These tips can help you coach your attorneys on how to build relationships — and business.
In this competitive legal landscape, having attorneys who can sell is critical. But it’s not a skill that comes naturally to some and isn’t taught much (if at all) in law schools.
Regardless of practice size (and attorney comfort level), it’s critical they engage in building a firm’s book of business. But inspiring them to do so can be a bit of a challenge.
David Freeman, JD, says reframing is the most crucial element for attorneys with little business development experience. “Most lawyers never received any kind of training in law firm or client business development,” says Freeman, a member of the National Law Journal Hall of Fame and creator of Lawyer Book Builder, an online rainmaker training tool for lawyers. (He’s also a frequent contributor to Legal Management magazine.) “There’s often this perception that you’ve got to sell, you’ve got to push; it’s distasteful, and they don’t want to do it. But the reframe is that it’s really about relationship building, which everybody has some experience with. It’s not about selling anything to anybody,” he says.
The best attorneys will be a well-kept secret if they don’t understand that. First and foremost, they have to build their practice of law, says Jennifer Hines, Chief Executive Officer of Accelerated Sales and Leadership, which works with firms on customizing business solutions for growth opportunities. “They have to value the need for developing that business and their practice as much as they do the law that they’re specializing in because if it’s not prioritized, it’s a long difficult road to having a successful practice,” she says.
Here are some steps to consider.
Freeman likes to say it’s all about fame and friendship. If you guide your attorneys to build from this anchor, you can begin to create a basis for their business development skills.
“Fame means letting people know who you are and what you do.” In other words, you can’t expect Avvo or Google to be the source of how people find your practice. This “fame” piece can come in many ways. For example, encourage attorneys to attend association events or even to speak at one. Or, consider nudging them into the world of publishing where they can share thought pieces in their practice area. It can even just be a matter of sharing such content with their professional network on LinkedIn.
Look for ways they can get in front of existing clients outside of their day-to-day work. For example, are there opportunities to offer workshops for existing clients? If one of your practice areas is tax law, offer a free session with tax tips. If trust administration is a practice area, work to build relationships with people who do trust administration at banks. Once you’ve identified contacts, encourage your attorneys to reach out to them, introduce themselves and begin developing relationships. Or if your firm specializes in estate planning, perhaps set up appointments at local senior centers so attorneys can hold seminars.
“There’s often this perception that you’ve got to sell, you’ve got to push; it’s distasteful, and they don’t want to do it. But the reframe is that it’s really about relationship building, which everybody has some experience with.”
“A firm I worked with years ago that specialized in estate planning would regularly put on an estate planning event in a very nice restaurant where their workshop was targeted to the client audience they were after,” says Hines.
This is an organic way for attorneys to market themselves — and by extension — the firm. Habits like these are engrained in natural-born rainmakers, and they generate value for your firm and help build its reputation — all without sales pressure.
Everyone has a story to share, and sharing some of those stories on your firm’s biography page is a great way to connect to potential clients. Not painting a persona about who you are or how you are different is a missed business development opportunity.
“Lawyers don’t tell a good story about themselves,” says Freeman. If you look at their bio or LinkedIn profile, it’s typically generic and bland. “It doesn't tell a story of why you are different than someone else doing real estate law or estate planning.”
For example, are there stories that can connect attorneys to potential clients? Perhaps an attorney specializes in bankruptcy law because they watched a loved one experience financial struggles. Or, what are some of the firm’s biggest success stories? While you may not be able to name the clients in these success stories, sharing some generic details about them can showcase to prospective clients your past wins.
Remember: Potential clients want to know that you've been in this situation before, understand them and their needs, and handle things successfully.
Ever dine at the fanciest restaurant where they think of your every whim? If you’re wearing dark clothing, the cloth napkin is dark. If you’re wearing light colors, the napkin is white so as not to attract lint. After each course, they sweep the crumbs from your table, comp your dessert without request if the service is delayed, and offer to give the valet your ticket so your car is pulled up in the rain. It’s a “wow” restaurant.
Lawyers are in the service industry, too. Ask your attorneys to consider what a “wow” level of service would look like, says Freeman. You want people to say, ‘Wow, my lawyer did this,’ or ‘Wow, she does that.’
“A firm I worked with years ago that specialized in estate planning would regularly put on an estate planning event in a very nice restaurant where their workshop was targeted to the client audience they were after.”
“It may not mean anything more than they got back to me quickly, they did a little something extra, they reached out to me with a prospective client,” Freeman says. This level of extraordinary service makes the rainmaker stand out from the average attorney when it comes to business development.
It’s not just satisfactory service or good service — it’s wow service.
There’s a book called Giftology: The Art and Science of Using Gifts to Cut Through The Noise, Increase Referrals, and Strengthen Retention. The author John Ruhlin has a concept that we all need to become “giverprenuers” to be in the business of giving because if you give, people want to give back.
We aren’t talking monetary gifts — gifts can mean your time, energy and expertise. It can be sending a note or messaging someone with an article you think they’ll find interesting.
“Giving aligns with many people’s personalities because people don’t want to be seen as pushy sales takers; they want to be helpful givers,” says Freeman.
Some quantitative analysis also suggests that when lawyers inside large firms give work to other lawyers, they make more the following year. If you’re giving to many people, people want to give back to you, Freeman adds.
“Every deposit you make into your business development account can yield results and compound down the road, but if you don't deposit now, nothing will grow down the road,” says Freeman.
