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Maximize Your Marketing Budget – II.

Written by Allan Colman on . Posted in Attorney Marketing, Business Development, Law Firm Marketing, Marketing for Law Firms, Marketing Partners.

In our last column, we began reviewing 12 steps to help maximize your marketing budget. Here are the next 3:

3. Maximize the impact of proposals,pitches, prospect meetings, etc.
4. Conduct success/rejection analysis. Do you know why or why not a particular pitch was successful?
5. Lead “go/no-go” decision discussions before investing in an rfp response or initiating a new contact.

Undertaking regularly scheduled review of these efforts will help to refine what works, discard underperforming tactics, and win more business. See our “services” pages for details.

Maximize Your Marketing Budget

Written by Allan Colman on . Posted in Business Development, Law Firm Leadership, Managing Partners, Marketing for Law Firms, Marketing Partners.

Maximize your firm’s current marketing and business development budget by demonstrating to firm management the opportunities they have to grow. Lead the way to a sustainable management approach which places greater value on the role of marketing and business development. Provide the marketing partners, marketing committees, partners-in-charge and practice leaders with these important decision-making tools.

The first of 12 decision making tools are:

1. Design straight-forward business development pursuit schemes;
2. Establish and manage timelines for each step until final closing.

In the next several blogs, we will cover the other 10 decision making tools for growing new business.

Prospecting With Your Clients

Written by Allan Colman on . Posted in Asking for Business, Attorney Marketing, Client Retention, Marketing for Law Firms.

If you have become your client’s trusted advisor and have established the good will that comes from successful business relationship, they will return the favor when you ask for referrals by introducing you to other clients. The good will and solid relationships that they have will work in your favor. It will provide you with the opportunity to make their clients your prospects.

Put Your Clients to Work in Business Development

Written by Allan Colman on . Posted in Allan Colman, Attorney Marketing, Business Development, Client Retention.

A great business development tactic we recommend is to introduce your clients/prospects to your firm’s other clients. Another great tactic: ask you clients to introduce you to their other business unit executives, suppliers, supporters, advisors, and the individuals they go to as experts.

In other words, in order to meet new prospects and develop new client relationships, work with your clients to “host” meetings with non-competing and complementary prospects.

More in our next column on building successful business development relationships.

What to do with Client Dissatisfaction

Written by Allan Colman on . Posted in Attorney Marketing, Business Development, Client Retention.

While client dissatisfaction is never comfortable to deal with, it is something you should be aware of long before a client disengages. Even if it seems insignificant, when even the smallest issues arise during an engagement DEAL WITH THEM IMMEDIATELY. Especially if they have been a long term client, take action and win them back. According to Jay Abraham, 80% of these relationships can be recovered with instant actions – in fact, you may find that they become your best clients.

Part II. – Prepare For Things That Go Bump in the Night

Written by Allan Colman on . Posted in Allan Colman, Asking for Business, Attorney Marketing, Business Development, Client Retention, Marketing for Law Firms.

The tactics presented in OWN THE ZONE are all used one way or another in our business development training sessions and workshops. For example, our training emphasizes thinking long term. When it comes to approaching a new prospect or a long term client, we encourage our clients to:

* UNDERSTAND the prospects’ and clients’ needs and internal pressures;
* BECOME a trusted adviser, and
* PROTECT the prospects’ and clients’ interests.

Become a valued business partner and friend, offer rewarding solutions that are profitable for all involved. It’s how we work with our clients and how we encourage them to approach their prospects and clients in the same way.

Things That Go Bump In the Night – II.

Written by Allan Colman on . Posted in Asking for Business, Attorney Marketing, Client Retention, Marketing for Law Firms.

Continuing with this series of “prepare, prepare, prepare,” from our book, OWN THE ZONE, our client training and advising focuses on thinking long term. When it comes to approaching a new prospect or long-term client for business development opportunities, we encourage you to:

UNDERSTAND the prospects’ and clients’ needs and internal pressures;

BECOME a trusted advisor, and

PROTECT the prospects’ and clients’ interests.

These are key elements of Jay Abraham’s “Strategy of preeminence.”

Prepare For Things That Go Bump In the Night

Written by Allan Colman on . Posted in Attorney Marketing, Business Development, Client Retention, Marketing for Law Firms.

In chapter 9 of our book, OWN THE ZONE, we often refer to Jay Abraham. He has been called “America’s number one marketing wizard” enough times that it’s the tag line used on the “About” page on his website. He’s seen as a genius at getting down to basics and, having worked with him in the past, I check in on his work from time to time.

When we work with our clients, we follow Jay’s “Strategy of Preeminence.” As a marketing and business development consultant, we aim to become a valued friend, to offer results oriented solutions that are profitable for everyone involved and we encourage our clients to approach their prospects and clients in the same way.

In the next several columns, we will discuss how to prepare for things that become challenges and how to overcome them to become -“preeminent.”

PROBLEM – "Our Firm Continues Adding Lawyers – We Need a Complete Marketing Overhaul

Written by Allan Colman on . Posted in Business Development, Law Firm Leadership, Law Firm Marketing, Managing Partners, Marketing Partners, Practice Group Leaders.

RESPONSE – the bigger you become, the more you need to focus. Begin with a few promising practice groups and use their successes as a model.

RESULT – One practice group may begin envying another practice group’s success. It’s a dynamic that requires some political sensitivity on the part of management, but it is a another great problem to have. Competition stimulates growth.

PROBLEM – "What Do We Do With Our Junior Lawyers?"

Written by Allan Colman on . Posted in Attorney Marketing, Law Firm Leadership, Managing Partners, Marketing for Law Firms, Marketing Partners.

RESPONSE – A true pipeline for business development includes junior partners and associates. Take them to sales meetings. encourage them to get their names out there via articles and speeches. With newer lawyers, the key is to encourage business development without undue pressure. Whatever they bring in is gravy – and you are making a great investment in the future.

RESULT – We help clients create a true “sales” culture ( I know this is a dirty word, but !!!) from top to bottom. You can too.