CLOSERS FRAMEWORK: Linking Marketing with Sales Strategy
by Allan Colman
Business development means too many things to too many participants. It should be on focusing resources and driving results – generating new business. Contemporary law firms and professional services firms have taken traditional marketing and aligned it directly with attorney marketing. Those firms which continue to segment marketing into preparing collateral materials, updating the web site, providing media contacts, developing rfp responses, etc. are undervaluing and mis-utilizing a tremendous resource.
There are four major segments of business development:
• Marketing and Business Development
• Organization
• People
• Incentives.
Let’s examine how these impact those directly responsible for bringing in new clients, expanding existing engagements, and building client retention.
Marketing and Business Development
Traditional marketing means "getting found." The marketing committees and marketing professionals must be given in-depth training on client needs, wants, pressures, business strategies, products and services, competitors, oversight from CEO’s and Boards of Directors, etc. Are their proposals, pitch support, advertising, collateral, public relations, events, intranet and extranets client-centric? Who is actively following-up on meetings their principals have with clients and prospects to debrief successes and challenges, as well as learn how to improve their support for the sales efforts?
Organization
This becomes the core structure for managing the alignment of marketing and those on the front lines. Collecting external perceptions of the firm and its special skills needs to be accomplished by both the marketing team and business development front-liners. What is the competition doing? What trends in litigation, court decisions, new legislation, etc. are coming down the pike? Are there alliances that can be built between non-competing firms to help grow business for both? What talent building and training programs are needed for partners and principals as well as marketing support to make the organization more effective in business development, lawyer selling and principals’ success in closing more business? What new offerings can be developed to attract new clients and offer existing clients value added? And what reports are needed to make sure the integration is not only occurring, but producing measurable results?
People
Individuals make it happen or block it from occurring. What is the internal perception of the firm by its professionals and support staff? How is client retention measured and what new efforts can be undertaken to make it grow? What training is provided for relationship building? What support and encouragement is given for presenting speeches, writing and publishing, participating on panels? How is diversity contributing to the broadening of what the firm can offer to the client? Does a firm’s pro bono and community participation contribute to its various locations?
Incentives
Compensation systems can be major incentives in encouraging partners and
principals to pursue client development. They can also be major disincentives
due to perceived or real unfairness. If an associate brings in a new client
or a non-equity partner expands a client engagement, why should they not
share in their contribution to the firm? Is the annual performance review
system a broad brush approach or is it used to critique, encourage and recognize
business development activities that will or do lead to new business?
The mantra for aligning marketing with selling is best stated by a recent
IBM advertisement:
STOP SELLING WHAT YOU HAVE –
START SELLING WHAT THEY NEED!
Allan Colman is a business
development expert and Managing Director of Closers
Group, a consulting firm that assists law firms with marketing.
