me was how willing this client was to assist me.”
Rick Fay, Hamilton Gaskins Fay & Moon, Charlotte, North Carolina

“Mark’s program was really great! Mark offers concrete suggestions on the ‘how’s’ of marketing rather than platitudes. His suggestions were targeted to my personality, strengths and comfort level. This program is exactly what I needed.”
Babbette Reynolds, Smith Helms Mulliss & Moore, L.L.P., Charlotte, North
Carolina

“Mark Maraia’s marketing program was the greatest seminar I’ve been through since I became an attorney. I am a huge advocate for Mark’s practical approach to learning and have recommended to the firm leaders that every lawyer in our firm can benefit from his program. In less than sixty days, I have generated tangible new business from two clients that pays for our investment in Mark’s program many times over.”
Chris Nesbit, Smith Helms Mulliss & Moore, L.L.P., Charlotte, North Carolina

“Mark’s program was great because it crosses the huge chasm between dispensing bromides and offering real practical application. I am more alert about spotting marketing opportunities now. There is nothing particularly hard about any of this it’s a matter of developing the discipline to do it. Mark was the motivating force I needed to become more disciplined.”
David Pickle, Kilpatrick Stockton, LLP, Washington, DC

“I found Mark’s presentation highly useful because it contained concrete, practical ideas on how to deal with real world marketing situations. In my experience, training with top-caliber people is where the payoff lies, and for training on legal marketing I think Mark is as good as there is.”
Mark Wincek, Kilpatrick Stockton, LLP, Washington, D.C.

“As a former government lawyer, I found Mark’s coaching to be a very valuable way to quickly ramp up my marketing skills. Mark provided a multitude of ideas on how to generate interest in a recent talk and they all worked very well. Mark also offered novel ideas on how to grow my network. I am not very comfortable making initial contact with people in a marketing setting. With Marks’ help, I found several ways to do this comfortably. He even offered ideas on how to leverage a great topic idea into more speaking opportunities in front of my target audience. I would give him my highest marks.”
David Barger, Kilpatrick Stockton, LLP, Washington, D.C.

“I confess that I am, by nature, skeptical of ‘lawyer marketing’ techniques, as
I have historically believed that they simply reflect common sense. Your seminar, however, proved to be tremendously useful in that it transcends the common sense aspects of marketing oneself and one’s business. Since the seminar, I have employed many of the methods you taught, some which are counterintuitive to me, with great success. As a result of the seminar, I will continue my marketing efforts as a regular part of my practice. I will also continue to be grateful to you as I gather new clients and rekindle my business relationships with dormant clients. Thanks again.”
Mark Bell, Bloom Murr & Accomazzo, P.C., Denver, Colorado

“Mark’s coaching was great! I am looking forward to making more use of these ideas as my practice matures. I have achieved some marketing firsts that wouldn1t have happened but for Mark’s program. I would say this program is perfect for younger lawyers in any firm.”
Holli Pryor-Baze, Shook Hardy and Bacon, LLP, Houston, Texas

“Given my role as managing partner of the Houston office I really found Mark’s consistent follow up very helpful. It makes me focus on marketing even though I’m plenty busy with legal and management duties. This program was also an excellent starting point for some of the younger lawyers in our office.”
Dick Morgan, Shook Hardy & Bacon L.L.P., Houston, Texas

“I’ve learned from working with Mark that effective marketing is more about taking small steps than giant leaps and that, as a result, it doesn’t require nearly as much time as one might think. In addition, his relentless phone calls help ensure that those “small steps” are continually being taken.”
Scott Michelman, Shook Hardy and Bacon, LLP, Houston, Texas

“I heartily endorse Mark’s program. It does force you to make individual effort. My marketing has gotten more focused because I have a goal in mind before every phone call or meeting.”
David Viar, Raymond & Prokop, Southfield, Michigan

“Mark’s program vastly exceeded my expectations. His approach was far less sales oriented than I had expected and it places great emphasis on better listening. The techniques I learned from him were totally inoffensive and quite natural. In less than six weeks of working with Mark, I landed two new clients and got more work from two dormant clients.”
Joel Funk, Dwyer Huddleson & Ray, P.C. Fort Collins, Colorado

“I really dreaded going to this program, but I was surprised and completely engaged! Your coaching has given me newfound energy for marketing. I have discovered that marketing can be fun.”
Beth Guest, Waller Lansden Dortch & Davis, Nashville, Tennessee