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ASTONISHING: “CLIENT EXPERIENCE” IS FINALLY LEGITIMATE – What do in-house counsel think?

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

Client experience is finally legitimate and being given significantly more attention by marketing professionals, according to the Bloomberg Law and LMA 2017 survey.  Entitled “Aligning Marketing Business Development Resources for Law Firm Growth” the results ” , . . .speaks to the need to go deeper in order to understand and serve clients’ unique needs.”

Yet, even though marketing professionals rank CX (Client Experience” as an effective way to differentiate their firms, the survey found that they are not investing in it.  So what is an attorney to do when facing a first meeting, rfp pitch, or building a client relationship without having the CX intelligence?

First…  What are the buyers’ professional values?  What is the perception of you, your firm and your practice group?

  • What kind of commitments does the buyer/client expect you and your firm to make?
  • What are the buyer’s expectations in terms of rate structure?
  • What are the expectations about winning verses settling; completing the deal or letting it go?
  • What are the buyer’s needs arrayed across a broad spectrum of potential legal services?

Second… How many baskets are your eggs in?

News flash:  One size never fits all.  Marketing should be tailored according to personality, needs of the client and those skills of your firm.  One tactic that works for one professional won’t necessarily work for another.  And most importantly, “practiced” business development, sales training and closing skills will land the client.

Third… Why has a competitor bested you?

What do they know about the client or prospect that you don’t?  Track the client’s outside hires.  Is there a pattern?  Simply talk to their in-house lawyers.  Take them to lunch, ask why they hired so-and-so and (diplomatically) is it working out so far?  Be sure to pick up the tab.

By asking and researching these questions yourself, and having the marketing department provide industry and specific business related information for the prospect, you will be taking advantage of the latest, but way overdue method of growing new business — client experience.

To schedule a free 30 minute advisory consultation, go to the contact us page.

Reveal Your Firm’s Under Performing Marketing Assets — Catapult Your Revenues Without Losing a Dime!

Written by Allan Colman on . Posted in Business Strategy, Managing Partners, Strategic Planning, Uncategorized.

Under performing marketing assets, when identified, are a real drag on your firm’s revenues.  Out of the 25 questions we use to build a successful business plan for clients, what would your responses be to these 7?

  1. Are you making decisions on under performing activities and investments?
  2. Do you complete success/rejection analyses of pitches and proposals?
  3. How are you maximizing the impact of these pitches and proposals?
  4. What success are you having expanding the number of colleagues actively selling and cross marketing?
  5. Can you use single marketing tools to leverage wider exposure and response generation?
  6. Is there a format for building a long-term pipeline of leads and opportunities?
  7. Who is measuring and reporting results  and who pays attention to them?

And what do we mean by saying our advice can advance the discussion of under performing marketing assets without losing a dime?  Simple-  experience shows that by a significant increase in your new revenues, the only cost is our professional fee.  And that is typically returned 4 to 5 times within 6 months.

To schedule a free 30 minute consultation go to 

 

New Way to Educate Lawyers on Marketing

Written by Allan Colman on . Posted in Attorney Marketing, Law Firm Leadership, Law Firm Marketing, Uncategorized.

Legal Business World’s feature on marketing focused on our new law firm marketing coloring book, The New Colors of Law Firm Marketing.  Calling it “Husterical and fun way to teach lawyers business development,” Editor Allard Winterink featured it as the law firm marketing piece of the month.

Topics included:

* Convert your values to their needs;

* Everyone needs to have the same elevator message;

* ABR – Always build relationships;

* Rainmaking need not start outside the firm;

* Value creates a dynamic optimally suited to “Closing”.

And there is even an opportunity to draw your own cartoon based on comments lawyers have made including “I’m afraid of the process”; “I won’t cross sell”; “I’m not compensated” etc.  Turn to page 45 http://www.legalbusinessworld.nl

Where Does Client Trust Fit in the Business Development Puzzle?

Written by Allan Colman on . Posted in Uncategorized.

Client trust is perhaps the greatest element in business development. Or to put it another way, why should they buy from you? Although you may be selling the most sophisticated service, your audience may harbor a deep dread of being manipulated.

The solution, then, is to confront that tacit distrust by building client trust as a major focus of your business development efforts. When we work with clients and developing their business generation strategies and tactics, we teach them to build relationships with their prospects. And by understanding their business, and the market place dynamics, (competitors, recruitment, growth strategies, etc.) one will demonstrate the knowledge that converts into client trust.

“Partnering” has become a byword in sales strategies so we should define and pursue that kind of relationship “partnering = trust.” In establishing your client relationships, you have taken pains to assure them that you are fully attuned to how their business operates, including the need for confidentiality, for ethical compliance, for client-specific sensitivities whatever they may be. At the same time you have sent the message that, if anything, they have an obligation to at least consider the latest advances in client services that you offer.

You have thus reversed the burden from worrying about dealing with you to worrying about what might happen if they don”t!

You Won’t See This on WikiLeaks – “Emails Don’t End in Handshakes

Written by Allan Colman on . Posted in Business Development, Client Retention, Law Firm Marketing, Uncategorized.

British Airways got a real boost from this marketing and business development ad, “Emails Don’t End in Handshakes.” It today’s highly competitive market for professional services, one-way electronic communications do not win new clients nor retain current clients. That is why in our marketing and business development keynotes and seminars, we emphasize the absolute need to build trust through personal relationships.

Just as we teach specific tactics to create partnering relationships, we must realize that there are specific behaviors on our part that can further our relationship with them or destroy it altogether.

As “emails do not end in handshakes” emphasizes, in business development, it is critical to go where your clients go. If your clients, prospects and suspects will be attending an industry or ACC conference, be there to reinforce the relationship. Ask them to be on panels with you or co-author an article. Learn more about the charitable organizations that are important to them. If a prospect is speaking at an upcoming event, attend it even if the subject matter is not in your particular specialty area.

Business development does not occur simply by offering an engagement letter. Closing skills begin with the first contact and involve following up, building the relationship, understanding their business, business brainstorming and offering ideas before ultimately asking for the business. In other words, being face-to-face, even if only occasionally, is how you win and keep clients. Indeed, to grow business, emails do not and will not end in handshakes.

For a complimentary 15 question Rapid Marketing Assessment of your firm or practice area, acolman@closersgroup.com

Client Retention — What Should You Ask Your Clients?

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

In the last post, we began the discussion of Client Retention by asking what should you ask your clients? This is an important part of building client relationships and new business development. Perhaps, focus those questions more on:

* What do they really like about your firm?
* Why do they, or don’t they send referrals to you?
* What else would they like you to offer or provide to make their relationship with your firm
stronger or more productive?

And remember to ask all of your staff members who might deal with your clients in billing, leaving messages, following up for you, etc. They might have some interesting and different questions for you:

* Why do they think clients hire you?
* What do they think clients want in addition from you?

And then ask your suppliers and vendors that help to keep your offices running:

* Why do they think clients hire you?
* What do they think you can do to improve the client experience?
* What ideas have they seen other firms and companies do that work well?

And then, synthesize all the answers and identify the one idea that truly sets you apart.

Is Your Marketing GPS Really Working?

Written by Allan Colman on . Posted in Attorney Marketing, Conversion Rate Optimization, Law Firm Marketing, Uncategorized.

Is your marketing GPS really working? Do you use tissue, or Kleenex? Do you pack a lunch in plastic storage bags or Ziplocks? See where this is going? All successful law firm marketing – and I mean all – requires properly identifying your firm with a brand. When clients such as in-house counsel, insurance company claims directors, human resource directors, etc. hear the name of your firm, what adjectives come to mind? How are you and your partners known throughout the communities you deal in?

Hopefully,the adjectives you hear to describe your firm are positive, helping to differentiate you from your competitors. Look for common themes in how your peers and clients describe you and the firm. How do you do this — ask them. And then use those themes to create and communicate who you are in every aspect of your marketing and business development. And “encourage” every member of your firm to use this brand description. [source of material from OWN THE ZONE, Allan Colman, Made For Success Publishing Co.]

What Do You Do With Low Hanging Fruit?

Written by Allan Colman on . Posted in Uncategorized.

What do you do with low hanging fruit to increase law firm closers-group-low-hanging-fruitrevenue? It certainly does not happen overnight. Clients won’t become your greatest fans if you are hit and miss with your efforts. Keep up the momentum, energy and your follow-through 100% of the time.

Do this and a bumper crop may be happening in your not-so-distant future!

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Written by Allan Colman on . Posted in Uncategorized.

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Written by Allan Colman on . Posted in Uncategorized.

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