Are You a Five-Tool Player?

As the industry is moving toward this model — hiring and growing five-tool players will become more the norm, are you ready?

Major league ballplayers, especially at the highest levels, always work on their game. They have coaches giving them immediate feedback, they watch videos of their recent performances, they analyze statistics, they study and try to master techniques to give them the faintest of edges, all in order to consistently improve.

Law firm professionals and executives can learn a lot from this approach to mastering their profession — to achieve all-star status, they should receive ongoing training and refreshers, work with internal or external coaches, and constantly analyze, sharpen and practice their skills.
We note there is a resource for those strengthening their skill sets, Body of Knowledge — published by the Legal Marketing Association (LMA). In fact, almost all of the Core Competencies created by LMA align with our very own “five-tool player” criteria.

If you haven't done so, check out the Body Of Knowledge on LMA's website. It defines the essential competencies and skill sets at every level of the profession. The skills and knowledge are set forth a bit like a ladder so you can identify where you are with the Body of Knowledge and easily identify your next “tool” or expertise to further develop.

1. Business of Law includes understanding the legal profession, evaluating firm financial and operational performance, building strategies to leverage market opportunities and implementing practices that maximize performance.

2. Business Development drives new business and increased revenue for the law firm — both directly and indirectly — through client and prospect outreach, attorney coaching and mentoring, and market intelligence.

3. Client Service consists of techniques, processes and standards by which law firms' professional staff serve the lawyers in the firm and the clients of the firm, including the disciplines of project management and process improvement.

4. Communications entail developing and implementing internal and external messaging strategies to broaden the impact of the firm's programs and brand position.

5. Marketing Management and Leadership establishes and effectively manages a highly functioning marketing organization through people and processes that foster collaboration and drive overall business objectives.

6. Technology Management includes identification, implementation and effective management of the technologies and technology staff that support marketing and business development.

Conclusion

There are many lessons we can learn by looking at how others approach their professions. By having the right mindset, by maintaining the courage to step up to the box, by developing major league business development skills, and by having the discipline to consistently execute the proper fundamentals, law firm executives can make it into the Sales, Service and Marketing Hall of Fame!

We urge everyone reading this article to visit the LMA website to assist with your own self-assessment and the assessment and direction for members of your team.

*****
Beth Cuzzone is the Director of Client Service & Business Development at Goulston & Storrs and Co-founder of Legal Sales & Service Organization. David H. Freeman, J.D., is the CEO, David Freeman Consulting Group and Founder of Law Firm CultureShift®.

Off the bat (so to speak), please excuse us if the use of sports analogy will fall on deaf ears, but for those of you who do see parallels between sports and business, we believe a law firm executive's ability to lead lawyers' potential for greatness can be evaluated using a model that is similar to baseball.

World Series season has just passed (no winner as of press time!) and there's not a better time to take lessons learned from Major League Baseball. The baseball term “five-tool player” is used to describe a player who has an array of skills across a broad spectrum. In quick summary, the five tools are: 1) Hitting for power — hit home runs; 2) Hitting for average — adapt the hitting approach to the situation in the game; 3) Speed — speed on the base paths; 4) Fielding — catch and cover wide spaces; and 5) Throwing — throw quickly and accurately.

Baseball legends are known for their exceptional talents across such a wide range of talents. This type of player is a particularly difficult thing to find in baseball as these are skills that often don't go together. The same can be said for professionals in our industry. More and more firms are looking for five-tool players in legal sales, service and marketing. In the game of being an all-star executive and leader at a major league level, what are our five tools? As we see it, they are: 1) Marketing Communications — internal and external messaging. 2) Sales (aka business development) — strategies to convert prospects to client (sales process, sales strategy and pricing). 3) Service — keeping and growing existing clients. 4) Technology — efficiencies. 5) Leadership & Management — vision and execution.

As the industry is moving toward this model — hiring and growing five-tool players will become more the norm, are you ready?

Major league ballplayers, especially at the highest levels, always work on their game. They have coaches giving them immediate feedback, they watch videos of their recent performances, they analyze statistics, they study and try to master techniques to give them the faintest of edges, all in order to consistently improve.

Law firm professionals and executives can learn a lot from this approach to mastering their profession — to achieve all-star status, they should receive ongoing training and refreshers, work with internal or external coaches, and constantly analyze, sharpen and practice their skills.
We note there is a resource for those strengthening their skill sets, Body of Knowledge — published by the Legal Marketing Association (LMA). In fact, almost all of the Core Competencies created by LMA align with our very own “five-tool player” criteria.

If you haven't done so, check out the Body Of Knowledge on LMA's website. It defines the essential competencies and skill sets at every level of the profession. The skills and knowledge are set forth a bit like a ladder so you can identify where you are with the Body of Knowledge and easily identify your next “tool” or expertise to further develop.

1. Business of Law includes understanding the legal profession, evaluating firm financial and operational performance, building strategies to leverage market opportunities and implementing practices that maximize performance.

2. Business Development drives new business and increased revenue for the law firm — both directly and indirectly — through client and prospect outreach, attorney coaching and mentoring, and market intelligence.

3. Client Service consists of techniques, processes and standards by which law firms' professional staff serve the lawyers in the firm and the clients of the firm, including the disciplines of project management and process improvement.

4. Communications entail developing and implementing internal and external messaging strategies to broaden the impact of the firm's programs and brand position.

5. Marketing Management and Leadership establishes and effectively manages a highly functioning marketing organization through people and processes that foster collaboration and drive overall business objectives.

6. Technology Management includes identification, implementation and effective management of the technologies and technology staff that support marketing and business development.

Conclusion

There are many lessons we can learn by looking at how others approach their professions. By having the right mindset, by maintaining the courage to step up to the box, by developing major league business development skills, and by having the discipline to consistently execute the proper fundamentals, law firm executives can make it into the Sales, Service and Marketing Hall of Fame!

We urge everyone reading this article to visit the LMA website to assist with your own self-assessment and the assessment and direction for members of your team.

*****
Beth Cuzzone is the Director of Client Service & Business Development at Goulston & Storrs and Co-founder of Legal Sales & Service Organization. David H. Freeman, J.D., is the CEO, David Freeman Consulting Group and Founder of Law Firm CultureShift®.