We all have sent or received this email at one time or another at our firms. Perhaps it’s your neighbor, a tech executive, fighting for a patent, or a colleague from another firm looking for local counsel to handle a complex zoning issue. We scan our mental Rolodex and, not coming up with a familiar name, we cast a net for referrals to help our friend. However, that knowledge and experience often exist right in your mid-sized firm but some of your attorneys don’t know it. You can fix that.

The Challenge to Cross-Selling

The most significant obstacle to developing a strong cross-selling program is a lack of inter-departmental awareness and education. Or more precisely, a lack of time devoted to awareness and education. This reality is often the product of busy law firms. Many of us are focused on our own matters and are hard pressed to find the time to get to know other departments. While on the surface that may not seem like the worst thing—busy attorneys focused on their clients—the long-term consequence is that their clients are not getting to know the whole firm. As the adage goes, we lose the forest for the trees. This results in missed opportunities to bring increased value to your clients, credence to your internal referral program and growth to your associates and counsel in developing their books of business.

Turning Obstacles Into Opportunities