LeftFoot - Fresh Conversations on the Business of Law

Nicole talks with Deana Calvelli, Consultant and Vice President at the Lockton Companies in the Northeast.

3 Cs – Connect with the right people; Communicate in a concise and credible way; Coach prospects authentically.

More interesting selling experiences occur in the situations that are not ‘an easy ride’. It’s OK to feel discomfort in the room - that may be the opportunity with your prospect to discuss a solution they haven’t thought of.

60% of the buying decision has been made before they contact you.

Less meet and greet time allows you to use your time more efficiently.

Develop rapport and then stay in touch – you need to ‘come to mind’ when they’re ready to buy.

Clients and prospects do business on their schedule.

Nicole talks with Aric Press a name partner at Bernero & Press.

Read the situation and meet the client where they want to be met. ‘Take your Plaintiff as he comes.’

Get beyond the legal matter and talk about the client’s business.

You don’t want to be a mid-career lawyer who doesn’t know how to develop business.

Successful rainmakers are obsessive about keeping relationships going.

For god’s sake don’t do anything you’re not comfortable with.

Advise Proactively ... If Not Predictively.

Nicole talks with Melissa Croteau, Senior Director of Strategy & Marketing at Catapult Growth Partners.

Set the strategy for your practice then operationalize it.

Effectively communicate what you do and explain why a client should work with you versus another firm, another lawyer.

Meet with the business people versus the legal team at your clients.

Communicate with your clients and jointly discuss a fee that the client is comfortable with.

Pricing czars and other business people are now critical additions to the legal client team.

Data analytics allow law firms to look at trends and respond to trends.

Speak to clients in a language they can understand. Present information with a call to action that business people can respond to.

Anyone can sell. Have conversations; focus on the client and their business.

Nicole chats with Janet Markoff a partner in the NY office of Major, Lindsey & Africa.

Strengths/habits that have led to success: Persistence, resilience, responsiveness and not taking things personally.

Growth strategy: Having a work spouse. The most significant benefit is emotional. It’s having someone in your corner in a competitive industry.

Tactical best practices: Gain the tools to be able to ask for business in a way that is part of your authentic self.

Changing market conditions: Loyalties have changed. Today it’s more about the lawyer than the law firm. You need to be so much more than a good lawyer

Advice to those starting out: Nothing can replace actual face time in business development. Get out there and participate within organizations. Practice your face-to-face relationships.

What do you enjoy about the work you do: Being around smart people and making an impact on their life – their family and extended family

Last word: Resources are available that can help you learn to develop business. You’ll need to devote the time and energy.

A conversation with Laurie MacDonald, Director of Business Development at Hinckley Allen.

Strengths/habits that have led to success: Knowing the partners and the strategic direction of the firm well, also resiliency and good listening skills.

Growth strategy: Identifying opportunities for growth within current clients and getting recommendations from current clients to other potential clients is one of the most powerful ways of getting new business.

Tactical best practices: Created a Business Plan Development Program for partners. Includes a 3 to 5 year business plan customized for each partner. This includes check-ins quarterly – and a yearly check-up. Plans are specific to the partner’s future vision for their practice. Follow-up is to ensure they get there.

Success story: A partner wanted to be a ‘go to environmental attorney’. Got him focused on what he needed to do, speaking, writing, positioning himself as an expert in that field and in the market. His practice has continued to grow and has gone national. He now makes decisions about how he uses his time to ensure he’s making decisions that position him as a leader in his field.

What’s innovative in the Legal business development today: Alternative Fee Arrangements especially if they’re thought through and align the clients’ interests with the firms.

Firm response to changing market conditions: Client expectations have changed. They anticipate better value, and require higher efficiency. Their firm and others have responded by changing their business model - offering alternative fee arrangements; and becoming efficient in the way they deliver services through project management.

Millennial, Mobile, Global: Business development is a contact sport. Communication practices need to be thought through carefully. Then try a lot of different things.

Last Word: New business development takes time, don’t be put off by lack of success. Have patience.

28: Zen Networking with Vivia Chen.

Nicole chats with Vivia Chen, a lawyer; Senior Columnist at The American Lawyer; and writer of the monthly column and blog ‘The Careerist’.

It’s about being persistent. Don’t pester but stay on radar.

Anticipate client needs, stay a step ahead.

Don’t forget the personal side people want to work with people they like and have rapport with. It builds trust.

Networking taps into primal fears. Entering a room of strangers and looking to make a connection. You immediately become self-conscious.

You have something to offer. Think of yourself as a source of information. You have something to say, something to offer.

Networking is like speed dating, talk to someone for 5 or 10 minutes, then move on.

Go to events where you have something in common with others - events based on an affiliation.

Fear of rejection is inherent in networking and business development.

Be methodical about business development but also be relaxed and have fun. Be Zen about it.

Episode 28: Stay Top of Mind - Don’t Sell, Create and Share Content.

Nicole talks with Adrian Dayton the Founder and Chief Innovation Officer at ClearView Social.

Adrian Dayton Bio

Adrian is an attorney and a top social media consultant within the legal industry.

There is a significant difference in the ability, mindset and personality of rainmakers versus the average lawyer when it involves social media for content delivery and networking.

People you know today will lead you to who will buy tomorrow. You have to stay top of mind.

Best place for lawyers to stay top of mind? Data shows, is Facebook.

While content shared on Twitter gets more clicks than LinkedIn and Facebook. Twitter is all about sharing content.

Lawyers are smart people and have the capability to create content and make a name for themselves and their firm.

It’s about the content you create; and how regularly you create and share it that builds a reputation.

Unlike LinkedIn and Facebook, Twitter is a completely open network. You attract people who are interested in the topic your writing about.

Adrian’s first book is Twitter for Lawyers – a concise read, provides a map for how to get started on Twitter. Listeners can email [email protected] for a free ecopy.

Episode 26: Curious and Caring - Focus your time, effort and interest:

Nicole chats with Karen Kahn - Psychologist, Strategic Coach to Lawyers, and author of Daunting to Doable: You can make it rain!

In exploratory conversations find the questions that feel good to you: What occupies your time? How did you get into that?

Comfortably use personal relationships for business by not selling: Offer to assist. Be aware, curious and helpful.

Growth strategy: Pick an area that you’re interested in. Become the best in the business. Find a group that represents potential clients, can pay your rates and ‘gathers'. Then participate.

A ‘simple’ Business Development Model: what is your definition of success; who will help you get there; how will I develop sustained valuable relationships with that produce business.

Last Word: You may be fascinated by ‘the work', business is about ‘bringing in money’.

Nicole chats with Basha Rubin, CEO and Co-Founder of Priori Legal.

Technology is changing access to legal services: Priori is working to remove aspects of finding and working with lawyers that impede efficiency.

How did you come up with the idea for Priori: We felt a marketplace solution would help businesses: identify high quality lawyers, understand pricing, get a transparent look at what their purchasing; while using technology to make managing the relationship easier.

Clients’ value that Priori seriously vets their lawyers: Improving on the legwork businesses typically do themselves; they set mandatory minimum requirements; vetting is done by people who are expert at vetting lawyers; as are reference checks; and face-to-face interviews.

Lawyers value the business acquisition channel: Unlike other services - no bidding is involved. Lawyers get ‘pinged’ when a client is looking for services tailored to their experience, background and practice. Priori handles billing, invoicing and collection.

People network superficially: Basha suggests small networking groups where you become friends with peers is better than attending 30 cocktail parties in a month.

Advice to those starting out: Keep at it – you’ll feel you’re running hard and not making progress then you’ll have of breakthrough – it’s all about tenacity.

Nicole chats with Ron Baker, author and VeraSage Institute - Think Tank Founder.

Value Pricing: Setting a price commensurate with the value you’ll create for the customer before you do the work.

Value Pricing: Is pricing certainty and reduced risk. When you offer a fixed price with options - customers love it.

Value pricing: Is NOT using an estimate of costs calculated out to a fixed price.

Repetitive tasks have been replaced by technology: More can be done in less time. Businesses that sell time (the billable hour) are being forced to change their business model.

Time doesn’t determine value: Value is a feeling not a number.

Define the business problem: Assign a value and get to work.

Give the customer pricing options: To differentiate service expectation levels.

For more information: Go to www.verasage.com or www.thesoulofenterprise.com