Skip to main content

PROBLEM – "I JUST LOST MY LARGEST CLIENT"

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

PROBLEM – “I just lost my largest client.”

RESPONSE – Setbacks should catalyze action, not cause paralysis. The firm should monitor and evaluate all such occasions where clients fall by the wayside to ensure that the lawyers responsible jump back into the business development “fray” with a new three-month action plan.

RESULT – A crisis should spell opportunity. Losses should pump the collective adrenaline. If that kind of response becomes ingrained in the firm’s culture, odds are the bottom line will actually improve at a reasonable point in time after every loss. Go to www.closersgroup.com/services.

9 KEYS TO GROWING NEW BUSINESS – Your Elevator Pitch

Written by Allan Colman on . Posted in Allan Colman, Asking for Business, Attorney Marketing, Business Development, Law Firm Marketing, Marketing for Law Firms, Practice Group Leaders.

You now know the 5 questions to ask in order to improve your Elevator Pitch. Now you have to use it! Here are some “platforms” that may not have occurred to you. Give it :
1. To another parent on the playground or at the dog park;
2. At a charitable or business dinner where others at your table are business professionals;
3. At the first meeting with a new client;
4. To the person sitting next to you on an airplane;
5. In the courtroom hallway;
6. At the car wash;
7. At your church or temple;
8. At the supermarket;
9. Any time you have about 60 seconds to speak to another person.

Once you get the hang of it and achieve a comfort level talking to people you meet daily, you will find more opportunities to deliver your pitch. AND, don’t forget to provide an opportunity for people you meet to deliver their own elevator speeches.

www.allancolman.com

8 Essential Business Development Questions, III.

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

The last two steps in this series may be the most difficult for you to take.

7. DO you follow up after receiving an adverse decision on retaining your firm? We cover tactics to use in this situation including “MAXIMIZING REJECTION” in our book, “OWN the ZONE – Dominate the Competition. (find it in this website or www.allancolman.com) In other words, make lemonade from lemons.

8. ARE you asking them to take a risk by promoting you, approving your proposal or funding your request? And if so, what pragmatics will you bring to the table to help them overcome their fear of risk?

8 Essential Business-Growth Questions – Part II.

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

Where, who and what were the first 3 questions in our previous blog. The next 3 Essential questions to ask about growing business are:

4. HOW do they prefer to communicate? Observe and ask; again you are looking for opportunities using their preferred communications style, and closing in on them.

5. WHY not use performance reviews and incentive discussions to demonstrate your support for the organization. Come prepared to these events and use your proposals, past and present, to embed the “go-to” image and reputation.

6. DO you know who your decision makers listen to? What are their concerns with their own path of advancement? And do they really listen? Are you also building relationships with the higher-up decision makers? Mary Barra, the new CEO at General Motors, certainly did.

8 Essential Business-Growth Questions

Written by Allan Colman on . Posted in Allan Colman, Asking for Business, Attorney Marketing, Law Firm Marketing, Marketing for Law Firms, Practice Group Leaders.

Here are the first 3 of the questions you must ask yourself and your team if you expect to have an impact on growing business. They are not the usual questions you may have heard before.

1. WHERE do you currently fit into the organization’s structure and how decisions are currently being made?

2. WHO are the people to build relationships with? You can’t be all things to all people, including those who are competing with you.

3. WHAT communication media and methods are available to you to sell your message? Internally, look for opportunities to get face-to-face. Externally, know where they go, what they read, where they play, what community or non-profit groups they are involved with, and see them there!

Our next column will tackle questions 4-6.

Go to our services page for more detail at www.closersgroup.com/services.

Is Your Firm Positioned to Grow New Business in 2015?

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

All too often we find firms where their lawyers are ready-to-go but the firm’s support structure inhibits growth. Our new BUSINESS DEVELOPMENT RAPID ASSESSMENT provides an overview for a firm, practice area or office of:
• What is currently effective?
• What is not utilized?
• How to enhance impact?
Within two weeks of your completing 15 confidential questions, our Group will provide a strategic analysis focusing on maximizing your firm’s current Marketing and Business Development:
• Structure;
• Assets;
• Underperforming assets;
• Underutilized opportunities;
• Business Growth enhancements.
A confidential written Assessment will be returned to you within two weeks and includes a conference call or in-person meeting. Following that discussion, we will provide a timeline with specific tactics to build new business, grow prospects and begin establishing a long-term pipeline.

For a minimal fee, your firm, practice area or office will have a STRATEGIC BUSINESS DEVELOPMENT ACTION PLAN for 2015.

acolman@closersgroup.com.or
fmims@closersgroup.com
www.closersgroup.com

There's No Such Thing as a Cold Call

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

There’s no such thing as a cold call. I suggest simple tactics to identify previously unknown prospects so that a much “warmer” approach can be taken.

A Closers Group client with 15 years of experience was having difficulty identifying new prospects when he attended one of our business development workshops. After I suggested he review his law school alumni news letter, he noted that an earlier graduate had recently been promoted to a senior position for an international manufacturer. When he made contact with this gentleman he did not know, he linked the communication to the law school they had in common and pointed out a related European Union decision. Through that contact, he has been introduced to the world of international business and will be growing that practice.

PRACTICE GROUP LEADERS – "Know Thy Client" II.

Written by Allan Colman on . Posted in Allan Colman, Asking for Business, Attorney Marketing, Law Firm Leadership, Marketing for Law Firms, Practice Group Leaders.

In addition to the 6 questions from our last column, we urge practice group leaders to ask their group members these additional 5 .

7. Have they asked ahead of time who else will be at the meeting?

8. Do you and your colleagues offer clients periodic review meetings re: budgets, billing, timeliness of engagement process, format for sending reports in non-legalese to management?

9. Do they know “clients’ pain? what keeps them up at night?

10. Have they asked how the retention decision will be made?

11. How many prospects do they have in their pipeline.

For more clues to make your practice group successful, go to www.ownthezonebook.com

Practice Group Leaders – "Know Thy Client"

Written by Allan Colman on . Posted in Allan Colman, Asking for Business, Attorney Marketing, Business Development, Law Firms, Marketing for Law Firms, Practice Group Leaders.

When working with Practice Group Leaders, we have a group of questions they need to ask their colleagues. From the answers, we help them build a more successful business growth program.

1. Do they know who the final decision maker is?
2. Do they know what other competitive firms/companies their clients and prospects are using?
3. What is the last time the client/prospect hired a new firm?
4. Do you know how they prefer to communicate, by phone, email or report?
5. What has been done recently to build the relationship?

More questions in the next column or go to page 90 in OWN THE ZONE for the complete list.