Sales Speak: The Top Five Myths of Attorney Selling

Myth #1: Business Development and Law Firm Marketing Are Interchangeable Terms

Law firm marketing is about being found, not chosen. How you get found is through publicity, media outreach, networking, collateral materials, conducting and attending workshops. These tactics target the eyes, ears and interests of your potential client.

But first you have to locate the target ' that's business development. Perhaps a more appropriate term for business development is “business generation,” which requires (dare I write it) sales training and closing skills.

Myth #2: Attorneys Should Join the Business Development Process Only After the Marketing Department Develops a Strategy

Ultimately, the onus is upon attorneys to bring in (and keep) the business. The role of law firm marketing should support these goals with collateral materials, public relations activities and identifying seminars and workshops that help facilitate network development. Once you have the information and sales training, plan a strategy to pursue the business and hone in on your closing skills.

Myth #3: When It Comes to Marketing, 'One Size Fits All'

News flash: One size never fits all. Marketing should be tailored according to personality, the needs of the firm, and those of the client. One tactic that works for one attorney won't necessarily work for another. Tailored business development, sales training and closing skills will land you the client every time.

Myth #4: Clients Want Sellers to Do Most of the Talking

Keep your resume to yourself and let the potential client do the talking. Adopt the tried-and-true IBM 60/40 sales training rule ' keep them talking 60% of the time. Spend the remaining 40% asking good questions based upon your research and talking strategy. Pay attention to your client/prospect's verbal cues, and refine your pitch accordingly.

Myth #5: Once You've Won the Business, Further
Marketing to the Client Is Not Necessary

The big complaint that I often hear from clients is the lack of communication and the feeling of being “kept out of the loop” in important decisions. Your firm's client retention depends on regularly identifying their needs, concerns and pressures. But client needs are a moving target. The time you spend listening and attending to complaints could be the difference between keeping clients and losing them to another, more attractive firm.

Conclusion

Our advice ' get over it! Don't let attorneys use these or similar myths to sit and wait for the phone to ring. Selling is all about getting to that crucial moment when buyers decide if what you have discussed has value for them ' and if you are the best one to deliver it.

Allan Colman, a member of this newsletter's Board of Editors, is CEO of the Closers Group, a Marketing Outsource firm working with clients across the U.S. to grow business. He may be reached at 310-225-3904 or via e-mail at [email protected]. Website: www.closersgroup.com.

If you have spent any time selling legal services in today's competitive marketplace, you know it can be uniquely challenging. Many markets (practice areas/regions) are individually idiosyncratic and uniquely resistant. It requires special insights, strategies, and training to successfully penetrate, which often adds a few twists and turns onto your roadmap. But it is not impossible to navigate to your final destination.

Certainly, the marketplace is crowded, and competition is fierce. But savvy law firm marketers understand the unprecedented level of opportunity available today. Those that will survive ' and thrive ' in this environment are those that understand that the old ways of marketing, filled with one-way communications, marketing hype and firm-focused messages, simply won't work anymore.

But often, attorneys become their own worst enemies when getting in front of prospects and clients. In many of our seminars and training sessions, we are challenged by myths which prevent positive motivation. Let's explore these and the simple explanations to overcome them.

Myth #1: Business Development and Law Firm Marketing Are Interchangeable Terms

Law firm marketing is about being found, not chosen. How you get found is through publicity, media outreach, networking, collateral materials, conducting and attending workshops. These tactics target the eyes, ears and interests of your potential client.

But first you have to locate the target ' that's business development. Perhaps a more appropriate term for business development is “business generation,” which requires (dare I write it) sales training and closing skills.

Myth #2: Attorneys Should Join the Business Development Process Only After the Marketing Department Develops a Strategy

Ultimately, the onus is upon attorneys to bring in (and keep) the business. The role of law firm marketing should support these goals with collateral materials, public relations activities and identifying seminars and workshops that help facilitate network development. Once you have the information and sales training, plan a strategy to pursue the business and hone in on your closing skills.

Myth #3: When It Comes to Marketing, 'One Size Fits All'

News flash: One size never fits all. Marketing should be tailored according to personality, the needs of the firm, and those of the client. One tactic that works for one attorney won't necessarily work for another. Tailored business development, sales training and closing skills will land you the client every time.

Myth #4: Clients Want Sellers to Do Most of the Talking

Keep your resume to yourself and let the potential client do the talking. Adopt the tried-and-true IBM 60/40 sales training rule ' keep them talking 60% of the time. Spend the remaining 40% asking good questions based upon your research and talking strategy. Pay attention to your client/prospect's verbal cues, and refine your pitch accordingly.

Myth #5: Once You've Won the Business, Further
Marketing to the Client Is Not Necessary

The big complaint that I often hear from clients is the lack of communication and the feeling of being “kept out of the loop” in important decisions. Your firm's client retention depends on regularly identifying their needs, concerns and pressures. But client needs are a moving target. The time you spend listening and attending to complaints could be the difference between keeping clients and losing them to another, more attractive firm.

Conclusion

Our advice ' get over it! Don't let attorneys use these or similar myths to sit and wait for the phone to ring. Selling is all about getting to that crucial moment when buyers decide if what you have discussed has value for them ' and if you are the best one to deliver it.

Allan Colman, a member of this newsletter's Board of Editors, is CEO of the Closers Group, a Marketing Outsource firm working with clients across the U.S. to grow business. He may be reached at 310-225-3904 or via e-mail at [email protected]. Website: www.closersgroup.com.