Overcoming Internal Objections
Closing should be a collective effort. So should overcoming internal objections. Are your people on the same page? We’ve spent our careers creating consensus, overcoming obstacles, and generating new business in the process.
There appear to be two separate but inter-related objections from attorneys marketing themselves and their firms and to law firms retaining business development consultants.
All too many attorneys see business development pressures from their management as loaded with disincentives:
- 1. No discrete tangible rewards
- 2. Few firms offer shared origination credit, or permit the attorneys to negotiate this themselves. This is a significant disincentive to cross marketing and to younger practitioners who might otherwise build and mine a contact base.
- 3. Rewards/bonuses, if any, are all too often completely subjective.
- 4. Little if any attention is paid by management to business development during the annual performance reviews.
- 5. Too few partners with business generation experience attend the sessions on business development sponsored by the firm. They need to set the foundation and be true mentors.
- 6. Some attorneys claim to be just too busy.
- 7. Internal envy is often spawned when one group is selected for an intensive business development training and advisory program and others are not. This could actually be turned into a positive, competitive encouragement by management if only they paid attention.
In studying the reasons often cited for not hiring a business development consultant, they fall into two primary categories, lack of management commitment and active involvement and being able to differentiate between consultants.
- 1. In-house marketing departments who claim to be able to provide the necessary training can’t. Unless they have successfully sold millions of dollars of new engagements to law firms and in-house counsel, they have no concept of face-to-face selling.
- 2. Without an advisor who can keep the participating attorneys’ feet to the fire, action and closings will slow down to a crawl. A client named me her “mentor/tormentor.”
- 3. The more an advisor/consultant understands how corporations and agencies make client retention decisions, the more successful the program will be. This is at the core of every program we provide.
- 4. There needs to be a clear understanding of the difference between marketing, business development and business generation. Marketing is getting found, the traditional approach that includes advertising, collaterals development, speeches, publications, public relations, etc. Business development is the identification of possible clients, preparing proposals, and conducting research on prospects for attorneys. Business generation is working in the RED ZONE, where the focus is on active pursuit and closing of new client engagements.
- 5. Law firm management must do a better job of clarifying what it wants from a business development effort. And a consultant should make sure he/she helps them clarify this before accepting and engagement. For example, do they want quick successes, or building in a long term pipeline of future rainmakers?
- 6. In selecting a business development advisor, the hiring group must insure they understand the firm’s culture, management objectives, long range plan, etc. If a potential contractor has not done any homework, why consider them?
- 7. Another obstacle to a successful business development program is the absence of a designated Marketing Partner. There needs to be reinforcement and support from the top to make it work.
- 8. Most consultants do not talk results; they speak of “objectives.” If you want results, and they are not readily offered, ask for them.
- 9. While marketing and business development professionals at law firms often suggest bringing in a consultant/advisor, unless a marketing partner or management group make the decision, it does not happen.
