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“I Get Good Results, What Else is Needed?”

Written by Allan Colman on . Posted in Business Strategy, New Business Development, Practice Group Leaders.

I get good results, what else is needed?” is a quote from a client.  Her business growth was stagnant so we suggested she answer the following 3 questions:

  1. Who are my core clients?
  2. Rate my relationships with each on a scale from one to ten.
  3. When will I begin contacting each and how many each month?

And we introduced her to the Invisible Marketing concept (last post) to use with “good” clients.  Too bad we did not take a performance guarantee for a percent of her new business!”

Are You Marketing to the Wrong Prospects?

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

All too often we find clients marketing to the wrong prospects. This is frequently caused by simply treating all leads alike. Or the internal pressures to generate new business cause a professional to overlook the necessary pre-meeting strategy.
Using the OSOP (One Page Operating Plan), we recommended in our last post, add the following to determine who the correct business development prospects are and then go get them:
  • Master lead generation
  • Determine what you do that stands out versus your competition
  • “Audit” all your meetings and results
  • Use our 14 deal-making steps
  • “Creative abandonment” (Drucker) means drop the poor performers
  • Simplify and use your CRM
  • And build a customer-satisfaction ladder to refine and grow your new business development.

Zombies and Business Development Leadership

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

ZOMBIES, STAMPEEDING HORSES, & the KING OF PRUSSIA

Business Development Leadership – Part I.

By Allan Colman

Marketing the Law Firm, March, 2016

 

If you were hoping I would define leadership for you, I can’t.  What we will cover includes zombies, stampeding horses and a former King of Prussia and how they fit in with the 6 primary elements of exceptional leadership.

In our book, the Crazy Impact of Leadership, Rick Justus points out that the most often overlooked leadership task is leaving a legacy for the organization – an impact for the future.  And he calls it “crazy” because most leadership programs and texts forget this key contribution of a real leader.  In fact, Steve Jobs described his goal, when Apple began, as building “insane new products.”

Now why can’t I define leadership for you?  I keep going to the well looking for a definition from the experts and here’s what I’ve found.

  1. In a recent backlogofbusiness blog, there was a great article about “Leading into the Future.” It addresses the everchanging business landscape, the need to train your teams for the future, keeping your workforce informed, being transparent, helping them to understand your vision and keeping your workforce fully engaged.

It sounded great until the blog page ended with a large advertisement:

“POTTY TRAIN YOUR DOG IN 6 DAYS.” – I won’t give you the author’s name.

  1. While continuing to search for a definition of leadership, I researched what others identified as major leadership keys.  One said –

“MAKE IT A STRONG HAPPY TEAM”

Another called for “Freedom Based Leadership”.  Reading the definition makes it sound like herding cats.

  1. Here’s another of my favorites, “SIMPLY FEEL GOOD ABOUT YOURSELF.”
  2. How about this one, “THINK OF YOURSELF AS BEING THE SUN,” quoting astronomer Kepler in her definition.
  3. I ended my search when coming across this quote from Jack Welch, GE’s former boss – ”KNOW THAT WEEDS BECOME DEAD WOOD.”

Is it any wonder I can’t define leadership?  But I can relate to you the components of exceptional leadership and how to leave your own Crazy Impact.  Through my work as a chief executive, speaker and advisor to managing partners, agency administrators, etc., here are the 6 skills that are each crucially linked in order to make an impact.  They are:

  • Leaders Listen
  • Leaders Make Decisions
  • Leaders Communicate
  • Leaders Hold People Accountable for Results
  • Leaders take risks

AND

  • Leaders Leave a Legacy.

The analogy most fitting is that of an orchestra leader.  “To be successful they must turn their backs on the audience.” (James Crook)  Think about attending a symphony orchestra performance, the experience of bringing a diverse group of instruments together.  Such a performance can serve as a reminder of how amazing things can result when various elements work together for one outcome.

But there is something bigger than you can take from the experience – an understanding of the importance of a strong leader.  Consider this, while an orchestra’s conductor does not play an instrument, she or he is arguably the most important member of the symphony.  After all, the conductor is responsible for ensuring that each player knows his or her part and for delivering a polished presentation to the audience.

Some professionals feel out of tune in their efforts to make decisions and have them implemented.  It is crucial to remember, however, that leadership is an highly focused activity that must be internally orchestrated.

You must decide which advice to take, determine which of the available tools and strategies will work, assign implementation tasks, hold people accountable, weigh the risks, and consider the impact on a future legacy.  These are the exceptional leadership tasks future posts will cover in detail.

But not to leave you guessing, Tom Ziglar refers to employees as “Zombies.”  We will put them all in context next time.

 

Allan Colman, Managing Partner of the Closers Group, is a speaker, author, business strategist and leadership advisor.  Reach him at www.closersgroup.com//acolman@closersgroup.com

 

Why Clients Fire You

Written by Allan Colman on . Posted in Business Strategy, Managing Partners, New Business Development.

“Why clients fire you” is the title of an article written by our own Valerie Goodman back in May, 2016.  At a recent conference I was asked if I could repeat it for an unusual way to kick-off 2018.  It should be one of the first questions law firm management should be asking now.

In the Closers Group experience, lack of attention to client retention is a primary reason clients fire you.  When it comes to attorney marketing and business development the first step is to value and properly serve the clients you’ve worked so hard to get in the first place.  It is one of the simplest ways to accelerate business, wouldn’t you agree?

In Jay Abraham’s “Getting Everything You Can From Everything You’ve Got”, he cites many reasons why clients have become dissatisfied and have left even long standing relationships.  Think about clients who have left your firm.  Can you attribute any one of these reasons as a possible cause?  Our Client Satisfaction Survey found the following answers:

  • Lack of contact
  • Decisions made without authorization
  • Non-responsive
  • Failure to respond
  • Cost increases with no notification
  • Their internal situation changes.

Your new mantra should be CLARIFY – FOCUS – EXECUTE.

Turn Clients Into Advocates for Your Firm

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

Continue building relationships and turn your clients into advocates for your firm.  There are multiple tactics to use including:

  •  Find out by conducting regular client satisfaction visits or discussions to enhance client retention opportunities.
  • Focus on more than just what you are doing now.   Cross-selling other practice group services is a solid approach to marketing.
  • Keep adding benefits to your services.   While performing a service or conducting a client interview, keep notes on issues that you are spotting.  Give your clients something extra by arranging a lunch to go over these issues, without charging a fee, of course!
  •  Participate rather than just attend.  Selling success requires you and others to attend and actively participate rather than just buying tables at dinners or offering tickets to sporting events.

Add your own ideas to this list, but do/do them!

What is Missing in Generating Law Firm Revenue Growth?

Written by Allan Colman on . Posted in Attorney Marketing, Leadership, New Business Development.

What is missing in generating law firm revenue growth is accelerating leadership.  It is one of 12 exceptional leadership practices that firms should focus on, including branding, building client value, strategy, team building and so forth.

The key to building recurring, sustainable revenue lies with http://www.lawjournalnewsletters.com/sites/lawjournalnewsletters/2017/09/01/leadership-linking-law-firm-leadership-with-revenue-generation/

Portrait of confident waiter presenting invisible product against gray background

Have You Practiced Lunch?

Written by Allan Colman on . Posted in Attorney Marketing, New Business Development, Practice Pitch Meetings.

Before going to a pitch meeting have you practiced lunch, a proposal, the questions to ask, anticipated answers and setting the next step? Picture yourself at the table with a prospect that you have targeted in the right industry and the right organization. Your research has given you a clear sense of how this “buyer of services” thinks, what their business is about, what the company or agency wants and needs and what your opportunities are vis-a-vis your competitors.

Do not talk about your firm! Instead, start with a value proposition, “here is what we can do for you, and here’s a general sense of how we’re going to get there. And then get them talking. Put your research to work by practicing the questions you will ask that show you have actively studies their problems, needs and opportunities. Anticipate answers and plan responses. And pay attention to their answers rather than thinking about your next question.

Practice, practice, practice before you start eating the salad.