First Tier Sales Techniques (Part 1): Initial Client Contact
Making that first contact with a potential client can be compared to a gift box of chocolates—you have an array of choices, and there’s bound to be a few that are palatable.
This new series will cover techniques to facilitate a soft sell; that is, ways to make an introduction or rekindle and acquaintance that might ultimately lead to new business.
Like the chocolates, you can take your pick:
- Track and contact law school colleagues. The long-term value in terms of business generation is substantial, and it takes very little effort to start. If you’re a new lawyer, be sure to stay in touch with other schoolmates, read your law school alumni bulletin and stay in touch with people who have moved on to in-house counsel or other law firms. If your firm has a periodic newsletter, make sure your schoolmates are on the list. If you are engaging in a presentation, make sure you invite those colleagues. Keeping contact with past acquaintances two or three times per year goes a long way toward building a long-term pipeline.
I remember a client of mine who informed me that a fellow alumna received a promotion to international IP counsel for a major apparel company. I worked with him to create a letter of congratulations and inform the lawyer of a recent court decision in the European Union that might impact his company’s global manufacturing practices.
Long story short—it was the start of what should be a long and profitable working relationship.
- Work for free. Join non-profit, pro bono organization boards. And don’t be shy—it is absolutely appropriate to look for opportunities to serve in the same forum where you can find potential clients. If you give your time to an organization, you should be selective enough to find places that might be potential sources of business. More often than not, it pays off. A friend of mine served on the board of a downtown inner-city legal assistance organization, and together with other lawyers on the board, filed a lawsuit against a slumlord and won a $2 million verdict on behalf of their clients. Participating in that suit with attorneys from various companies and organizations gave my friend priceless exposure to potential clients, plus media exposure to boot.
