Dean Witter (not to be confused with Twitter – the micro-blogging service that some social marketing gurus swear by and others suggest you shun) did not build a successful investment firm by jumping into the fray. Instead, he focused on a single adage: “We earn one customer at a time.” This is invaluable advice, and it should be one of the keystone messages that a business development consultant delivers on closing skills and client retention.


Focusing on one client at a time happens on various levels. To build a one-on-one relationship with your clients, you need to learn their business:

1. Who are your client’s top competitors?
2. What new products or services are in development?
3. Are there internal pressures that your client contact must overcome?

Additionally, you need to take a personal interest in your clients—and maximize the opportunity to network whenever and wherever you can (read Never Eat Alone to find out more about this school of thought and the connectors that the author Keith Ferrazzi suggests). Ask about their families or talk over vacation plans; share a bit about yourself.


You’ll find that by making these connections, your abilities in legal sales will improve considerably.

This entry was posted on Monday, July 6th, 2009 at 5:43 am and is filed under Client Retention, Law Firm Mergers. You can follow any responses to this entry through the RSS 2.0 feed. You can skip to the end and leave a response. Pinging is currently not allowed.