David Copperfield is known for performing astounding feats of illusion – most notably, making both a 747 jetliner and the Statue of Liberty disappear. The magic, as Copperfield shows us, is in making sure that there is ample planning for all possible contingencies – after all, the Statue of Liberty is still there and David Copperfield is one of the most successful people in the field of magic.


Just as careful planning can accomplish tremendous feats of magic, it is also necessary when you begin to plan for making law sales. When you’re working with a business development consultant, some of the best advice that you’ll receive is about preparation: focus on filling your sales pipeline with prospective clients who are in various stages of the marketing process. Make sure that some of your prospects are current clients who are looking for additional services, and focus too on those prospects you’ve just met at presentations or those who’ve called after seeing an article that you published.


Successful law sales take time. You need to have a strategy in place, and you need to plan for a number of possible outcomes. The right business development consultant can help you to see your options, and develop a plan for reaching out to everyone along the way – and help leave your competitors in awe of your magic touch.

Since the first broadcast of Sesame Street more than 40 years ago, Oscar the Grouch has popped up from his trash can to share his opinion or tell his fellow residents to ‘Scram!‘. Though he is indeed grouchy – preferring everything dirty, dingy, and dusty to all things sweet and nice – there’s no doubt that Oscar has made a significant contribution to the show’s ability to succeed.


Just as Sesame Street wouldn’t be the same without its grouchiest resident, an action-oriented law firm business generation effort wouldn’t be the same without effective marketing. For firms that have cut back the number of marketing professionals on staff, or for those that need to access expertise that is not currently in residence, interim marketing and business development support is available. Firms like The Closers Group “pop up” and provide the services that will help your firm grow now. We add value and support to your staff without adding an additional headcount.


When you need a team that provides the skills and experience critical to continuing and upgrading your legal sales promotions call us or request more information. There is no startup or education period necessary–because just as Oscar stands prepared to criticize and complain, we stand ready to work with you to strategize, innovate, and manage your marketing efforts.

In astrology, persistence is a noted characteristic of Capricorns whose sign is rising this month. Similarly, being persistent is an important part of business development. Combining this trait with a comment made by a rainmaker featured in Diversity and the Bar last year – “Never overlook anyone” – can create more opportunities for legal sales.


One of the most basic business development tactics is to “touch” your contacts and prospects two or three times per year. You can do this by picking up the phone, sending a hand-written note, crafting a personal email, sending an eblast, forwarding relevant articles, or even by inviting your contacts to events.


Staying in touch may not seem like it’s going to pay off, but it does. After 6 years of reaching out to a prospect, one of my clients was invited to speak at a national organization’s annual conference and to address more than 1,000 attendees. In this case, persistence paid off – and it can for you too. Stay connected with your clients, prospects, and leads and legal sales opportunities will abound.

Just as an NFL team rarely starts a drive in the Red Zone, lawyers focused on closing new business don’t often have the luxury of attracting new clients by simply offering an engagement letter. Closing skills and lawyer marketing begin with the first contact and involve following up, building the relationship, understanding the prospect’s business, brainstorming, and offering ideas before ultimately asking for the business.


The Closers Group Red Zone approach ensures that the legal sales leadership in your firm develops the skills necessary every step of the way – and focuses on helping your marketing team practice these skills in preparation for closing more business. In part, this is done by uncovering underperforming assets.


Here’s an example:


A law firm client came to me because, after her firm spent hundreds of thousands of dollars sponsoring client workshops and giving speeches at bar and professional association meetings, only two leads resulted. While providing sales consulting services, I asked to have the chance to observe some of these workshops and meetings.


I could immediately see the issue observing that the firm’s lawyers congregated, talked and sat with one another rather than “chatting up” clients and prospects. This led to a new directive for the firm. Now, each lawyer is given targets to meet at every session. The lawyers sit at separate tables and follow up after the presentations. Their lead source grew to over 125 the following year; of those, 15 were developed and converted to engagements.


Success in the Red Zone is possible – provided the legal sales leadership focuses on developing the right strategies, cultivating teamwork and taking the time to practice and prepare for that success.

Ski jumping isn’t a sport for the faint of heart. While countless hours of training are undertaken before a skier ever makes it to the gate at the top of a ramp, once there, only two options remain:

1. Pack up the skis and back out.
2. Put training and experience to work and “jump to it.”

New business development for legal sales is a lot like ski jumping. After working with a law marketing advisor and perfecting your strategies, when you’re faced with a business development opportunity, you will be ready to make a move. Whether you need to ask for an introduction, reconnect with old colleagues, or uncover hidden connections, the action you take will help determine your success.


Recently, a client came to me because a utility company that accounted for 25% of his work was being acquired. My client knew no one at the acquiring corporation, but I suggested taking a quick look at the acquiring company’s board of directors to identify those who might be employed by his firm’s other clients, asking for an immediate introduction to the general counsel and head of litigation for the acquiring corporation, and letting them see what he could bring to the table.


Turning away from the gate may have seemed like the safer option, but my client chose to trust in his training and experience and take the plunge. He’s now the lead counsel for both companies’ litigation in their specialty areas.

The resistance that some lawyers have to business development isn’t unlike the distaste for wintery weather conditions – and a lot of it stems from a distaste for making cold calls. Cold calls imply a lack of control over the turns of the conversation, hint at feeling stuck – as though there are no other options for attracting new clients – and often fill one with a sense of dread over the fear of icy responses from the individuals they’ve called.


In our business development workshops, we like to point out that there’s no such thing as a cold call. We suggest simple tactics to identify previously unknown prospects so that a much “warmer” approach can be taken.


A Closers Group client with 15 years of practice experience was having difficulty identifying new prospects when he attended one of our business development training workshops. After we suggested he review his alumni newsletter, he noted that an earlier graduate had recently been promoted to senior in-house counsel for an international manufacturer. When he made contact, he linked his communication to the law school they had in common and pointed out a related European Union legal decision. Through that contact, he has been introduced to the world of international litigation and will be growing that practice.


By shaking the chill of unfamiliarity, you too can warm up your approach to law sales and develop more business.

Restaurant menus often group food options into categories – appetizers, salads, main courses, and desserts. This organization lets the customer focus on finding what they’re looking for – whether it’s a light bite or something far more substantial.


When you’re looking to grow your law firm, you should have clear options as well. Look for a legal sales consultant who presents a menu of tactics that will help you to reach your goals.


For example, a menu of business development tactics might include:

Building contacts into leads.

• Evaluating and joining community, nonprofit, and/or legal associations.
• Becoming more involved in pitches and proposals.
• Testing new approaches with prospects.
• Brainstorming with clients and prospects to look ahead into 2010 and 2011.
• Rehearsing, practicing and evaluating presentations.

Whether you make one selection from the menu or make a la carte selections that combine tactics or add to the list, working with the right business development consultant will help to ensure that you are satisfied. And, once you’ve practiced and perfected these techniques, you’ll be able to move on to other menu areas such as closing skills and client retention tactics.

After several weeks of sloppy play that was anything but productive, the New York Giants weren’t taking anything for granted – even going into a game against the Washington Redskins. Their coach practiced fundamentals all week, the offensive game plan focused on bringing out the team’s powerful running game, and the defense worked to pick the Redskins’ line apart.


By getting back to basics and assuring their strengths, the Giants had a decisive victory over an NFC East rival. This same sort of concentration should be practiced in law firm marketing.


Don’t add new methods of prospecting to legal sales until individual attorneys have achieved success with the tactics that work for them. Brainstorming with a business development consultant can ensure that tactics for pushing experienced lawyers toward client retention take advantage of the skills those lawyers already have. These sessions will also ensure that needs, opportunities, and challenges are identified before designing a game plan to win more business from current or recent clients. The best game plan will recognize “blocks” that may come – the economy, competitors, pressure from the “C” suite, etc. – so that you can plan for them, prepare to overcome them, and make the best approach.


Up until the recent Monday-night matchup, Washington had the best NFL record for preventing touchdowns in the Red Zone but they couldn’t stop the Giants. By preparing your playbook for contact, pursuit, and closing skills, practicing your strengths, and designing your plays to overcome business development challenges when you’re “in the Zone,” you’ll be posed for similar success.

During the past few years, the Closers Group has been pushing our firm’s clients to clearly define their business development training objectives. The objectives identified fall into four categories – all of which enhance legal sales:

1. Revenue growth.


2. Brand recognition.


3. Enhanced visibility.


4. Increasing profitability.

A forward-thinking lawyer marketing program develops tactics that combine all four of these objectives. As 2009 comes to a close and 2010 gets underway, look for our next series of posts that will detail the most successful business development tools – those that will help you navigate the Red Zone of legal sales and emerge as leaders within your firms.

Relationships lead to successful legal sales. In the annual 2009 Inside Counsel Survey on Legal Department Operations (PDF) builds on the importance of understanding business. The survey found that the top three attributes that in-house counsel find most important to managing their departments are business acumen, legal department knowledge, and financial acumen.


Want even more proof of just how important relationships are to successful legal sales and ongoing relationships? Consider something Janet Langford Kelly, Senior Vice President and General Counsel for ConocoPhillips recently said in a Special Section to Inside Counsel (December 2009): “My direct reports who serve our business divisions have dotted reporting lines to the heads of those divisions and sit on their management committees.”


Relationship building and gaining and understanding of a client or prospect’s business are areas of law selling that aren’t often fully explored. However, they are key elements of the business development training workshops and seminars presented by The Closers Group.


Having spent many years working for in-house counsel and as a trial consultant, I was fortunate to learn how important understanding business is to the client selection and client retention processes. “Go, Read, Know” may be the traditional marketing bromide, but when you get to “know,” make sure that you’re not just learning what seems like key information about your clients and prospects. Focus on getting to know their business, learning what your clients and prospects need to know about their industry, and take the time to know how they serve their clients.


Good fences might make good neighbors, but business development success takes forging strong relationships – and developing a keen understanding of business.