Previously posted on the Marketing Brain Fodder Blog, courtesy of Eric Fletcher.
A correspondent recently asked me: "When did you have your first 'Aha!' moment about law firm sales?"
It's a great memory, and it actually occurred long before Womble Carlyle Sandridge & Rice became a pioneer in the legal profession and asked me to serve as director of sales.
The Real Beginning — An Accidental Volunteer
The path that led me to professional service (and eventually, legal) sales goes further back than I care to admit. I was an Associate National Director of Marketing at Price Waterhouse LLP — long before the merger with Coopers & Lybrand.
The legendary Price Waterhouse Vice Chairman of Tax, Pete Hart, was – appropriately — asking revenue questions of International Tax partners, who had put together many elaborate marketing brochures, staged numerous wonderful educational sessions, and traveled abroad with international tax planning concepts. (Any of this sound familiar?) But, in spite of great investment and much activity, the group wasn't "connecting the dots with the cash register" as well as Pete would have liked.
"Who," Pete asked, "will follow up with the people who attended the seminars to meet with them face to face? Who will make phone calls to the people receiving the fancy brochures to see if they have any questions?"
In old World War II movies, there are scenes about the unwilling volunteer. In these scenes, a commanding officer asks for volunteers to step forward. Inevitably, a newbie stands still while the wizened hands all take steps backward.
Those scenes remind me of how I "volunteered" to make the move from professional services marketing to sales; I "volunteered" by not declining to do so.
Fortunately, I'd had some professional services sales experience prior to joining Price Waterhouse, and, in addition, at Price Waterhouse I was able to participate in Miller-Heiman's "Strategic Selling" courses. So, when the opportunity presented itself, I was ready.
The focus of our fledgling sales effort was to "connect those dots", and we began scheduling follow-up meetings with potential clients. Thankfully, my training had equipped me in the art of connecting, and the science of keeping opportunities on track. And, over time (the sale of professional services rarely occurs overnight), we were able to achieve some of the conversions Pete Hart knew to be critical to success.
"Sales" began to develop some strong roots at Price Waterhouse as well as other accounting firms, as the accounting profession caught wind of the possibilities. Sales became a critical competency in the professional services arena — eventually (albeit, with reluctance at many turns) the idea has crept into legal.
By Any Name, It Is About Connecting The Dots
Each of us at some point in a career faces the very practical questions Pete Hart posed to the Price Waterhouse Tax Partners — who is going to take the steps necessary to connect with prospects?
Whether marketers, business developers, strategy architects, accountants or lawyers — few, if any of us can afford to wait for the market to come to us. If you're reluctant to lean on the "S" word, think of it as simply connecting the dots between the needs of your prospects and the service and counsel you can deliver.
When it comes to efforts that hit the bottom-line, that's the "Aha Moment".
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