The Rainmaker Blog recently had an interesting post taking law schools to task. The post focused on the lack of training and preparation law schools currently provide young associates with regards to building and running a successful law practice.
Being a great lawyer and running a great law practice are two distinct and important skills. Just because an individual is a great lawyer, does not mean they will be a great business person.
I believe one of the most important skills to learn is the art of the sale. Sometimes sales has a bad stigma attached with it and as a result, lawyers never like to think of themselves as salesmen. But the truth is that all of us are in sales. We are always selling something be it an idea, a product, a service, ourselves, etc. Just like anything else, sales is a skill that needs to be nurtured, worked on, and practiced in order to improve. If you ignore the art of selling, you do so at your own peril. Your practice won’t last long if you can’t bring new clients in the door.
Here are 5 things lawyers need to know about sales:
1. Order Taking Is Not Selling – It is every lawyer’s dream that a steady flow of potential clients walks into their practice, credit card or checkbook in hand, asking when the lawyer can start working on their case. I have bad news, this isn’t going to happen. Sure you will get an occasional referral that is ready to go right away, but the reality is that people are in all different stages of the “buying cycle”. Some are currently comparing different lawyers they want to hire, some are looking for answers to their legal questions, some have legal concerns and don’t know what they should do. You need to be ready to convince them, if appropriate of course, why retaining your services will be the best option and provide the optimum outcome to their situation.
2. Be A Good Listener – Many people think that being skilled with selling involves having a silver tongue. The truth is that the best sales people are the best listeners. Understanding peoples concerns, fears, issues, and needs goes hand in hand with providing the best service and solutions. Ask questions and really listen to what the answers are. The client will tell you what they are looking for out of the attorney they want to hire. Do your best to explain how you are going to help solve their problems.
3. What’s In It For Them – How many of you have been on a date where all night you listened to the other person talk about themselves. I’ll bet it didn’t leave a great impression. Same goes for potential clients. They want to know what’s in it for them. They don’t really care about you or your practice. They only want to know how you will help resolve their issue. Take the time to think about how you are presenting your firm. Are you a solver of the client’s problems or do you talk about all of your accomplishments and how great you are at your job?
4. Relationship Building – Sales is about relationship building…and not just relationships with the clients. The best lawyers establish relationships and networks so that they have a steady stream of referrals and other people working for them in essence. The key thing to remember is that this doesn’t just happen on it’s own. It takes a lot of work, time, and a conscious effort to network. I’ve written before about becoming a thought leader and establishing a niche practice. The best sales people are the ones that understand networking.
5. Develop Sales Systems and Measure Results – This might be the most important element with regards to success in sales. You need to develop systems to handle incoming contacts, follow ups, intake interviews, and measuring of results. There is a terrific book call The E-Myth Revisited that addresses implementing systems into a business. Much of being successful with sales is being organized, persistent, and having good follow through. In today’s hyper-competitive legal world, you can’t afford to haphazardly handle your stream of potential contacts and clients. Doing work ahead of time to develop the experience a potential client has from the moment they contact your firm to the resolution of their issue will pay huge dividends for your practice.
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