Programs

Business Development for Lawyers Who Hate Selling

If selling makes you uncomfortable, you’re not alone. Together, we’ll create a practical business development strategy that aligns with your strengths and helps you grow your practice with confidence.

Marketing is the bridge between expertise and opportunity

If you are like most attorneys, selling is not part of your DNA

You went to law school to become a professional. Sales feels a little dirty. To add to that, if you are like me (skeptical, risk averse, with a tendency to over analyze, etc.—i.e., a typical lawyer), then business development feels daunting.

Personally, I grew up in a family that didn’t respect business. In fact, my father, who was a math professor, used to call businesspeople “operators.” And that message is deeply implanted in my psyche.

But what I’ve come to appreciate since graduating from law school in the late 80s is that selling professional services is much more about helping than it is about selling.

In fact, I’ve come to enjoy it. I can help you build your own practice in a way that feels authentic…and maybe even enjoyable!

Through my five step process, attorneys are able to transition from associate or counsel who does the work to partner who generates the work. I also help partners who have business but want to take their practice to the next level.

Assessing Your Marketing Strengths and Weaknesses

In our initial sessions, we identify the gaps in your marketing skills and uncover some of the obstacles that are preventing you from achieving the marketing success you deserve. Are you concerned about coming across as a salesman? Do you dislike going to large networking functions where you have to make small talk? What about your strengths? Do you like writing? Are you a good presenter? Do you have a special interest that connects you with professionals you would like to meet? How do you make the most of this strength?

Defining Yourself

An important part of positioning yourself for referrals is to create a memorable niche that distinguishes you from other attorneys in the marketplace. Choosing a niche does not prevent you from taking on matters that are outside of this niche. But having a well-defined area of expertise is critical to your marketing success. During this step, I help you to define your unique niche or brand. I help you hone a message that is impactful and memorable.

Building Your Reputation

Once you have determined who you are, what activities are you employing to build your reputation in that practice area? Are you publishing, speaking, or getting involved in trade organizations? Are you making effective use of social media to reinforce your message. In choosing activities that will help you to build your reputation, it is important to stay within your comfort zone. During this step, I help you identify a mix of activities that can work for you without making you feel uncomfortable. Together we come up with a plan that lets the world know what types of problems you can solve and what types of clients you serve.

Evaluating Your Business and Personal Relationships

Ultimately, clients will hire you because they trust you and believe you can solve their problem. While building your reputation can help to build some of this trust, ultimately, trust must be built one relationship at a time. So, who are your contacts and how do you build relationships with individuals who are either potential clients or potential referral sources? What are you currently doing to ensure your network is growing in a way that supports your overall efforts to generate business? During step four, we map out the most effective ways for you to build a network of potential clients and referral sources.

Deepening Your Relationships With Clients, Client Prospects and Referral Sources

There are many effective ways to deepen your ties with existing contacts. For the most part, asking great questions and listening are the key skills that you need to master. Marketing success in the practice of law is not about learning how to become a smooth talker. During this step, we look more closely at how you are interacting and communicating with your network over time. We examine what you are doing to ensure that your network continues to be a good source of referrals.