Every law firm needs to show up in the marketplace and let potential clients and referrers know it is there, what it offers and importantly why clients should choose them over other firms. A website, email address and phone number aren’t sufficient to being in business.
This is easier said than done as many other lawyers are great at being lawyers but less good at building their profile and awareness of the firm they work for – fundamentally the tasks that win more work from existing clients and attract new ones.
There are three strands that need to work together to help lawyers and their firms do this job – Marketing, Business Development and Learning & Development. In this article, I’d like to talk through what these are and provide some top tips of what to consider and do. Very often firms have elements of these but they aren’t well co-ordinated, so the marketing and business development efforts have untapped potential.
- Marketing
Not all firms have a marketing department, but all firms need to do marketing. The best way to think about this is the core work of:
- who you are as a firm
- what sort of clients you want to attract
- what message you want to communicate to them
- what sorts of activities your firm should do and creating the framework for them e.g. managing the website, creating a social media framework, working with a PR expert at a firm level. This should then be the basis for the lawyers involvement. Once they have a clear understanding of these elements it is easier for them to do business development.
- Business development
Larger law firms have a business development function who are likely to be involved in pitches and supporting with creds decks and other materials. However, in any size of firm the lawyers themselves need to do business development. After all, a firm is made up of its people and whilst a known firm will be a pull for prospective clients ,it is the people within it who make the real difference and keep clients coming back and referring the firm to others. The sorts of activities that your lawyers can and ideally should be doing include:
- Delivering work well for clients, not just the what but considering the how. Making sure they communicate effectively and positively with their clients.
- Keeping in touch with clients once a matter has been concluded, as there may be opportunities for further work within their department, for another practice area or to receive referrals.
- Building and deepening relationships with lawyers in other parts of the firm to facilitate cross-selling; this is an area that is often overlooked, many firms lose clients to other firms for different types of work.
- Building and maintaining a great LinkedIn profile as that is the ‘always open’ shop window.
- Participating in social media to build their and the firm’s profile.
- Attending networking events to meet prospects and intermediaries who could refer clients. Continuing to build these relevant relationships over time.
- Writing articles/contributing to other PR to showcase their expertise.
- Learning & Development
Not all firms have a specific learning and development team, but most have someone arranging training. There are many areas that need to be considered for lawyers with different levels of experience.
It is vital that lawyers have training in the areas they are expected to support with in terms of business development activities. It is often not a natural skill to be able to carry out the activities listed above confidently and effectively. If lawyers don’t feel they have the skills to do them then they are less likely to try. Therefore, key skills that lawyers need training on include:
- Considering their personal brand and how to build their profile in all the scenarios where clients and prospective clients encounter them.
- Developing excellent communication skills to lead to delighted clients, prospects who engage them and contacts who refer to them.
- Working on their internal relationship building skills to develop collaboration and cross-selling opportunities (it also helps their career too to build their visibility and profile).
- Creating an excellent LinkedIn profile and building their visibility on that platform and other relevant social media.
- Going to networking events, navigating them positively, conducting great conversations and knowing what to do next.
It is clear that if these three areas are joined up, your firm can have a clear message to the market and lawyers who are equipped and more willing to build their and the firm’s profile in the market and cultivate relationships that bring more work. Marketing activities alone are insufficient if the fee-earners aren’t playing their part well.
Contact Joanna if you’d like to discuss how to win more business from existing clients, get more referrals and win more new business.
If you’d like to consider in greater depth the often-neglected skills your people need to facilitate productive teamwork, client engagement and business development; ultimately to improve business performance and individual career progression and retention, click here.
Joanna Gaudoin, MD of Inside Out Image, specialises in helping professionals improve their performance and achieve their goals. Joanna regularly runs training for law firms and works with lawyers individually who are looking to develop non-technical skills and their careers.
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Need some help with PR? Feel free to drop me an email to arrange a 30 minute complimentary call or take a look at some of the packages I offer law firms, accountancy practices and other b2b businesses.