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The RED ZONE - Selecting Outside Firms

By Allan Colman, Managing Director, the Closers Group: [email protected]
May 22, 2007

PERSONAL CONSIDERATIONS – This third criterion in the series identifies what you need to know beyond objective data on client retention of a prospective client, which we discussed in the last article. Red Zone strategies demand that you identify the maximum personal and subjective sensitivity of the man or woman across the table. What are their individual hopes, fears and how can your firm play to those, for the client's benefit as well as the firm's? For the red zone strategist, there are two alternatives. The first, if feasible, is to identify the true final hiring decision maker and spend more time with him/her. Alternatively, the firm may want to do the opposite and focus more on the in-house counsel either directly, or move subtly communicating an “I'm on your side” message.And there is a third possibility as well: do both. the firm could seek another sales target within the organization while helping the general counsel to, well, find another job. Your firm could wind up with two clients.Next time, we will discuss “selection.

PERSONAL CONSIDERATIONS – This third criterion in the series identifies what you need to know beyond objective data on client retention of a prospective client, which we discussed in the last article. Red Zone strategies demand that you identify the maximum personal and subjective sensitivity of the man or woman across the table. What are their individual hopes, fears and how can your firm play to those, for the client's benefit as well as the firm's? For the red zone strategist, there are two alternatives. The first, if feasible, is to identify the true final hiring decision maker and spend more time with him/her. Alternatively, the firm may want to do the opposite and focus more on the in-house counsel either directly, or move subtly communicating an “I'm on your side” message.And there is a third possibility as well: do both. the firm could seek another sales target within the organization while helping the general counsel to, well, find another job. Your firm could wind up with two clients.Next time, we will discuss “selection.

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