Larry Bodine's LawMarketing Blog

Can You Beat this 25-question Sales Training Quiz?

In the 16 years I've been in law firm marketing, I've seen at least 25 scenarios where law firms need sales training.  Typically, it's the reason that a partner or marketing director calls me in the first place.  These situations are found in law firms of any size, any practice and any location. 

Take this 20-question quiz to see if any of them apply to you. If you check off 3 or more, you need sales training.

1. Most of our rainmakers are over age 65.
2. Few mid-level partners have opened a file on their own.
3. The firm recently lost a top 10 client.
4. Roughly 10% of our partners generate 80% of the new files.
5. Most partners are content to be "service partners" and only bill hours.
6. Lawyers resist developing new business, saying "I went to law school so I'd never have to sell," or something similar.
7. Our associates are not encouraged to generate new business
8. Business development does not come up in lawyer compensation reviews.
9. There is no incentive or bonus (besides an origination credit) for generating new business.
10. Few or no partners have individual business development plans in writing.
11. About half of the lawyers are willing to market, but they don't know where to begin or what to do.
12. We have an eat-what-you-kill compensation system.
13. Our lawyers belong to many organizations as members, but few of them are in a leadership position or on the board.
14. Cross-selling is a goal of the firm, but it doesn't seem to happen.
15. Our lawyers have referred a client to another firm for a matter, even though we have partners who could do the work.
16. Most of our lawyers are active in only bar associations and lawyer groups -- not in any organizations of clients.
17. The firm has no client teams, or else they are inactive.
18. The firm does not premeditatedly identify industries where it has experience with the aim of pursuing potential business clients in those industries.
19. Our lawyers decline to pursue a potential client, because they say another law firm already has all their their legal work.
20. We do a lot of marketing -- seminars, brochures, sports tickets, sponsorships, public relations and advertising -- but can't track any specific client to the initiatives.
21. We reimburse the business development expenses of partners, but few of them spend all of their account.
22. Business development time spent by lawyers is not tracked.
23. The firm has never broadcast a Webinar.
24. The firm has no blog.
25. Our lawyers meet to discuss business development, conduct research and make plans -- but don't act on them.

Sound familiar? If you saw your firm in 3 or more of these scenarios, it's time to train the lawyers how to sell legal services and to coach them to write personal business development plans.

Free Call to a Client in Europe

I just had a "wow" experience on the Web when I tried the free Skype Internet long-distance service.  I spoke live to a client in London, continued with an instant-message conversation, and discussed at the client's photos on Flickr.  It was the highest and best use of the Internet I've had in years.

I needed to find an inexpensive way to reach my clients in Europe, other than adding an expensive long-distance package from my wired phone provider.  Email was not doing the job -- we were each not getting the other's messages.

So I downloaded and installed the 3.0 version of Skype software, which took all of three minutes. I entered my client's London phone number and clicked the green "call" button.  The client answered, and I could hear her voice over the speakers on my laptop.  I responded via the built-in microphone on the laptop and she could hear me clearly.

My client was also a Skype user and switched to the online chat feature.  We sent instant messages back and forth, discussing document she had received from me and new ones she needed.  In the conversation, she gave me a link to photos she had stored on Flickr. We viewed them live on the Web and discussed the merits of each one.

Did I tell you that this was all FREE? (After the first 5 minutes the cost will be 2 1/2 cents per minute!) Business users make up over 30% of Skype's 171 million users worldwide. Skype allows unlimited free voice, video and instant messaging communication between Skype users.  Skype, an Ebay subsidiary, makes money through its premium offerings such as making and receiving calls to and from landline and mobile phones, voicemail, call forwarding and personalization including ringtones and avatars.

Skype took off in 2004 and I feel as if I'm late to a party.  Nevertheless, I am now at the party and loving it.

The Dreadful Boeing RFP

How would you like to be judged by the “supplier management group”?  That’s what happened to law firms that bid on the October 6, 2006 RFP issued by Boeing & Company.

The RFP was sent to “100+” law firms.  Asked how many firms responded, Bryan Baumeister (the Chief Counsel Airplane Programs, Contacts, Sales, and Marketing & Global Partners in Seattle, WA) would not say.   A gag rule forbade bidders to ask any questions of the in-house lawyers.  If a firm tried, it was disqualified.

Speaking at a program at the Marketing Partner Forum in San Diego, he admitted that there “was a lot of friction between us and our partners,” in the process.

A partner at a 400-lawyer firm who participated complained privately, “it was a complete hose job.”   Law firms had to bid on 9 areas of law in an 18-column Excel spreadsheet. No doubt this made it easy for the company to merge the files and have a complete database on law firm prices.

All the warning signs were there:

• Boeing’s “supplier management group” –- the purchasing department –- advised on the bid.
• Boeing hired a national consulting firm to run the RFP.
• Boeing’s goal was to cut spending and reduce the number of outside law firms.
• Bidders had to sign a confidentiality agreement.

Law firms were notified starting on October 6, the RFP was emailed on the 10th, Boeing held group conference calls (with dozens of competing law firms on the line at the same time) from October 16 to November 16, and responses were due by November 16. Winners were notified on December 15.  The exact number and their identities were kept secret.

The ACC/Serengeti annual survey of in-house counsel reported that nowadays, few law firms respond to RFPs.  Res ipsa loquitur.

Marketing Partner Forum Awards

Marketing Director of the Year: Ed Schechter, CMO, Duane Morris, Philadelphia.   (In November the firm's marketing program was ranked No. 1 by Marketing The Firm.)

During Ed's tenure, the firm created 50 client teams, it was the subject of a Harvard Business Review study, all marketing activities were pursued on the basis of what produces the best ROI, and the firm actively surveyed clients about their satisfaction. Sheldon Bonovitz, Chairman of the firm said, “our increasing revenue is also, in part, attributed to our marketing and business development personnel."

Marketing Partner of the Year: W. Scott Sorrels of Powell Goldstein of Atlanta, GA.

During his two-year term, the firm doubled the size of its marketing staff to 12, marketers were given a career path and they were protected by him from abusive lawyers.  The firm trained 72 partners in business development in 2006.  Powell Goldstein's marketing focuses on face-to-face contacts, leadership (not mere membership) in client organizations, plus writing and speaking for reputation building.

Marketing initiative of the year: video podcasts by Torys LLP of Toronto and New York.  Stuart Wood, the Director of Strategy and Business Development, said the firm launched several 4-5 minute podcasts in May 2006 on merger and acquisitions topics.  "The videos were a convenient and new way to deliver content on a broader scale," he said. 

Visitors to the firm Web site can watch the podcast, listen to only the audio or download a PDF transcript. The videos, which showed partners answering predetermined questions,were filmed on site by a professional videographer.

The podcasts picked up widespread publicity, including the Globe and Mail which headlined their story "Torys Tunes in to Latest Pop-tech Craze."  Bloggers offered many comments.  Positive opinions complimented the brevity, professional quality and simplicity of the podcasts.  A negative opinion was that the podcasts were a cure for insomnia, which got a hearty laugh from the Marketing Partner Forum attendees.

Marketing Partner Forum

I'm reporting live from the Marketing Partner Forum in San Diego.  There are 400 attendees here -- making it the biggest conference in this series.  It is so big, it rivals the Legal Marketing Association annual conference.

What I like is that marketing partners (just had breakfast with one this morning) and Chief Marketing Officers are everywhere.  Lotta smart people here.

Coming up for today:

• Break out session on RFPs, featuring the notorious Boeing RFP sent out in October 2006.  It was a nightmare for lawyers. The RFP went to 100+ law firms in an apparent fishing expedition to learn law firm rates.  One partner told me it was "the biggest hose job of the year." 
• Marketing Director & Marketing Partner of the Year.  Awards will be given out at lunch, about an hour from now.  You'll get the full report on the winners.
• New Media Marketing,  discussing blogs, podcasts and Webinars.  Patrick J. Lamb, author of "In Search of Perfect Client Service" is moderating the session and as one of the panelists, I'll be offering my best tips.

Cancel Your Yellow Pages Ad

Cancel that #*$%! expensive yellow pages ad.  This was the clear advice I gave to attendees at our conference "Developing Your Personal Marketing Plan" in Chicago.  I repeated the advice at the Chicago Bar Association technology conference.  You now have permission to save yourself a small fortune.

Fewer people are reading the Yellow Pages every day. It's last century's marketing. Instead, they are using the Web to find attorneys. Take the money you save and plow it into your online presence.  People now use Google to look up phone numbers, addresses and law firms.

Ask yourself -- when was the last time you personally opened that thick, hard-to-read yellow directory?  It's been a long time, hasn't it? There are multiple yellow page directories anyway -- which one did you use?

According to Pew/Internet, Yahoo beats all yellow pages.  Verizon yellow pages are No. 2.

By advertising in the yellow pages, you are doing what thousands of other lawyers are doing.  You are simply making yourself more like the competition, not distinguishing yourself. There's no way to break from the clutter -- there are hundreds of lawyer yellow page listings.

Besides, most yellow pages ads are written by their salesmen.  That's why they all look the same. Save your budget while you still can. Get out now.

Best Performance by a Partner in a Leading Law Firm

On the LawMarketing Listserv, the question arose: "One of our entertainment/IP partners is receiving honors from two different trade publications this March. We plan to attend the related functions, place congratulatory advertisements, order reprints, and send
an announcement to relevant contacts. Any additional thoughts for how best to maximize the PR benefits from this success -- say, an innovative party idea?"  The query was posted by a Manhattan law firm.

The answer came quickly, "It's March...and entertainment...tie it in with the Oscars," from Teri Ghaemmaghami, Regional Marketing Manager, Morrison & Foerster.

Marketing consultant Cecilia Alers of Melville, New York recalled a party a law firm threw to announce and celebrate an achievement.  "It was packed!  It was great networking among the clients, great promo for the law firm and we were able to express appreciation to our network of clients and friends -- those for make referrals or endorsements and tell them how integral they are to the firm's success."

"There are lots of party themes you could create around the "Hollywood" idea. You could theme it to replicate the big party that they throw right after the Oscars -- what is it called, the Governor's Ball? You could call it the Partner's Ball or something with the invitations proclaiming him as Best Performance by a Partner in a leading law firm."

Teri G. added, "Also, there are trophy shops that sell "Oscar-looking" statutes that you
can customize.  If you want to have fun with it, try "Best Dressed Partner" in the male category; "Trendiest Partner" in the whatever category...and who can forget "Best Marketing Partner"...of course "Best Marketing Attorney in a Supporting Role"...can't forget those associates."

If you want answers to your marketing questions, join the discussion on the LawMarketing Listserv at www.LawMarketing.BIZ.  It's the best investment you'll make in your firm's growth.

How to Find Time to Market

Tom Bennington, our keynote speaker at the recent workshop "Developing Your Personal Marketing Plan" in Chicago was able to double his revenue in nine months, by finding the time to market.

Tom is a partner at Chuhak & Tecson, a full service law firm in Chicago, and he practices in buying and selling businesses, commercial real estate and business succession planning.

He's and elected member of the DuPage County (Illinois) Board and a slew of organizations like the DuPage Workforce Board, University of Illinois Cooperative Extension Service Board, Illinois Prairie Trail Authority, DuPage Community Development Commission, and the DuPage Homeland Security Coordinating Council.

His first years in practice he billed an astounding 2,400 hours per year. How did he find time to market?

First he wrote down 11 marketing activities and wound up concentrating on only six.

Second, he set "give-up" goals, to cut back on time-wasting activities.  He analyzed every organization he was part of to see if (a) it was good for his law firm (b) it was good for his community and (c) it was good for his political career.  He reduced his time on every time-wasting activity.

Third, he filled out internal monthly reports on his marketing activity.  He resented this at first, but finally saw that it helped him sort out what was working and what wasn't.  For example, he dropped $1,000-per-month radio ads that produced no good result.

Fourth, he turned over his calendar over to his assistant.  It was her job to set up multiple meetings back-to-back in the same location, further cutting wasted time.

Fifth, he started thinking about marketing on a daily basis.  It made him want to market his practice more.  He wrote a personal marketing plan composed of activities he enjoyed doing, became comfortable asking for referrals, and asking prospects for their business.

And the number of dollars coming in doubled.

Berrian to Jones to Benson: Marketing Lessons from Da Bears

I was sitting in the snow on a freezing January afternoon, watching Da Bears kick the stuffing out of their opponents and win a spot in the Superbowl.  That was 21 years ago, and I just saw it happen again.  With a quarterback who delivered, a defense that forced four turnovers and an opponent whose wheels came off, Da Bears will be in Superbowl 41.

Thank you Bernard Berrian, Thomas Jones (twice) and Cedric Benson for the touchdowns and Robbie Gould for three field goals. I wasn't even in law firm marketing in 21 years ago (I was editor of the ABA Journal) but I drew several lessons from da game:

• Persistence pays. Don't give up even if your quarterback is unpredictable. The Rex Grossman on your team just needs to deliver when it counts.
• Capitalize on your opponent's mistakes.  You don't have to be that great when your competitors make errors.  Find a pro-wrestler lookalike such as Brian Urlacher to cause your opponent to trip up.
• Rely on people who are better than you at what they do. You can stick to strategy if that's your strength when you have a quick teammate like Thomas Jones.
• Ignore the skeptics.  It is not the critic who counts. The credit belongs to the man who is actually in the arena, who, at the best, knows, the triumph of high achievement, according to Theodore Roosevelt, America's quarterback from 1901-09.
• Do the little things right.  This includes being humble, avoiding mistakes, ignoring your competitor's goal-line somersault, surrounding yourself with fans and performing well on a slippery surface,
• Use orange and navy as your branding colors.  They're very memorable as you go to your crowning achievement.

Why a Seminar is a Great Marketing Technique

Michael Cummings and I presented a successful workshop recently in Chicago, "Developing Your Personal Marketing Plan" for lawyers.  It brought home why a seminar is a top-notch marketing technique for law firms.

Our conference was held at the Gleacher Center of the University of Chicago (an academic backdrop) on a Saturday (so as not to cut into billable time) with a nice spread (catering by Wolfgang Puck).  During the program I noticed four powerful forces at work:

1. During the first break, attendees were making friends and trading business cards. It was spontaneous networking.
2. Our luncheon speaker was a client, who got attendees to talking about how they had heard of us, read our newsletter and blog.
3. By the afternoon, when an attendee asked a question, other classmates would speak up to answer the question and offer tips.
4. At the end of the program, there was a feeling of community.  Responding to this, I collected each person's business card and emailed a list of classmates with their contact information to every attendee.

"I enjoyed the seminar and thought that it was terrific -- potentially career changing. Thank you," a Chicago lawyer wrote in an email to me.

Law firms that conduct marketing via educational programs will enjoy the same benefits.  And of course, the ultimate goal is to interest clients to retain you for more services and to get prospective clients to try you out.