The Lawyers Weekly - April 23, 2010

THE LAWYERS WEEKLY
April 23, 2010 | 27

BUSINESS
CAREERS

PAUL
KUTTNER
“I don’t know who you are.
I don’t know your law firm.
I don’t know anyone at your
law firm.
I don’t know your law firm’s
record.
I don’t really care.
What was it that you wanted
to sell me?”

While young lawyers certainly aren’t expected to be rainmakers early in their careers, if they want to make partner, they need to develop their sales skills. Unfortunately, law school does very little to give them the tools to find new clients and sell their legal skills. In fact, for some lawyers, the idea of selling falls somewhere between undignified and completely abhorrent. In many law firms, associates are either expected to bring in new business without any formal direction, or they are guided by osmosis by a partner. However, some Greater Toronto Area law firms, tiny and huge, are getting it right, blazing trails with excited, motivated lawyers bringing in new clients and literally harvesting new work from existing clients.

The reality is that today you have to sell to survive. Selling is everyone’s job at a law firm. Contrary to popular belief, every lawyer can sell. Selling is a learned skill, not a natural talent. Every lawyer can learn the concepts and the tools. Some rainmakers just apply these skills better than others.

Oh, to avoid any confusion, the process of selling is distinct from the process of marketing.

“Maybe, way back in
a century long gone
it was sufficient to
say, “Trust me, I’m
a lawyer.” Today that
doesn’t cut it. You
have to build trust.
on the networking floor.

7. What will make them buy yours? That, ladies and gentlemen is what makes selling a strategic art form.

8. What is the key point of interest?

SIMONMCCONICO / ISTOCKPHOTO. COM
Build trust

Here’s a thought. First remove all preconceived notions you may have of selling. Replace them with a single concept— persuasion. Persuasion is the process of guiding people toward the adoption of an idea, attitude, position or course of action by rational and symbolic (though not always logical) means. Everyone, without exception, has persuaded someone at some time to do something. Effectively, they have sold an idea to another person.

Your No. 1 competitor in any sales situation is the status quo— what the person or organization is already doing. You have to convince them to accept a change in course and this won’t usually happen immediately. Think of the Sales Process as an extended conversation with a prospect, a conversation that you can control.

Characteristics of a rainmaker

How many of the following attributes of a successful rainmaker do you possess?

; Good listener
; Good negotiator
; Confident
; Curious
; Personal contacts
; Good people skills
; Good talker
; Sense of reality
; Knowledge of Industry
; Self-motivated
; Luck
What you need to know
Few people buy what they really
don’t need. Whether it’s a stereo
component, home renovation or
legal services, if you don’t want or
need it, you probably won’t buy it,
regardless of the sales pitch. In
order to effectively sell your legal
services to a prospect or even a
current client, there are some
specific packets of knowledge you
must have. It starts at the first
meeting and can continue over the
course of weeks or months as part
of the sales process.

“Trust me, I’m a lawyer”

There is usually no fast track to concluding a successful sale. Maybe, way back in a century long gone it was sufficient to say, “Trust me, I’m a lawyer.” Today that doesn’t cut it. You have to build trust. You have to build confidence, and the truth is, the prospect has to like you. Being really good at what you do will just get you ‘Found’ and placed on the list of lawyers qualified to do the job. Take advantage of every opportunity to practice your selling skills. It’s OK to fail once in a while as you learn—just contain the flames. Fear and loathing of sales is a state of mind. You can fix that. Don’t be shy to ask for assistance. It’s like swimming; you have to get in the water to get going. Once you get going you will never look back. ;

Paul Kuttner is a principal of
innovate! Marketing. He coaches
lawyers and helps law firms to
become more effective in their mar-
keting and sales activities.

Getting rid of a workplace bully may be hard to do

Bullies
Continued From Page 25

bosses’ negative behaviour, and then try different techniques for improving their work relationships.

“There may be reasons behind a manager’s behaviour that is unknown to others, such as pressure from senior management or heavy workloads,” he added.

Indeed, new research from
the University of California,
Berkeley, and the University of
Southern California, has discov-
ered that bosses who are in over
their heads are more likely to
bully subordinates. That’s
because feelings of inadequacy
trigger them to lash out at those
around them. Specifically, the
researchers found a direct link
among supervisors and upper
management between self-per-
ceived incompetence and
aggression.