“A pessimist sees difficulty in every opportunity; an optimist sees opportunity in every difficulty” – Winston Churchill

Steering a firm through a merger can be a long, grueling process, made even more arduous by the fact that firms often miss out on huge marketing opportunities simply because they don’t make the most of their resources. Successful mergers start with both firms embracing the upcoming changes and working together to deliver a strong strategic marketing plan for the road ahead.


Believe it or not, your attitude about the merger can have a direct impact on its success! And while it may be easy to be the pessimist during a merger, you’ll have better results by adopting a more positive attitude. In law firm mergers, taking an optimistic approach means that your firm has a better chance of coming out at the other end with greater insight into better serving the clients, representing the firm and communicating with employees.


Not sure how to get started in developing a merger-friendly marketing plan? Here are a few tips to help you get started:

1. Identify your audience: It’s important to identify who this merger is going to impact and who will be interested in the developments. Think: clients, employees, stakeholders. Make sure these groups are made aware of the changes, how it’s going to affect them, and what to expect after the merger—and make sure you do this sooner, rather than later.
2. Refine and define your image and message: Since you’ll be bringing together two separate entities, it’s important that the leadership of both firms get together and create a new, cohesive brand. Assess the two firms and the skills, clients and capabilities they each bring to the table. In essence, you will be creating a more comprehensive firm that has a greater, deeper scope of experience, and you’ll need to make sure your messaging reflects this.
3. Present your firm to the marketplace: Once you have a clear idea of what the merger means for your business, show the marketplace what you have to offer now. This can be done through bylined articles written by both firms’ lawyers, relevant forums where lawyers can discuss mergers and share experiences, or a more formal public relations and advertising campaign.
4. Perform an audit of your internal resources: After the merger has been signed and sealed, it’s time to evaluate the firm’s internal resources – its employees. Fastidiously research and catalog what each lawyer, legal assistant and paralegal brings to the table. Not only does this improve the chances of making the most of the talent, but it also gives you the opportunity to get know the people who are going to be responsible for the bread and butter of the firm.

Many assume that a merger will be painful, but it doesn’t have to be; in fact, taking the potentially difficult situations created by a merger and turning them into opportunities is a cornerstone of great leadership. Keep a positive attitude and identify ways to maximize the value of your merger, and you’ll be reaping rewards long after the ink on the new letterhead dries.

The ‘game’ you play with a prospective client isn’t much different from a sports game. Closing the deal – securing the win – is all about successfully executing a foolproof plan-of-action. Just because you might be the best for the job doesn’t mean you’ll win the business. Preparedness matters and planning ahead is vital to the success of presenting yourself and your firm to a prospective client.

How can you prepare? How can you know that you’ll be able to answer each and every question that may be asked? Start by trying to find any law- or business-related literature about the prospect that you can get your hands on and determine how your firm stacks up to their needs.

To make sure your firm’s representatives are ready to meet with a client, you’ll want to implement the following four-phase preparedness plan:

Phase 1: Do Your Homework

• Define your current relationship with the company.


• Review the company’s recent legal history, legal policies, business ventures, products and services, and any possible openings within the company for legal work.


• Find out which law firms the company does currently business with and how you measure up against them.


• Learn who makes the big decisions in the company: the direct customer, the financial officer, an executive, or someone else.

Phase 2: Make a Connection

• Make sure there are clear lines of communication between the firm and the client. Assign internal contacts to appropriate people within the company.


• Communicate with management to learn about additional opportunities.


• If you already have a relationship with the company, reinforce it in a positive manner with regular, open communication.

Phase 3: Show ‘Em You Mean Business—Your Presentation

• Be ready to answer any and all questions.


• Be transparent, direct, and confident.


• Support your presentation with take-aways, visuals and detailed success stories from previous and current clients.


• Stress your firm’s interest, qualifications and commitment to the client.

Phase 4: Perform Diligent Follow-up

• Maintain communication with the prospective client to show you’re keen to win the business and to prove you are eager to begin the project.


• Thank the client for the opportunity to present your firm and possibly work with them.


• Gauge the success of the presentation by the win or loss of the business, or the company’s reaction—and don’t forget that future business still counts as a success.


• Alter your strategic plan as necessary to improve for the next presentation.

Meeting with your prospects takes you a step closer to the heart of the Red Zone, so ensure you and your fellow lawyers are prepared. The more that you know about your prospects, clients and what to expect, the better your chances are of locking up another win by securing new business.

Your firm is evolving, and your clients are moving forward. With the world moving at such a hectic pace, it’s easy to be left behind! In order to stay relevant, it’s important to constantly stay informed, keep communications flowing, and continue to prove your value.

Client retention is vital to preserving business as times change. Solid relationships and keeping your clients happy are at the core of this concept. Here are some important tips & techniques to keep you on your toes and on your game:

• Take a step back: Whenever you have the chance, observe the client’s situation from a different perspective. Moving away will let you step outside your standard viewpoints – and increased objectivity will increase productivity.


• View it through fresh eyes: While you may have the greatest insight or knowledge about a client, getting a fresh set of eyes and opinions on an issue can be enlightening and surprising. Whether you’re feeling stuck in a rut, needing some inspiration, or looking for a new approach, ask new associates or lawyers not associated with the client for their take.


• Demonstrate knowledge & initiative: Make it evident that you are not only keeping up with the latest developments impacting your client but also applying that knowledge. Take this as an opportunity to develop more business for the firm and show the client your firm’s value and commitment.


• Maintain open lines of communication: While stepping back is important, so is staying close and keeping in touch. Open communication fosters trust, shows commitment, and demonstrates your interest in continuing a healthy business relationship.


• Don’t forget you’re providing a service: Your firm has been hired to provide a client with legal services. Don’t slip into a routine and produce lackluster, monotonous work. Show the client how you can help with upcoming issues and challenges. Prove that they are getting their money’s worth.

In this tough economic climate, clients are hard to come by. Keeping the ones you have is no easy task, but more important than ever.

Sir Richard Livingstone’s “danger” has passed, and you’ve narrowed down your options and decided to respond to a particular Request for Proposal (RFP). But what do you do next? After answering the questions that helped you to determine whether to respond, there are a few additional things you’ll want to consider—especially with regards to preparing a presentation that will help close the deal.


As a business development consultant, advising law firms on the art of closing the deal is one of the cornerstones of the Closers Group’s service offerings. Closing the deal involves presenting the prospective client with the best and most persuasive information possible and in a way that best represents your firm. Even if your firm does not win the bid for that particular RFP, making a good impression now will be important if you want to be considered for future business. So how do you make sure you make the right impression? Here’s what you want to consider as you prepare and present your response:

• The time frame: How much time will you be given to present your offer? If they want you in and out in an hour, they may just be going through the motions in order to appease upper management, or superficially shuffling through a large number of prospects. Understand how much time you’ll have to make your case and you’ll be able to better gauge the client’s level of seriousness about the project and interest in your firm.


• The format: In what way will you be asked to present your response? Find out their preferred format and then plan accordingly. No matter the format, ensure that you focus on their key issues and how your firm can meet them. Ensure you give clear examples of how you have solved other clients’ issues rather than just giving a general overview of your firm’s abilities.


• The lasting impression: Give them something to remember you by—create a brief but meaningful leave-behind piece and take a minute to walk them through it before leaving.

First impressions are essential to closing the deal, so when you meet with a prospective client ensure that you take advantage of every opportunity to show them why your firm is the best to solve their problems. Invest the time in preparing your presentation script and your presentation materials, and your results will likely take you to the Red Zone!

“Our danger is not too few, but too many options.” – Sir Richard Livingstone

Livingstone may not have been referring to the seemingly endless number of e-mails collecting in your Inbox, but he did recognize that we face multiple difficult decisions each day—and those who work in a legal environment are no different. Often, leaders in a firm must decide whether or not to respond to a Request for Proposal (RFP) issued by a client or prospective client. The problem is how do you sift through the sea of proposals? One way to start is to develop a “go/no go” process to evaluate each RFP and determine which to approach. After all, you cannot do them all!


Start your RFP decision-making process by asking yourself and your colleagues a few questions:

• How was the invitation list determined? Find out if your inclusion in receiving the RFP was intentional (based on your past attorney marketing efforts) or if you were one of many firms in the area who received it.


• Who are the preparers and reviewers? Determine if the person who issued the RFP is the actual buyer or is just assisting in the process. Also determine who is on the interview team, and ask if you can contact them prior to the interview. This will give you the chance to build a relationship with the people involved in all aspects of the RFP process and will create a more informal environment for conversation.


• Is the company now using RFPs for all legal work, or just specialties? Any insight you can find out in this area will help you predict future processes and will give you the chance to develop some rapport with the company.


• Does the client require a formal response in a section-by-section approach? If the answer is yes, you’ll want to make sure you add an introductory sentence to each section highlighting your firm’s ability to meet the client’s specific needs.

Once you’ve addressed these questions, you’ll be able to form a more educated opinion on whether or not to respond to the RFP. If you decide not to proceed, inform the issuer in writing that you are not responding, wish them the best and tell them you look forward to working with them in the future. Then check your email for the next batch of RFPs to come through, and repeat the process again!

Do you know what content on your website draws the most visitors? Is the content on your small firm’s website compelling? If you aren’t receiving numerous leads from your website request form, do you know whether it is because the visitors don’t feel that your message is compelling, or is it just that they can’t find the contact form?


When we work with small firms to make website upgrades, we’re frequently asked questions related to the content of the site and the content process—questions like “What content should we keep from our current website,” and “How will we move information from our current site to our new site?”


The second question can be answered easily: The website developers will be the ones to migrate content. The first question, however, requires a bit more explanation. There is some content that your firm will know – with little doubt – should stay on the site. Web content strategists can also be a valuable asset and can help to evaluate your site content, make editorial recommendations, and suggest or even create additional content that will further support your firm’s marketing abilities.


Additionally, by installing a free tool such as Google Analytics and monitoring reports on a regular basis, you will be able to determine how much traffic your site is generating, what content may need to be strengthened, and identify the priorities that your site visitors have. You can then improve the experience for your visitors – your firm’s prospects – by adding landing pages, blog posts, and other resources that address their needs.


Meeting the needs of your clients and prospects are crucial elements of business development. When we work with our clients to increase sales, identifying what messages work and helping them to communicate more effectively with their prospects is a key part of the process – especially when the marketing tool in question is the firm’s website.


After all, as we suggested in our previous post, you can use your website to improve your firm’s profile and increase sales with your firm’s website. Don’t know how to enhance your site? Contact us to learn more about how we can help.