This article appeared in Accounting and Financial Planning for Law Firms, an ALM/Law Journal Newsletters publication covering all financial aspects of managing law firms, including: building a law firm budget; rates and rate arrangements with clients; coordinating benefits for law firm partners; and the newest strategies to grow your firm and your career.
Most professionals use a generic sales approach for every sales situation. The sales strategy can generally be described as one in which you position yourself as the “best choice” legal advisor. That sales approach assumes that legal services buyers are ready to buy once they recognize they have a legal issue or that they are always on the lookout for legal talent. However, prospective clients are not always ready to buy nor usually interested in switching providers. Some are still studying the issues. Some have already addressed their problems. Many are happy with their existing providers. And some are unaware of the opportunities you can help them seize.
