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Those 34 Attorneys Are Still Bad-Mouthing Marketing???

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

Those 34 Attorneys Are Still Bad-Mouthing Marketing???

If you have been following this series of actual quotes we’ve heard from attorneys on why they don’t market, meaning they don’t bring in new business, have you heard the following excuses before?

16. I won’t cross sell because that other partner might mess up my client.–If you are not building trust with your partners, you are certainly not building trust with your clients.

17. Why don’t we do client service interviews? — Great question to ask firm management.

18. With so many companies cutting back on the number of law firms they use, why bother marketing? — They are still going to use someone, why not you?

19. Our compensation plan does not reward me for bringing in new business. The billing partner get’s all the credit. — Many firms share origination credit with someone who is really out courting new business and will become a future billing partner. So work it!

20. I can’t handle all of the work I now have. — Management experts indicate that each one of us should spend at least 4-5 hours per month working “on” our business, not “in” our business. This person probably has a sign on their desk saying “An empty desk is the sign of an empty mind.”

To see cartoons with many of these quotes, go to www.ownthezonebook.com

More From Those 34 Who "Can't Market!"

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

More From Those 34 Who “Can’t Market!”

If you are in firm management pay close attention to these next 5 excuses for not marketing.

11. We need a training program – this from a 25 years of practice attorney.

12. I don’t have time to market – if you are billing $2 million a year ok. If not how do you earn your living?

13. My lead partner does all the selling. I deliver the work. – So you never build relationships with the clients you are working with?

14. It is unprofessional for me to market. – so can you clearly identify what you are contributing to your firm?

15. When I market, people don’t seem to get it. – are you that bad in building relationships that no one asks for your help or advice?

Here’s a hint for #16, coming next time — “cross selling.”

What Else Did Those 34 Attorneys Say About Business Development?

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

What Else Did Those 34 Attorneys Say About Business Development?

Since so many readers tuned in to the first 5 surprising comments on why they don’t need to develop new business, let’s look at the next 5.

6. Our practice group and office have no business development budget. – Hah!

7. What do we do with our up and coming attorneys, the future of our firm? – Get out of their way!

8. We get everything we need from the marketing department. – And how many new engagements have they brought in for you/

9. I can never get time from the marketing department. – Then go where prospects go, read what prospects read, and get to know who prospects know.

10. Our proposal format is out of date. – So get off your seat and update it.

And the next 5 are real “eye-openers” for management.

Did 34 Attorneys Really Say That About Business Development?

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

Did 34 Attorneys Really Say That About Business Development?

Approaching the first workshop with a new client is always a challenge. For us, the obstacles we encounter in these first meetings are based on many of these following real quotes from lawyers in our strategic business development groups. Fortunately, the ultimate successes outweigh the initial skepticism.

In this series of posts, how would you respond?

1. “We have no pipeline and no one seems to be concerned.”

2. “Just lost my largest client and I haven’t marketed in years.”

3. “We have great attorneys — clients should be calling us.”

4. “We won a great victory for a client. But it’s been 6 months and she hasn’t called us.”

5. “We always miss the major new litigation.”

Wait until you see the next 5!

Business Development Means "Keep the End in Mind"

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

This is the second and last commentary on clarifying the differences between marketing and business development.

Marketing supports the possible. Business development targets, pursues and closes prospect targets. A traditional law firm marketing department is designed to assist in keeping its firm’s image and reputation in the corporate eye, provide support for outreach and RFP responses, conduct intelligence-gathering, create media profiles, etc.

The really good firms are fortunate to have some of their staff with longer-range “marketer” capabilities; that is taking a view of the desired end result, landing new work and incorporating these goals in their support.

Business development, if properly implemented and managed, should focus on, and take advantage of,client targets already on the minds and lists of the firm’s professionals and partners. Financial and management consulting firms remain salutary models for law firms as historically they have been much more focused on specific deliverables and closings.

They take to hear the axiom, “Always keep the end in mind.”

Do You Really Know What "Business Development" Means?

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

This is the first of a 2- part post designed to clarify the differences between “marketing” and “business development.” As the term “business development” finds its way into common discussions, we find it means all things to all people. It has created great confusion as firms look to expand their client bases, grow per-client revenue, cross market more practice areas and take a larger piece of a pie that many in-house legal departments are trying to shrink.

However, with the pressures on our marketing professionals to produce collateral materials, update websites, plan and staff seminars and conferences, provide public relations to and with the media, etc., all to often the MARKETING PLAN (spoken with great reverence) sits on a shelf. If spoken of at all, it is usually at the annual partners meeting.

If an enlightened leadership wants to update the “M” plan, or (perish the thought) develop a real business development strategy, the details, time, cost and staff input is money often misspent. Stratagems abound but too few provide visible, measurable results.

Part II next time will deal with KEEPING THE END IN MIND.

What's Going On In Your Firm? – II.

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

Additional questions we ask during our Strategic Business Development Planning to enhance and refine a firm’s business development successes include:

5. Is anyone actively using your CRM system?

6. Can your firm’s business development structure be strengthened to have a greater impact in generating new business growth?

7. Have you clearly identified firm-wide regional needs and cultures?

8. Do you celebrate “new client acquisition” in addition to client wins?

9. What are the internal obstacles to building consensus and active attorney participation in getting face-to-face with prospects and renewing client relationships?

Your firm’s management committee, marketing committee, practice group leaders and Partners-in-Charge of offices need to carefully consider all 9 questions if they truly want to grow business.

What's Going On In Your Firm?

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

During our Strategic Business Development Planning, we ask clients to evaluate questions such as:

1. What is the firm’s own internal perception? What do the attorneys, assistants, paralegals, etc.say to describe the firm to their friends and colleagues?

2. Is there a consistent message about the firm being delivered to the market place? In our experience, the firm’s “brand” is rarely, if every, used by attorneys meeting with prospects. Is there a common sentence describing the firm’s differentiators used for speech introductions, bios with published articles, etc.?

3. Do you understand the differences between marketing, business development and business generation? These skills are all too often combined in a title without understanding the tactical differences and needs.

4. Are your attorneys engaged in cross marketing as well as cross selling? The first is to better educate your colleagues on the value you can bring to their clients. Cross selling is the act of recommending another practice area of your firm to help a client with a problem separate from the one you are working on.

We’ll continue with other questions in our next blog. For more detail, go to www.ownthezonebook.com.

Do Not Stop at "NO"

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

Even if a proposal for new business has been rejected, continue the pursuit with the same prospect or client. MAXIMIZING REJECTION is a concept that recognizes the potential customer has a lot invested in you by the nature of the time and study they put in during the selection process.

Stay in touch; send them updates; ask them to be on conference panels with you; remind them how much you can contribute to their business.

Keep yourself in that “CLOSING ZONE,” creating more scoring opportunities for the future.
This is the 14th step in Chapter 1 of www.ownthezonebook.com.

Re-energize Your Firm's Business Development

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

When evaluating where and how a firm can grow more business, we always start by looking inside. What are the firm’s current resources, hidden resources and under-performing assets? The next several blogs will present the areas we examine and you should be evaluating also.

1. Forecasting, especially estimating what an increase in cross-marketing and selling would yield.
2. Assessing (honestly and openly) your brand’s impact. Does it need refreshing, refocusing, etc.?
3. Considering your marketing tactics by industry, practice area, geographic market.
4. Supporting the new-engagement-generation efforts of those actively prospecting.
5.