So Much To Say: A Legal Podcast For People

Business development doesn't have to start with a sales pitch - it starts with a conversation.

In this mini episode with Megan Senese, we explore why the most effective networking isn't about selling yourself or asking for work. It's about getting curious, building genuine relationships, and showing up with a simple question: How can I help? Megan shares the outreach strategy that transformed stage's first year of business and offers a simple challenge to help you build meaningful connections this summer.

Who this episode is for:
  • Lawyers looking for a more authentic approach to business development
  • Professionals who feel uncomfortable reaching out to new contacts
  • Anyone who worries networking feels too transactional
  • People wanting to grow their network through genuine relationships rather than sales

Episode takeaways:
  • Business development begins with relationships, not sales
  • Most people are far more open to connecting than we assume
  • A simple, thoughtful outreach often works better than a perfectly crafted pitch
  • Asking "How can I help?" creates stronger, more memorable relationships
  • Small, intentional conversations today can become opportunities tomorrow

What to do this summer to build your network:
  • Reach out to someone new: Invite them to a 15-20 minute virtual coffee or meet-and-greet.
  • Lead with curiosity: Ask about their work, their interests, and what's keeping them busy.
  • End every conversation by asking, "How can I help?": You may be surprised by the answer.
  • Remember what matters to them: Take notes and follow up later on the things they shared.
  • Plant seeds now: Thoughtful relationships built during slower seasons often grow into meaningful opportunities later.

Stay Connected:

At stage, we believe the strongest business development strategy isn't about selling, it's about building trust one conversation at a time. We help lawyers create relationship-first approaches that feel natural, authentic, and sustainable.

The next meaningful opportunity probably isn't waiting in your inbox.

Send the note. Start the conversation. Build the relationship.
Love So Much To Say? Let us know! Drop a review, give us 5 stars in your favorite podcast app, and tell us what made you laugh, think, or just go “yep, that’s me.” Every review helps us reach more awesome humans who want to make legal…well, human. 

Creators and Guests

Host
Jennifer Ramsey
Host
Megan Senese

What is So Much To Say: A Legal Podcast For People?

Welcome to So Much To Say: A Legal Podcast For People where we explore the behind-the-scenes of work, law, life, and everything in between. We’re your hosts, business development and legal marketing coaches Jennifer Ramsey and Megan Senese, and we’re here to showcase the human side of the legal world, from marketing and consulting to the very real challenges of balancing ambitious careers with being human. This isn’t your typical, dry legal show. Instead, So Much To Say is a human-centered leadership, marketing, and culture podcast through the lens of law. We bring you real stories, candid conversations, and thoughtful insights that remind you that outside of being a lawyer or legal marketer, what makes you human matters too. So whether you’re navigating billable hours, building meaningful relationships, redefining success, or simply trying to stay human in a high-performance profession, this podcast is for you.
Stay human. Stay inspired. Namaste (or whatever keeps you human).

[00:00:00] Megan Senese: So many of us are afraid that when we reach out that people are gonna think we're trying to sell them. And of course, my end goal is to increase our business and to increase our revenue, but each instance of my outreach to a brand new contact was not to sell them something really at all. It's really difficult to sell something to someone that you don't know.
[00:00:35] Welcome to Minis with Megan on So Much To Say: A Legal Podcast For People.
[00:00:44] In our first year of business, I met with easily 1,000 people. I knew that in order to expand my network, the only way I was going to be able to do that was to get out there and talk to people. But I also knew that I didn't really have the time to meet people face to face. And so virtual meet and greets became the way that I felt comfortable hitting that goal.
[00:01:12] My goal never was to reach 1,000 people, but it turned out that way. I was doing probably four to five meet and greets a day every single day for pretty much an entire year until the workload picked up. And I don't recommend that people do 1,000 meet and greets necessarily. But what I did learn from that first year of business was that it was a lot easier to reach out to people and ask if they were interested in chatting with me.
[00:01:47] So many of us are afraid that when we reach out, that people are going to think we're trying to sell them. And of course, my end goal is to increase our business and to increase our revenue. But each instance of my outreach to a brand new contact was not to immediately pitch them something or to sell them something really at all.
[00:02:12] It's really difficult to sell something to someone that you don't know at all. And so what I'd like this episode to be about is for you to try and experiment with me. This summer, I would love for you to reach out to a few new contacts that you don't know With the, quote-unquote, pitch of simply getting to know them.
[00:02:41] I spent a lot of time with lawyers when I was still in big law that were really detailed, really legal focused to get the attention of the general counsel, and there's a time and place for that. But for this exercise, I want you to experience how easy it is to say, "I saw something you wrote on LinkedIn.
[00:03:03] It really spoke to me. It resonated with me. Your profile looks cool, and I would love to just to get to know you." I started doing that in our first year of business and was blown away by how easy it was for people to say, "Yeah, sure. I'll meet with you." And I had all of these flashbacks of me spending hours and weeks on detailing and editing and changing wording so that we could send a pitch to a general counsel to try and get in front of them, when really it could have been as simple as, "Hey, I'm just checking in on you."
[00:03:39] And the, "Hey, I'm just checking in on you" has been the number one most effective outreach strategy for me, and now the majority of my clients. And the reason for that is because I have built a relationship with each of these people. So when I'm just checking in on them, I mean it. It is me dropping a note to see how they are doing, and you can do the same thing, too.
[00:04:03] So this summer, I would love for you to step a smidge outside your comfort zone and try sending a note to someone that says, "I'd love to have a virtual meet and greet with you. I'd love to have a virtual coffee chat with you." And keep it to fifteen minutes, keep it to twenty minutes, and really just get to know that person.
[00:04:25] You can ask them things like, "What are you working on right now? Do you have summer vacation plans? What's keeping you busy? Where are you struggling?" And my favorite way to end Every single one of those meet-and-greet calls is to say, "How can I help you? What do you need?" And I have been really surprised by the fact that when I ask that question, "What do you need?
[00:04:48] How can I help you? How can I support you?" I like to end each of my conversations with that question, sometimes in that exact way. People are taken aback because they say that they are not offered that question very often. And what I have found is the more that I have asked that, the more I get kind of unique answers.
[00:05:10] It's not always work-related. Sometimes when I ask them, "What do you need right now?" It's a book recommendation. It's a restaurant recommendation. It's a, a thought, a prayer, a vibe sending their way for someone in their family. It doesn't always have to be work-related. But for you to continue to build your relationship with that person is to remember what they said and then follow up with it later.
[00:05:35] And that is the piece that is going to help you with your business development throughout the entire summer when it's a little bit slower maybe and people are relaxing a little, is for you to take that space to be thoughtful and intentional so that when the fall hits, you've already planted all of those seeds.
[00:05:55] So this summer, I would love for you to send a note to someone. It might be on LinkedIn. It can be an email. It can even be a handwritten postcard for you to really stand out and show that person that you thought of them, that you care about them, and that you're invested in the relationship.