The past year has proven tough for all types of businesses, including law firms. With increasing client workload in the face of a faltering economy, law firms need to concentrate on achieving solid, measurable results. Keeping up in 2011 requires cultivation and reinforcement of sales skills and closing techniques through tried & true tactics. In this series of blog posts, we will discuss six Closers Group recommendations for law firms that will help you withstand the test of time and will prove worthy of your time.


Today, it’s all about your clients:

1. Expand Client Efforts: Many firms make the mistake of never expanding their efforts with current clients. By asking clients how your firm is performing and what else they need, you can improve client retention and increase your business across and within practice groups. Many firms conduct client service surveys, but this is not in itself enough to win new business. According to one in-house counsel, firms rarely follow through after surveys or interviews–a huge missed opportunity.
2. Enhance Relationship Building: Building, maintaining, and cultivating client relationships is more important than ever in this market. Clients value relationships and relationships build trust, loyalty, and retention. Know the voice of the client: go where they go, read what they read, and know who they know. Ask them to participate in a conference, to co-author an article, and to speak to your younger attorneys—or consider inviting them to join you for a round of golf or going to the opera. Spend time building the relationship now and down the road, you’ll be able to ask for references and introductions.

Often we get by just doing the minimum required because we’re busy. But if you’re looking to grow in this economic climate, that approach doesn’t cut it anymore. Going above and beyond by following through and reaching out further will result in happy attorneys and happy clients. You may already be in the RED ZONE, but you still have to focus on closing the deal. In the next post of the series, we’ll discuss the importance of maintaining and building effective internal strategies that strengthen a law firm’s core –its employees.

In our previous post, we looked at a survey conducted at the ALM Marketing and Business Development Leadership Forum and talked about how the responses they received weren’t fully in line with our own experiences. And when it comes to law firm directories, our opinion again differs from the survey’s findings.


According to the survey, 80% of chief marketing officers said law firm directories played no role in their marketing efforts. However, I think that the findings here don’t seem to accurately represent the reality, and if you look at the results from the2011 BTI Survey, you’ll see that I’m not alone in my belief. Answers from the BTI Survey respondents showed that law firm directories can actually play an important role in a firm’s marketing efforts. The BTI Survey in-house respondents asserted that they use directories in the following ways:

• 81% use directories to identify outside counsel in an unfamiliar jurisdiction
• 70% use directories to identify outside counsel experts in an unfamiliar legal matter
• 77% use directories to validate the credentials of a referral
• 73% use directories to evaluate outside counsel qualifications
• 56% use directories to compare outside counsel qualifications to competitors
• 45% use directories to conduct periodic reviews of current outside counsel

Whether your law firm is the outside counsel or you’re looking for outside counsel, we’ve found that directories are a great resource. But which directory is the best? According to the BTI Survey, 71% of respondents used Martindale-Hubbell to find other lawyers, while a sprinkling of other respondents used resources such as LinkedIn, Chambers, and the ACC Value Index.


While there are a number of ways to find outside counsel, directories are a great tool that should not be disregarded by your CMO. You may find that you can get to the RED ZONE with a little help from directories. Ask around to see which directories clients and prospects use to get a good sampling.

At the recent ALM Marketing and Business Development Leadership Forum, a number of chief marketing officers were present to weigh in on a variety of topics relating to law firm business development activities and their approaches. During the conference, law firm CMOs were surveyed and asked to respond to a number of questions regarding their approach to marketing, hiring, and other topics–and the results were surprising.


While I will admit that there is often truth in non-scientific surveys, I find some of the responses generated as a result of this survey to be slightly misleading, and not accurately matching the realities I’ve seen in our work with hundreds of law firm CMOs over the past decade.


Below, I’ll share with you some of the specific survey results, along with my personal view on the topic:

From the survey: 60% of respondents stated they have a “strong” input into their firm’s business strategy, and 75% said their firm management is aligned with professional staff on strategy

Arguably, I believe that CMOs are both under- and overestimating these figures. Often CMOs misjudge their scope and reach in their firm’s marketing strategy; in fact, often they have a lot of input. The question is: how is it valued by the management?

From the survey: 50% of respondents agreed that a “brand” is important to decision makers

If one defines brand as a logo or tagline, it matters little to in-house decision makers. However, the reality I’ve experienced is that brand defined as firm reputation is important to more than 50% of corporate decision makers. In this sense, brands can represent quality, reputation, and other positive emotions that often win business and set a firm apart from others.

From the survey: 93% of respondents indicated their distaste for the conflict that arises over sending holiday cards

At Closers Group, we are firm believers in doing the little things that clients will notice. Sending holiday cards and other small memos or articles to say thanks or wish people the best can never do harm.


As I mentioned at the beginning of this post, the results from this survey/poll were not entirely scientific, but they do offer a lesson to consider. Statistics can lead to misinformation or reveal truths, but interpreting the truth in numbers takes a bit of digging and reflecting on your own experiences.

“It is not the strongest of the species that survives, nor the most intelligent, but the one most responsive to change”. – L. C. Megginson

We often get stuck in our ways, but, in this economy, there’s no room for changelessness. More and more law firms are recognizing the importance and value in cross selling services between practice groups. Traditionally handled with trepidation and often avoided, cross selling offers opportunities for organic growth and business development. Unfortunately, there are a number of hindrances when it comes to successfully fostering cross selling; namely, the fact that lawyers can be territorial and even hostile to the idea of sharing clients between practice groups.

While the prospect of change is not often met with smiles and open arms, it is essential if a firm is going to continue to develop and to keep up with the times. In our work with law firms over the years, here are a few approaches to cross selling that we’ve seen achieve success:

Approach 1: Eliminate Origination Credits & Traditional Boundaries

Origination credits have long been an issue of contention in many firms. Permanent credits encourage lawyers to sit back and not generate any new business. Lawyers can lose their incentive to work since they are already receiving compensation for work others do. Permanent credits also discourage lawyers without them to cross sell being that they won’t receive credit. Overall, whether shared or permanent, origination credits inhibit growth and internal collaboration between and within practice groups.

One law firm we know has eliminated the origination credits all together, and as a result, they’ve seen traditional boundaries and issues preventing cross selling virtually disappear. Incentives for new business development and cross selling are bonuses, not origination credits. While this may upset some, it will foster productivity and business between practice groups.

Approach 2: Handle Lateral Integration with Care

With many firms taking on laterals recently, there have been reports of dissatisfaction from both the laterals and the firms. Frequently, laterals feel neglected by their mentors, while firms admit lack of due diligence and onboarding support. The key is to involve the firm’s marketing department early in the game to facilitate early lateral integration. Specific integration and business development programs allow laterals to begin the process in earnest and provide the parent firm’s management with its direct responsibilities.

Approach 3: Restructure Firm from Practice Groups to Industry Groups

It might seem like you’re turning the firm inside-out and upside-down, but restructuring from the traditional practice groups to industry groups will foster successful business development and break down conventional boundaries between groups. Several chief marketing offers at the Law Firm Marketing and Business Development Leadership Forum discussed that their recent switch to industry groups has been extremely successful. Some noted an increase in energy and closing of business. One change that had a marked difference was the addition of a business manager position and his or her ability to coordinate marketing, outreach, research, proposals, and pitches. The business manager becomes an asset to the group with specific industry knowledge to provide high success for marketing.

Allowing and cultivating dissention and boundaries between lawyers is the quickest way to hinder business development and cross selling. While some of these approaches may not work for your firm, discussing the possibility of change and new options is a step in the direction of new possibilities internally. The goal is business development and getting to the RED ZONE.

At the end of May, I spoke at the 2nd Annual Law Firm Marketing and Business Development Leadership Program in New York to discuss current economic pressures and trends facing law firms and how to use them to develop business strategies and close the deal. One of the other presentations stuck with me in particular. Veteran legal journalist Anthony Paonita served as the moderator on a panel of corporate lawyers discussing the importance of listening to the client’s voice and learning what they really need.

The senior counsel on that panel made a number of important points that are worth sharing—I’m paraphrasing the highlights of what I heard below:

• Many in-house counsel issue Request for Proposals (RFPs) do not pay attention to the responses.
• Clients want to see you “show your stuff” – not just read or hear about it. Where can you do this? Presentations at conferences are a great platform for selling your firm’s abilities without going straight to a client. Conferences allow you to demonstrate extensive knowledge and to showcase your firm as an industry and opinion leader.
• Another way to show your stuff is to get in front of prospects at more personal settings such as smaller forums or lunch and dinner meetings.
• Client feedback interviews are not enough. It was noted that few firms actually conduct follow-up. Here, law firms are missing out on a great opportunity for client retention and to build stronger client relationships.
• Don’t forget to listen and then work around the client’s needs. For example, know their budget and don’t exceed it! Delve into their business culture and issues to really learn about what’s going on and how your firm can help.

While conferences provide a great place to network and meet prospects, we still recommend doing your research before you approach any clients. Build upon your solid traditional marketing strategy: go where they go, read what they read, and know who they know. Get to know them and be prepared to meet them so you come out of the gates hot. This will help you get to the RED ZONE and close the deal.

“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.

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.

Your website is your firm’s 24/7 presence, giving people information about your attorneys, philosophies, and services long after your receptionist has gone home.


Having recently assisted clients with 8 lawyers, 17 lawyers and 40 lawyers with revitalizing their websites, one question needs to be asked: When is the last time that you took a good hard look at your firm’s website and asked yourself if it is still serving your needs?


For many, your firm’s website may be the first introduction to your firm and its services. With this in mind, there are a handful of web elements you’ll want to regularly evaluate:


Branding: Does the site accurately reflect your firm’s brand, or have you made changes over the past few months (or years) that need to be updated on your site?


Navigation: Is it easy for the visitor to navigate your site to find the content they need? And once they get there, is it easy for them to scan the page for the content in which they’re most interested?


Engagement level: Are you giving visitors a way to interact with your firm in a two-way conversation, either through blog comments or links to your social media profiles? Are you adding fresh content and creating a reason for a visitor to return?


Optimization: Are your search engine optimization efforts targeting the right keywords to bring in prospects?


By regularly evaluating your website, you’ll be on your way to maximizing the value of your web investment by insisting that your website work as hard as it can to bring in qualified leads and contacts. Want to know more? Download our white paper, “How to Turn Your Firm’s Website into a Lead Generating Machine,” for additional web tips and ideas.

If you look back to the mind map we referenced in an earlier post, you’ll notice that Jay Abraham’s methods teach that clients who came to your firm via a referral:

• Spend more


• Buy more often


• Are more profitable, and


• Are more loyal

Here at the Closers Group, as part of a client retention strategy, we encourage lawyers to ask for continued business. We also work with our clients to ask their clients for referrals.


Referrals are one of the best tools for law firm business development. While asking a client to act on your behalf may seem like an odd way to build a relationship, it is extremely effective. Referrals show a confidence in your legal skills, allow your clients to share with non-competing colleagues at other companies “their best,” and open the door to opportunities for introductions to in-house counsel and executives at your client’s company.