Sigmund Freud paved the way for modern psychotherapy practices when he pioneered “talking therapy” as a way of helping patients understand how their pasts had an influence on their current lives. Dr. Freud’s practice demonstrated that ignoring one’s earlier experiences leads one to continue repeating patterns and mistakes.


There are benefits to applying Freud’s philosophy to legal sales. If you want to improve your marketing efforts and close sales, take the time after each proposal or pitch meeting to perform a self-assessment. Determine:

1. Whether the offer you made solves the current problem for the client or prospect.
2. If you accurately described how you and your firm can resolve their situation.
3. Whether your prospect or client trusts you to solve their problem.
4. How clear you were when explaining how they will save time and money with your services.
5. If you will actually be a part of their solution.

By considering and evaluating your efforts after you’ve made a proposal, you’ll be able to learn what does and doesn’t work – and you’ll be better prepared to take advantage of your next opportunity. Reflection shows you where your marketing message needs improvement; making changes will lead to closing success!

All too often, business development consultants stay within the comfort zone of coaching rather than strategizing and establishing a specific plan to bring in new engagements. When you choose a consultant to provide business development training in your firm, make sure that you’re working with someone who can provide a history of significant results – someone who can assist your law sales efforts and help you go straight for new clients.


When you choose a business development consultant to help lawyers in your firm enhance lawyer marketing efforts, be sure that the consultant will:

• Create more successful attorney marketing angles.
• Identify and close more opportunities.
• Enhance your client retention by helping lawyers build strong relationships.
• Help you to build a pipeline culture to ensure that attorney marketing continues for years.



In choosing the right business development consultant for your business development training, model your approach on the wisdom of the famous US President, Teddy Roosevelt. Roosevelt once told an audience in Oyster Bay, NY “I have a horror of words that are not backed up by deeds.” Let these words serve as guidance for you as you search for a business development coach who can deliver results instead of just talking about them.

“And where is Batman?” asked the Joker on an occasion when the caped crusader was trapped and temporarily unable to save the day. By calling into question Batman’s ability to “be there” when people needed him, the Joker created a sense of doubt and uneasiness among the citizens of Gotham.


Don’t play the role of the villain within your own business by inadvertently creating that same sense of uneasiness in your clients and prospects. As a lawyer looking to land clients, it’s imperative that you understand the importance of “being there” when your clients need you. By being available for your client, following up with clients after their case is settled to ensure that everything is still going smoothly, checking in and staying in touch at regular intervals, and making sure that your clients and even your top prospects are comfortable picking up the phone when they have a question, you can be sure that you stay fresh in their minds.


Instead, fashion your approach in a more “heroic” manner. Make sure that you always follow up to a call or email in a timely fashion, and you’ll be reminding clients of their importance to you.
Make certain that clients and prospects have a strong understanding of what you and your firm have to offer. And also concentrate on asking the right questions, determining what your clients and prospects need and focusing on creating an awareness of what you can do for them. By making your clients a priority, your reputation and closing skills will benefit.

When your focus is on growing your law practice, the opinion of your prospective client is what matters. While those prospects may not be holding American Idol-style auditions all over the country to find their winner, it is still important for you to rise above the competition.


The key to success is this: Taking the time to really understand your clients and prospects will let you head directly for the lead without getting caught up in the competition.


Understanding the client is critical to successful legal sales. You must know:

• Who the final decision makers are.
• If there are there both economic buyers and user buyers (based on the Miller Heiman theory of business development.)
• What pressures your prospect is under from the CEO and Board of Directors.
• What law marketing approaches are going to drive them crazy and push them away.

The more that you are prepared – the more that you know about your prospect – the better you’ll be positioned to beat your competition, grow your firm and win the contract!

Finding the right business development consultant can be tricky. After all, if you’re like most small- and mid-sized firms, there are a number of characteristics you want in a consultant – and a variety of tasks you want to be accomplished.


Ultimately, when you hire a business development consultant, you need to be sure that you’re considering someone who understands their own attorney marketing culture, has clear objectives for managing their business, and has identified long-range client retention actions. After all, if they haven’t done their homework on these tasks for their own business, why hire them for yours?


A business development consultant should be prepared to clarify exactly what your firm is looking for, and provide the specific services you need. Before bringing someone into your business to provide legal sales and business development training, find out whether they are focused on achieving quick success, building a long-term selling culture, or some combination of the two.


Remember, when you bring someone into your business, it’s to meet your needs. When you approach them, borrow from Dirty Harry. Make sure that you’re choosing someone who can rise to the challenge-who can effectively go ahead and make your day!

When Sherlock Holmes cracked the case, he did so after careful examination of all of the evidence. Similarly, when you’re marketing your legal services, it’s important to put your prospects “under the microscope.” Knowing what your prospects are looking for–before you make contact–is essential.


Attorneys with successful closing skills know that taking an in-depth look at their prospect’s business is an imperative step in closing the sale. Before approaching a new prospect, these attorneys:

• Take the time to learn what new products or services the prospect has recently marketed.
• Research the community service projects the company or agency sponsors.
• Determine whether or not the company or agency is currently going through layoffs.
• Explore what their prospect’s competitors are doing.
• Identify any special awards their prospect may have won or honors they have received.

By taking take the time to learn more about your prospects, you’ll better be able to determine their needs. More importantly, you can tailor your sales presentation to address those needs. Not only will you have better information, but also you’ll be in a position to ask better questions–and your law selling approach will prove far more successful!

When General Motors filed for Chapter 11 bankruptcy protection, many thought that it was the end of the auto giant. For them, the fact that GM was able to spring back so quickly was a huge surprise.


Coming out of bankruptcy after such a short amount of time can mean only one thing–executives at GM got down to basics as swiftly as possible. They looked at where they were in the market, identified what they had to work with, evaluated their goals and options and started to take action. If only lawyers who have been asked to become active in attorney selling would do the same and follow GM’s example.


Though it may not be widely discussed, the lawyers who survive one round of layoffs are often put on notice themselves. It’s no secret that slow legal sales are a major factor in many law firm layoffs. Learning to successfully close legal sales can help you to stay with your firm.


No longer are the firms going to continue with business as usual; everyone needs to focus on closing sales and bringing in more business. Senior associates, non-equity partners and even equity partners who haven’t met billing requirements have been advised that it’s time to act.


In not so many words, lawyers are being encouraged to aggressively engage in lawyer marketing, client retention, and business development. If you’re among the lawyers heeding this call, it’s time to take a lesson from GM. A business development consultant can help you to explore your options, take action, and grow your practice and your firm and close more business!

Though miserly Ebenezer Scrooge may be best remembered for the phrase ‘Bah, humbug,’ it’s worth pointing out that first and foremost, Scrooge was a businessman. He searched for opportunities to sell when others were sitting on their hands crying “woe is me,” and he took advantage of every possible opportunity to do business.


In our recently completed nationwide survey of lawyers and marketing professionals, the most surprising result was that the current economic crisis has not provided a significant impetus to new business development training initiatives or to more law firms retaining business development consultants.


The marketplace has presented you the opportunity to truly differentiate your small- or mid-sized firm from the others. With more corporations and agencies looking for high value work at a lower cost, your law sales are ripe for success. But in order to take advantage of the market, you and your firm have to be out there; people and businesses need to know who you are.


Remember, there are only 3 sources of new business to focus your legal sales efforts on:

1. Current clients who may have additional needs for your services
2. Referrals that come in based on the service you’ve given current and past clients
3. New clients that you bring in from a list of prospects

If 50% of your new engagements are not coming from repeat clients who need additional services, or from referrals from your current clients, bringing in a business development consultant who can make your efforts more productive is a great option. Rather than hunkering down and bracing for the worst, you can take advantage of tools and closing skills that let you increase your client base and grow your firm – without looking like a Scrooge in the process.

We’ve all heard the quote made famous by hairstyle icon Vidal Sassoon: “If you don’t look good, we don’t look good.” Vidal understood that making his clients look their best was key to his own continued success. The same holds true for attorneys. In order for the client to look great, the lawyer must be highly organized in depositions, in hearings, and in trial.


Although most lawyers rise to the occasion in the courtroom, many look very unprepared in a legal sales setting. Rather than being prepared for a phone call, a dinner meeting or before making a formal proposal, they try to wing it–an approach that ensures no one looks good!


Fortunately, there are steps that can be taken to set an agenda that will improve your closing skills.


Talk to the prospect or client before the session, offer a preliminary agenda, get their input, and revise as needed. When the call or meeting starts, present an agenda again but before you get started ask if your client or prospect wants to proceed in the recommended order; ask if any new challenges have arisen before you start the presentation. Clarifying the client’s objectives (not yours) before beginning a sales session is a skill that can be learned during business development training sessions.


It is critically important to get the client/prospect talking more than you. You can do that by completing research on the client’s business, competitors, stock price, and other info and by using that information to frame your questions and presentations. In other words, you’ll be able to give your clients and prospects the chance to look good – and you’ll look great in the process.

The military term “force multiplier” describes how a unit’s advantage improves when resources come together. Bringing in a support squadron with different tactical skills, working with improved surveillance software, fostering high morale, or receiving specialized training each enhance the strength of the unit – but when they’re combined, the benefit grows exponentially.


General George S. Patton embraced this concept while leading troops during World War II. When Patton was given a target to conquer, he would use all available resources to accomplish the goal. Armored vehicles, artillery, infantry, air attacks were all part of a successful campaign. As the General said, “Lead me, follow me, or get out of my way.”


Force multipliers aren’t just for the military—they are applicable to attorney marketing, as well. A great business development consultant will take a similar ‘multiplier’ approach when providing services. Business development consultants should recommend more than one method of winning a prospect’s business to their law firm clients – demonstrating, in effect, a force multiplier. These methods include:

• Inviting a prospect or client to appear on a panel with you.
• Asking a prospect or a client to co-author an article in a publication specific to their industry.
• Offering to brainstorm with a client or prospect’s top advisors.
• Sending along copies of relevant court decisions, new legislation, etc. that will impact their business.

Look at each target as an opportunity to assemble your strongest resources for attorney selling – and be sure to combine your resources when needed. The process of legal sales is not one-size-fits-all. Customizing your approach and using a range of best options will provide stronger closing successes.