Most law firms are late in adopting a sales mentality and need to get on with it fast.
Other professional disciplines, such as accounting and consulting adopted a sales culture over 20 years ago using various processes and training methods developed through engineering and designed as manufacturing solutions from supply chain management to just-in-time delivery. Like anything that’s over 20 years old, these processes have evolved so that even their names seem dated.
In the legal industry, sales has been cloaked in the more palatable term — business development — even though sales and business development are not the same thing.
Business development is part of a process that if done properly and consistently with added dollops of nurturing, understanding, patience and fate can result in an intersection of what a client needs and you provide.
This is the basis of a sales culture and the topic of my April 2014 Lexpert column, Managing Your Sales Pipeline.
Heather Suttie is acknowledged as one of the world’s leading authorities on legal market strategy and management of legal services firms.
For 27 years, she has advised leaders of premier law firms and legal service providers worldwide — Global to Solo | BigLaw to NewLaw — on innovative strategies pertaining to business, markets, management, and clients.
The result is accelerated performance achieved through a distinctive one of one legal market position and sustained competitive advantage leading to greater market share, revenue, and profits.
The effect is accomplishment of the prime objective — To Win.
Reach her at +1.416.964.9607 or heathersuttie.ca.