Emails Do Not End in Handshakes

“Emails do not end in handshakes.” That is the headline from a recent British Airways ad aimed at encouraging business people to head across the pond for a good old-fashioned face-to-face meeting. Their message is spot on.

Certainly, social media, email, cell phones, faxes and so forth have all made it much easier to stay connected with your clients. But if you believe that social media is the only path to retaining your clients and facilitating closing skills, you need to reconsider. Your clients and prospects would tell you that they value the one-on-one time that an in-person meeting provides.

Certainly, the marketplace is crowded and competition is fierce. But savvy law firm marketers understand the unprecedented opportunity available today. The companies that will survive — and thrive — in this environment are those that understand that the old ways of marketing — filled with one-way communication, marketing hype and firm-focused messages — simply does not work anymore.

By building a strong online brand, shifting to client-centric communications, making it simple for prospects to find you online and engaging with social media wisely, your firm is taking steps in the right direction. With a continued investment in, and commitment to, improving your online presence, you will be well on your way to turning a lackluster website into a lead-generating machine.

Just as we teach specific tactics to create a partnering relationship with clients, we must all realize that there are specific behaviors that will further our relationship with them, or destroy it altogether. Consider the following.

Start Slow and Be Patient

The best way to alienate a prospect is to grab his or her hand, hold on to it, and ask when you can come to their office. That kind of aggressive behavior confirms everything they dislike about the selling (yes “selling”) process.

Go Where They Go

In business development, it is critical to go where your clients, prospects and suspects go. If they are attending an industry conference, be there to reinforce current relationships and build new ones. Co-present with them, ask for introductions to their colleagues, and impress them with your work.

Invisible Marketing

All of these efforts will help you continue to pave the way for positive recommendations for you to their co-counsel. Not only will it help them remain a “fan,” but also these steps can help to expand your audience. Go to their conferences. Ask them to be on panels with you and invite them to attend seminars with you. Learn more about the charitable organizations they are active in. These tactics also contribute to client retention and are additional examples of “invisible marketing.”

Uncover Underperforming Assets

If a prospect is speaking at an upcoming program, attend it even if the subject matter is not in your specialty area. Introduce yourself to the speaker before or after the presentation. Ask a question or two and see if it is okay to follow up later with additional questions.

Firm selling leaders focused on closing new business don't often have the luxury of attracting new clients by simply offering an engagement letter. Closing skills and marketing begin with the first contact and involve following up, building the relationship, understanding the prospect's business, brainstorming, and offering ideas before ultimately asking for the business.

The “Closing Zone” approach ensures that the sales leadership in your firm develops the skills necessary every step of the way. It should focus on helping your marketing team practice these tactics in preparation for closing more new business. In part, this is done by identifying underperforming assets.

Here's an example: After a female firm client spent hundreds of thousands of dollars sponsoring client workshops and giving speeches at industry and professional association meetings, she asked why it all resulted in only two leads. After observing one of their major events with several hundred prospects and clients in attendance, I noticed that the firm's members congregated, talked, and sat with one another rather than “chatting up” the attendees. Not surprisingly, my observation led to a new directive for the firm. Now, each person is given targets to meet at every session. They sit at separate tables and follow up after the presentations. Their lead source grew to over 125 the following year. Of those, 15 were developed and converted to new engagements.

Prepare for Success by Knowing Your Client

Success is possible, provided the firms sales and marketing leadership focuses on developing the right strategies, cultivating teamwork, and taking the time to practice and prepare for that success. An essential part of developing your approach requires asking yourselves questions such as:

1. Who is the decision-maker? How do you know?
2. What other competitors are they using or talking with?
3. When is the last time they have retained a new firm?
4. What is the certification of the HR person (if involved)?
5. Do they prefer communications by phone or email?
6. What have you done recently to build the relationship?
7. Have you asked ahead of time who else will be attending the meeting?
8. Do you offer periodic review meetings re: budgets, billing, timeliness of the engagement process, format for sending reports in non-legalese to management?
9. Do you know their pain?
10. How will the decision be made?
11. How many prospects do you have in your pipeline?

Conclusion

Selling (marketing) is not a dirty word. Like algebra, we do not fully understand it. Our efforts are aimed at developing a formula that works for you. So, let us stop talking about marketing, selling and business development and start doing it now.

*****
Dr. Allan Colman, CEO of The Closers Group and a member of this newsletter's Board of Editors, specializes in Accelerating Rapid Revenue Growth for Law Firms. He may be reached at www.closersgroup.com.

“Emails do not end in handshakes.” That is the headline from a recent British Airways ad aimed at encouraging business people to head across the pond for a good old-fashioned face-to-face meeting. Their message is spot on.

Certainly, social media, email, cell phones, faxes and so forth have all made it much easier to stay connected with your clients. But if you believe that social media is the only path to retaining your clients and facilitating closing skills, you need to reconsider. Your clients and prospects would tell you that they value the one-on-one time that an in-person meeting provides.

Certainly, the marketplace is crowded and competition is fierce. But savvy law firm marketers understand the unprecedented opportunity available today. The companies that will survive — and thrive — in this environment are those that understand that the old ways of marketing — filled with one-way communication, marketing hype and firm-focused messages — simply does not work anymore.

By building a strong online brand, shifting to client-centric communications, making it simple for prospects to find you online and engaging with social media wisely, your firm is taking steps in the right direction. With a continued investment in, and commitment to, improving your online presence, you will be well on your way to turning a lackluster website into a lead-generating machine.

Just as we teach specific tactics to create a partnering relationship with clients, we must all realize that there are specific behaviors that will further our relationship with them, or destroy it altogether. Consider the following.

Start Slow and Be Patient

The best way to alienate a prospect is to grab his or her hand, hold on to it, and ask when you can come to their office. That kind of aggressive behavior confirms everything they dislike about the selling (yes “selling”) process.

Go Where They Go

In business development, it is critical to go where your clients, prospects and suspects go. If they are attending an industry conference, be there to reinforce current relationships and build new ones. Co-present with them, ask for introductions to their colleagues, and impress them with your work.

Invisible Marketing

All of these efforts will help you continue to pave the way for positive recommendations for you to their co-counsel. Not only will it help them remain a “fan,” but also these steps can help to expand your audience. Go to their conferences. Ask them to be on panels with you and invite them to attend seminars with you. Learn more about the charitable organizations they are active in. These tactics also contribute to client retention and are additional examples of “invisible marketing.”

Uncover Underperforming Assets

If a prospect is speaking at an upcoming program, attend it even if the subject matter is not in your specialty area. Introduce yourself to the speaker before or after the presentation. Ask a question or two and see if it is okay to follow up later with additional questions.

Firm selling leaders focused on closing new business don't often have the luxury of attracting new clients by simply offering an engagement letter. Closing skills and marketing begin with the first contact and involve following up, building the relationship, understanding the prospect's business, brainstorming, and offering ideas before ultimately asking for the business.

The “Closing Zone” approach ensures that the sales leadership in your firm develops the skills necessary every step of the way. It should focus on helping your marketing team practice these tactics in preparation for closing more new business. In part, this is done by identifying underperforming assets.

Here's an example: After a female firm client spent hundreds of thousands of dollars sponsoring client workshops and giving speeches at industry and professional association meetings, she asked why it all resulted in only two leads. After observing one of their major events with several hundred prospects and clients in attendance, I noticed that the firm's members congregated, talked, and sat with one another rather than “chatting up” the attendees. Not surprisingly, my observation led to a new directive for the firm. Now, each person is given targets to meet at every session. They sit at separate tables and follow up after the presentations. Their lead source grew to over 125 the following year. Of those, 15 were developed and converted to new engagements.

Prepare for Success by Knowing Your Client

Success is possible, provided the firms sales and marketing leadership focuses on developing the right strategies, cultivating teamwork, and taking the time to practice and prepare for that success. An essential part of developing your approach requires asking yourselves questions such as:

1. Who is the decision-maker? How do you know?
2. What other competitors are they using or talking with?
3. When is the last time they have retained a new firm?
4. What is the certification of the HR person (if involved)?
5. Do they prefer communications by phone or email?
6. What have you done recently to build the relationship?
7. Have you asked ahead of time who else will be attending the meeting?
8. Do you offer periodic review meetings re: budgets, billing, timeliness of the engagement process, format for sending reports in non-legalese to management?
9. Do you know their pain?
10. How will the decision be made?
11. How many prospects do you have in your pipeline?

Conclusion

Selling (marketing) is not a dirty word. Like algebra, we do not fully understand it. Our efforts are aimed at developing a formula that works for you. So, let us stop talking about marketing, selling and business development and start doing it now.

*****
Dr. Allan Colman, CEO of The Closers Group and a member of this newsletter's Board of Editors, specializes in Accelerating Rapid Revenue Growth for Law Firms. He may be reached at www.closersgroup.com.