Increase Law Firm Revenue & Profit in 2015 - a free collections webinar and discounts available till 12/15/14

The highest strategic priorities in 2015 and beyond for most law firms are to measurably get new business and to increase profitability. In today’s extremely competitive market for outside legal services, attaining these objectives requires adopting and implementing proven strategies in addition to and in conjunction with the most commonly used growth strategy: new lateral hires and acquisitions.  Below are several proven tactics to achieve the priorities of increasing revenues and profits in a measurable manner:

1.       Formalize/Upgrade Collections Year-Round – To avoid large, old and non-collectable A/R, collecting should not primarily be a year-end effort. The proven tips in this free, highly rated, 30-minute webinar on “How to Turn Collections Season Into a New Business Development Opportunity” may help.

2.       Assess and Invest in Attorneys’ Business/Client Development Potential and Interest – Ask: which firm lawyers (whether partners and/or associates) have demonstrated some capabilities when it comes to developing business and also want to/have the desire to put in the work to become better rainmakers? Consider sending a query, tally and then provide proven programs, tools and resources to help them get there. If you are considering supplementing internal business/client development support with proven, outside programs and services guaranteed to return a measurable return on investment and report measureable results, we can help.

3.       Avoid Expenses Associated with Reinventing the Wheel – Considerable attorney and support staff time and cost savings can be attained by identifying existing, proven already-built programs and resources, thereby avoiding having to take the time and make the investment to re-create them. For example, on our website we offer:

a.       Highly rated live webinars - Receive a 15% discount for any three 2015 webinars of your choice if you register by December 15, 2014;

b.      On demand webinars are available on such topics as: “Getting the Most Out of LinkedIn for Lawyers©”, “Key ‘Sales’ Tools for Lawyers©”, “Innovative Client Service©”,  and “Mastering the RFP Process™” among others;

c.       20-minute Rainmaking Express™ videos available on demand;

d.      Our Rainmaker Coach™ app is available on iTunes® for iPads® and iPhones®;

e.      Among hundreds of other resources – many complimentary – available at www.BusDevInc.com.

4.       Intensify the Focus on What Works to Develop Business – The vast majority of lawyers’ business and client development efforts are non-billable, so optimizing lawyers’ preparation and results from all non-billable efforts is key to increasing revenue and profitability.

a.       Over the last 25 years, we have compiled all available and relevant information and research that proves what works best to develop new business and clients for lawyers and law firms — beyond having the right relationships. This body of research consists of decades of study, surveys and data analysis -  including intake and client surveys, reading hundreds of books, reviewing financial and statistical data, and analyzing numerous other survey results from hundreds of firms - yet few law firms are fully aware of this ‘proven science of business/client development’ nor do they educate all lawyers about it or capitalize on it. If you would like more information on the science of business and client development for lawyers and law firms, please email me.

b.      Another option is to consider formally assessing and identifying the strategies, tools and tactics in your firm that generate the most revenue, the fastest. Then, benchmark, compare and consider upgrades/changes that can yield even better results from them and educate internally. For example, most firms have Key Client Teams, yet not all function optimally. Also, some law firms have created Client/Referral Source Advisory Boards, but few use them as productively as possible, and most lawyers are pitching new business and responding to RFPs now more than ever, yet not winning as much new business as they would like. Consider commissioning a customized “Perfect Your Pitch” program for lucrative and interested practice groups such as: “Perfect Your Data Security & Privacy Pitch”, “Perfect Your National Coordinating Counsel Pitch”, “Perfect Your Water Rights Pitch”, “Perfect Your Wage and Hour Pitch” or “Perfect Your Patent Litigation Pitch.”

5.       Objectively Assess and Upgrade Your Firm’s Business & Client Development Processes – Just like the practice of law, business and client development are a process, each stage of which consists of many sub-processes. To remain competitive, regular upgrades and innovations to these processes are critical. The keys to the success of any process are the people who do the work and creating efficiencies within the process. Gone are the days of “we have always done it like this,” and the days of having only one or a few marketing directors/staff members who “do all our marketing/business development” are waning. We have assisted numerous firms that needed to conduct a thorough assessment, and then assisted them with the implementation of upgraded strategic investments to improve their measureable results. One of the biggest trends in the past few years is law firms’ increased hiring of specialists within the business and client development function — people such as pricing specialists, client development “sales” specialists, strategy and innovation specialists, internal “sales” coaches, etc. Consider registering before December 15, 2014, for the highly rated program “Mastering the Sales Pipeline Process for Law Firms,” which will be held June 5, 2015, in Chicago, and receive a 10% discount.

How Business Developers/Marketers Can Add Value to the Collections Process

In my 25 years’ experience working with law firms, only a handful of in-house law firm marketers/business developers get involved in their firm’s collection process, by providing training and coaching on how to have effective collection meetings and/or how to create a collections process that generates new business and/or leads.

For any of you who may be interested in this… yesterday, I presented a free, highly-rated and publicly available webinar for Michael White of ProfessionalCRM on the subject of “How to Turn Collection Season Into a New Business Opportunity” – here is the link:  http://bit.ly/111TQn9

In this current, highly competitive market for outside legal services, CMOs/CBDOs may want to consider creating a program/resources to support the collection process and certain in-house marketers may want to think about getting involved in helping lawyers prepare for and conduct collection meetings that generate new business and/or the opportunity for new business next year – which is a great way to drive measurable revenue in the door.  Depending upon in-house marketers' available time, bandwidth, capability, and other factors, this can be done in-house or with outside assistance. For those of you who may want to get involved to add additional, measurable $$ to your firm's bottom line, this this webinar includes many tips on how-to.

 

I hope you find this free webinar helpful and useful – Julie Savarino

Pitching for New Business is Part Science, Part Art

Winning any pitch for new business and planning the pitch itself is part science and part art. There is a considerable body of proven science associated with the ‘pitch’ process and the client development process for lawyers and law firms -  which takes time, focus, knowledge, effort and discipline. Most lawyers are well versed in the substance related to the pitch or opportunity in front of them, but not as well versed in the “soft skills” – i.e. form, techniques, packaging and processes needed to win new work.

For example, studies show that approximately 80% of winning any pitch for legal services is attributed to thorough preparation, research, the pre-pitch interview, coordination, practice, rehearsal and follow-up. Yet, few lawyers and law firms have a system, routine or discipline for these crucial steps. Only approximately 20% of winning pitches are attributable to what actually happens or the substance that is discussed during the pitch itself, yet most lawyers spend the majority of their time planning and creating materials and slides for the presentation.

Other studies show that when the experience and competency levels of lawyers/law firms are on a similar level, the vast majority of new business pitches are won based upon “personal chemistry,” so it is important to learn all you can about each key client/potential client contact person before you contact and/or pitch them. Also, learn everything there is to know about their company, especially latest news and trends. Compile all legal work done in the past for similar and/or related companies. If you have marketing/business development staff at your firm, ask them to assist you in this process.

Lawyers! Now Is the Time to Perfect Your Pitch for New Business – Your Competitors Are Upgrading Theirs!

Lawyers! Now Is the Time to Perfect Your Pitch for New Business – Your Competitors Are Upgrading Theirs! 

The market for outside legal services has never been more competitive. On average, outside lawyers and law firms are receiving and responding to approximately 700 percent more RFPs (request for proposals), tenders, and requests to competitively pitch their services than they did only twenty years ago. So the total amount of time, effort, and cost required to successfully compete and win new business has risen exponentially. In addition, most law firm and lawyer “win rates” are not as high as they could be.

Based on demand, and because pitching and winning new business is part science, part art and therefore can never be 100 percent perfected by any lawyer (or any person for that matter), in partnership with Thomson Reuters we have initiated a new workshop series titled Perfect Your Pitch™. Based on prior, very highly rated programs, this workshop is designed to help lawyers upgrade and improve their entire pitch process — from opportunity identification and analysis to follow-up and closing the business.

There are still four spots open in the first workshop of this new series titled Perfect Your Patent Litigation Pitch to Win New Business for Lawyers™ which will be held all day Friday, December 5, 2014, in the Thomson Reuters Times Square (New York) office. Click here for more information or to register.

 
To let us know your preferences for our 2015 Perfect Your Pitch workshops, please take five minutes to complete this four-question survey.

Patriot’s Day - How Law Firms and Lawyers Support the U.S. Military and Veterans*

Law firms and lawyers throughout the United States represent, support and/or help the people who help create, protect and defend freedoms - for Americans, their allies, friends and citizens of other nations worldwide. America is the land of the free, because of the brave!

The military – past, present and future are the key people who are so critical to the freedoms and way of life U.S. citizens enjoy. The U.S. military consists of current troops and service members: Army, Navy, Marines, Air Force, Coast Guard, National Guard and all Reservists; veterans and veterans’ organizations such as The American Legion, Veterans of Foreign Wars (VFW), and others; POWs (Prisoners of War); those still MIA (Missing in Action); past and present Judge Advocate General's Corps members (JAGs); and all the other civil servants who are employed by the military and those who support active military service members and veterans worldwide.

Without these millions of people and their commitment, effort, work, sacrifice, service and dedication − as well as the loving support of their spouses, children, parents, friends and other backers − our Republic and democracy as we know it and our cherished freedoms would not exist as they do today.

Throughout history, lawyers have played integral roles at many levels to help shape, build, deploy, maintain, manage and support the U.S. military and veterans. For example, in the highest elected role within the U.S. government, President of the United States (POTUS) − who is also the Commander in Chief of the United States Armed Forces − approximately 26 holders of that office were or are lawyers and 21 of them served in the U.S. military (not to mention POTUS Cabinet members, counsel and advisors over the years, many of whom have been or are lawyers). 

Today, approximately 20% of the members of the U.S. Congress have served in the military, and approximately 35% are lawyers. Many Senators and Congressmen who are lawyers have worked in outside law firms or as in-house counsel either before being elected to serve or after their government service ends. In addition, many who currently serve or have served in the administrative branches of government (at federal, regional, state and/or local levels) are also lawyers.  

Private law firms of all sizes and lawyers of all types also help support the military. This may not be in any official governmental capacity, but through formal representation, pro bono representation and efforts, charitable contributions, employment assistance, employee volunteer programs and other ways.   

The majority of law firms that formally represent members of the military, veterans and their families are in the small to mid-size range, which allows them to maintain a lower hourly rate structure and more flexibility regarding flat and fixed fees for certain types of legal work needed.

One Michigan-based law firm named Legal Help for Veterans PLLC represents veterans and their families in disability claims such as Post-Traumatic Stress Disorder (PTSD), Traumatic Brain Injury (TBI), orthopedic issues, surviving spouse pensions and other issues.

Gordon Thomas Honeywell, a Pacific Northwest law firm with offices in Seattle and Tacoma, often represents veterans in employment and discrimination cases. The Uniformed Services Employment and Reemployment Rights Act (USERRA) prohibits harassment, discrimination and retaliation against military members related to their service.  

For lawyers whose practice already includes representing members of the military and/or veterans or for those lawyers/law firms interested in doing so, the American Bar Association (ABA) website offers over 7,000 resources which can be accessed by visiting the site and typing “Veterans” in the search bar.  Pro bono representation opportunities to help veterans and their families abound.

Larger law firms also represent veterans. For example, Steptoe & Johnson partner Stephen Fennell, Chair of the firm’s Litigation Group, serves as lead counsel for his firm which since 2002 has represented Gulf War POWs in a contentious, high-profile lawsuit against Iraq for damages arising out of the torture of the POWs while they were in captivity. 

At the grass roots level, law firms around the country participate in Adopt the Troops/Solider/Platoon campaigns. For example, the Pacific Northwest-based law firm of Cairncross & Hempelmann had a firm employee whose family member was serving as a Marine with a platoon stationed in Iraq.  The firm informally “adopted” the platoon for the holidays (and beyond), which included contacting local military organizations to learn what they could send in “care packages,” how to send them and where.

Law schools around the country also support veterans. A number of law schools (including Harvard) provide scholarships and/or tuition assistance for veterans, and several law school clinical programs provide training to help veterans handle VA benefits claims and appeals.

Every lawyer, law firm, law firm and legal industry employee can help support U.S. troops, veterans and/or their families if they so desire. There are many great ways to do so, and many efforts/charities/groups exist.  Excellent and bona fide pro bono and/or volunteer programs that support veterans can be found by contacting:  The American Legion (http://www.legion.org/troops/volunteer); the VFW (http://www.vfw.org/Community/Get-Involved/); the ABA (www.americanbar.org) and/or state bars.

To volunteer and/or donate in the most productive manner, be sure to first verify the group/organization (because not all veterans’ charities/organizations use/apply their donations legitimately). Websites to visit to verify charities’ track records include: the American Institute of Philanthropy, Charity Navigator and/or GuideStar.

*This article is not intended to be 100% complete or exhaustive. It contains representative information known to the author at the time of publication and as space allowed.

Thank You from the Australasian Legal Practice Management Association

"Thank you for working with us to produce and deliver such an excellent Master Class for the 2014 ALPMA Annual Legal Management Summit held in Melbourne titled 'Mastering the Client Development (a.k.a. Sales) Process for Lawyers and Law Firms'. The feedback and response from delegates has been fantastic! The members and staff of ALPMA congratulate and thank you."

Andrew Barnes
Financial Controller, Sladen Legal - Melbourne, Australia
President, Australasian Legal Practice Management Association

The Latest Re: Business and Client Development in Australian Law Firms©



Julie Savarino of Business Development Inc. @juliesavarino with Andrew Barnes of Sladen Legal/Harwood Andrews and current President of ALMPA @AndrewBarnes_AU in Melbourne Australia

Almost fifty managing partners, practice group leaders and law firm marketers from Australian law firms attended the workshop I presented yesterday, “Mastering the Client Development (aka Sales) Process for Lawyers and Law Firms™,” at the ALPMA Annual Summit in Melbourne, Australia. Most attendees were from mid-tier and smaller law firms, and a handful were from major global law firms. Prior to and during the workshop, I polled the attendees on key issues, and some of the findings are summarized below.

§       In terms of effective client development/selling - Australian law firms are ahead of their United States counterparts in a few key ways:

o   They populate their firms’ CRM databases completely with all Outlook contacts. There is no opt-in option; it is a requirement upon arrival at the firm;

o   They pre-clear conflicts - both explicit legal conflicts and potential business conflicts - more thoroughly before engaging in outreach/communications with clients and/or potential clients for new work; and

o   They do not receive nor send/forward case alerts to let parties know they have been sued and to ask them for the business (which clients undoubtedly appreciate, since in most cases they already know they have been sued and have a short list of outside counsel already in mind, and not sending/forwarding these “you have been sued” alerts also saves the Australian law firms from the common and unknowing embarrassment of having numerous firm lawyers send/forward the same case alert to the same client repeatedly and redundantly - which is an almost daily occurrence in the United States).

§       While about half of attendees indicated their law firms have coordinated, firm-wide Strategic Development Plans in place, most of these plans still focus mainly on activities, mistaking activities (doing seminars, writing articles/blogs, attending conferences) for productivity (i.e., actual measurable new business), and do not have much coordination and/or ties to their remuneration/compensation and/or planning processes.

§       Only about half of the Australian law firms in attendance conduct an Annual Firm-Wide Strategic Assessment, and only half require and use Annual Business/Business Development Plans for all firm lawyers.

§       None of the Australian law firms in attendance have a formal, firm-wide Sales/Client Development Process or Pipeline in place within their firms. The majority of client development/sales activity is still conducted individually by Partners, although about a third use, organize and track basic sales pipelines at the practice/industry group level. The problem, however, is that these activities are still mistaken for productivity (actual new business) because the majority of attendees indicated that their lawyers are not converting enough networking opportunities/contacts into actual new clients/cases/matters.

§       Only the major global law firms in attendance have an organized, formal, firm-wide, ongoing Sales/Client Development Training and Coaching curricula in place for all lawyers by years of practice, level of interest and/or practice group. Instead, most Australian law firms - like their counterparts in the United States - offer only one-off sales training/coaching sessions periodically - most of which are not tied to actual new revenue results.

§       Very few Australian law firms have a formal, ongoing Client Review program and/or process in place, even though numerous studies show that client satisfaction and service ratings and changes over time are the main drivers of profitability and also leading indicators of potential demise.

§       Although Australia now allows ABSs (Alternative Business Structures), including non-lawyer ownership of law firms, very few law firms have adopted them as business development strategies. The main hurdle is the cost of insuring these structures. The major accounting firms and new alternative law firms are the main firms taking advantage of these new structures and are taking/absorbing significant client and market share from traditional law firms.

§       Misaligned and/or unrealistic expectations remain a major hurdle to effective and efficient business/client development for Australian law firms. For example, the majority of law firm leaders still expect all partners in their firms to develop new business from external sources, and as a result, most internal law firm marketing/bus dev support staff spend the majority of their time responding to a myriad of activity-/task-based requests from any/every lawyer, with little time for tracking or proactive strategic support.

 

For more information, please contact the author, Julie Savarino, at Julie@BusDevInc.com.

New Business Development for Lawyers and Law Firms – What’s Changed in 20 Years?©

Almost exactly twenty years ago, I was invited to speak in Australia, and while there The Australian Financial Review wrote about my speech. Since I am going to Australia this week to present a speech at the ALPMA Annual Summit, I dug up the old article and wrote this comparison of what’s changed in the last twenty years. Below are select excerpts from The Australian Financial Review  published on August 18, 1004 – almost exactly 20 years ago – in black text below. My “twenty years later” comments appear in blue text below.

“[Partners] are thinking very hard about their future as lawyers because the demands of the market are changing rapidly and the shape of the big law firm of today is likely to be quite different in 10 years’ time. Certainly very different from the time when the Corner Men were mere Partners. If Julie Savarino, an articulate law firm consultant from the United States, one of the speakers at a seminar held by the Australian Law Firm Marketing Association at Freehills in Sydney, is any guide, there are other big changes in the wind. She gave a fascinating insight into the U.S. trends, which as a matter of trickle-down inevitability are ultimately adopted here [in Australia].”

1.                  “[Julie Savarino] pointed to the tremendous growth in negligence actions against U.S. law firms, which has meant that most of them have incorporated to limit the partners’ personal liability. Professional indemnity premiums are still going up, but at least the ski lodge is safe.”

NOW 20 YEARS LATER: Since the adoption of limited liability entities in the United States in the early 1990s, virtually every U.S.-based law firm is now incorporated and/or operating as a partnership under some type of limited liability protection. An excellent move because in the United States, claims and lawsuits against lawyers/law firms alleging malpractice, negligence, conflicts, breach of confidentiality, fraud and related claims have risen exponentially. In the early 2000s, Australia also adopted limited liability entities for law firms, known as IPLs (incorporated legal practices), providing a vicarious liability shield for firm lawyers, a form many law firms chose to incorporate under.

2.                  “The other important insight that Ms. Savarino gave was the client pressure on law firms to perform more cost effectively.”

NOW 20 YEARS LATER: Client pressure on law firms and lawyers has only intensified in the past 20 years. Alternatives to traditional law firms have absorbed/taken significant market share away from established law firms. Pressure to be more efficient has never been greater. Forward-thinking firms are proactively using technology, process management, outsourcing, partnering and other strategies to remain competitive.

3.                  “Tendering [a.k.a. RFPs in North America] is rampant in the U.S. Going fast are the old standing client-law firm relationships. Corporate clients are insisting on “requests for proposals” to dole out the assignments. The process forces the firms to focus on cost and strategy before the client even begins paying. A Wall Street Journal article recently quoted Ms. Savarino as saying that there’s “a lot of denial still going on” by law firms who would prefer to avoid the bidding process.”

NOW 20 YEARS LATER: Comparing the results from our Use of Proposals survey conducted in 1993 (highlights were published in The Wall Street Journal – if you would like a copy, please contact me), the use of RFPs to select and cull outside legal counsel has increased approximately 700%! Yet too many law firms remain in a mainly reactive posture relative to RFPs and pitches. For example, few law firms really know or annually track just how much time and money are spent on RFP responses and pitches, and few firms have an efficient RFP process. In addition, way too few law firms have a proactive, formal client review process truly institutionalized within their firms. In the current market, rarely (less than approximately 20% of the time) are lawyers or law firms formally “fired” by in-house counsel or other clients – the clients simply stop sending new matters/cases to the incumbent firm and start sending their work to the new provider. In the current market every opportunity; every new case/matter – even with an existing client – is competitive. The vast majority of clients know at least two to three other outside lawyers equally qualified, competent, eager and available. Clients do not always go to the trouble of issuing a formal RFP, but lawyers need to embrace the fact that they are competing almost every time.

4.                  “Ms. Savarino also talked about the growth of the “virtual office” (working away from the desk – at the client’s or at home) and the increasing interest among professionals in lifestyle issues.”

 NOW 20 YEARS LATER: Law firms that currently do not allow flex-time and/or off-site work options as a standard practice are simply no longer competitive and will not be able to attract and maintain young, emerging talent or those who require non-traditional work hours.

AUTHOR’S NOTE: The excerpts quoted in black text above are from The Australian Financial Review article entitled “Time to re-assess the means of capitalising our law firms” written by Richard Ackland, published August 18, 1994 and copyrighted by The Australian Financial Review. For more information or to request a copy of The Australian Financial Review and/or the Wall Street Journal articles mentioned above, please contact  Julie Savarino,  Julie@BusDevInc.com, +1 734 668 7008.

QUESTION re: Content Marketing and CLE (Continuing Legal Education)

Law firms have become very sophisticated in their use of CLE as a value-add with clients, in addition to featuring CLEs on their websites. I'm wondering how these programs are developed. Is there a content marketing specialist on the marketing team who drives the agenda? Or is it driven by the attorneys and professional development team? And, does the firm's professional development team help on CLEs? Thanks in advance for your advice.

ANSWER - In my considerable professional experience helping many firms create go-to-market CLE curricula for clients and prospects as well as helping invent many major, revenue generating programs - overall - in the firms that use CLE programs as a business/client development tool most effectively, the idea/concept most often originates from a Practice Group or a particular lawyer(s). The reason it is most effective when a lawyer(s) originate(s) the concept/idea is because their buy-in/commitment is much greater, and as a result their time, attention, preparation and follow-up tends to yield measureable results in terms of new business.

In order to get a Practice Group/Department thinking about it, drafting a one or two page summary or business case of what other law firms and/or Practice Groups are doing it (especially competitors), what they are doing and how/when can be persuasive.

Depending upon the firm and its’ professional staff, the CLE crediting process, requirements, reporting etc. are often handled by the firm's professional development staff while the production, planning, implementation and follow-up of the programs themselves by various members of the firm's mkt/busdev staff and/or Practice Group support. In firms that do not have professional development staff, the firm’s mkt/busdev staff does it all (and it can be a lot of work, so key is to scale strategically and realistically). If I can provide any additional information, please let me know. Hope this helps!

Successful "Sales" Functions Within Law Firms©

By: Julie Savarino, Attorney and Managing Director, Business Development Inc.

Marketing and selling are related but distinctly different disciplines within law firms (and for all businesses). In most law firms, the sales function and associated responsibilities still rest primarily on the lawyers and the sales support structure is not well defined beyond assisting with RFPs.

Within law firms that have and use sales professionals, there are inherent tensions between the sales professionals - whose primary job is to close the sale/bring in new business - and lawyers - whose primary job is to provide quality legal advice/solutions, etc., and avoid malpractice claims. This tension is intense in today's highly competitive market where slow demand and price pressures are a given.

Unlike lawyers, sales professionals have no formal code of ethics or rules of professional responsibility they are required to abide by. Therefore, when hiring and managing sales professionals within law firms, law firm leaders should be very cognizant of this inherent tension and strive to carefully structure sales professionals' position descriptions, responsibilities, expectations, performance reviews and remuneration accordingly. In addition, before hiring sales professionals, law firm leaders should specifically define the sales professionals focus to be sure those professionals are targeting and working to close qualified new business – not just working to sell any legal work from any entity or person needing legal services.

Before hiring sales professionals, smart law firm leaders formally assess the partnership and/or practice groups to help define the needs, wants, roles, markets, desired clients/referral sources and training/coaching needs. Then they structure the resulting position description and salary/bonus scheme so the most desirable and profitable business is targeted while firm culture and partner needs and expectations are simultaneously supported. This sets a solid foundation to help insure the sales professional(s) success.

Sales professionals generally succeed when they: are former lawyers and/or have a significant understanding of what it takes to get quality legal work done and delivered, and; have a solid understanding of the legal needs and common issues of the specific market/sector and client. Most complaints from lawyers about their in-house sales professionals center around this issue, i.e. "our sales professional does not understand what it takes to get the legal matter/case completed and has no thought/care for my profitability – they just want to close the business no matter what".

Successful sales professionals make a concerted effort – before they start selling externally to clients and prospects – to sell internally. In other words, they take the time and make the effort to get to know the lawyers with whom they work, their desired markets/clients and the cost ranges (and law firm leaders communicate this specific expectation upon hiring). Also, effective in-house sales professionals provide periodic/ongoing training and coaching for the firm’s lawyers on key sales steps. In addition, before selling externally, sales professionals who work closely with the financial records department to calculate and know the ranges of the actual fees/costs associated with desired and common matters/cases are much better prepared to generate qualified leads for and sell profitable legal work.

The inherent tension between lawyers and sales professionals is no one's "fault" – it is a reality that lawyers need to accept. Therefore, this reality requires lawyers to step up and make an effort to communicate and work with the sales professionals. Lawyers need to reach out to the sales professionals when they are first hired and communicate their needs and expectations, and then they need to continue doing so before, during and after each sale. Lawyers also need to spend time creating efficiencies and pricing options within their practices so that bespoke and hourly rate solutions are only one pricing option – not the only one.

Proven, Optimized Business Development Resources for Lawyers & Law Firms

1. New, Rainmaking Express™ videos for Lawyers & Law Firms – A series of 10 to 20 minute videos, available on demand to be viewed on any mobile device or computer anytime anywhere - each of which is a compilation of 25 years of best practices proven to generate new work for lawyers and law firms that use them - created by renowned, award-winning, master new business development strategist, trainer and coach Julie Savarino. Special launch offer: if you or your firm would like to rent and view all six videos between now and December 31, 2014, email Julie Savarino before July 11, 2014 and receive a 20% discount for all six Rainmaking Express™ Videos (a $595 dollar value for $499 USD). This offer expires Friday, July 11, 2014.

2. Are Your "Sales" and Business Intelligence Functions Optimized? This free Manzama webinar and e-book by Julie Savarino may help. One webinar attendee said "Great webinar! Informative. Actionable. Bravo." Our Business Development Inc. live and on demand webinars for a fee are also highly-rated. As one law firm leader recently said, "Any law firm that thinks webinars are not valuable or useful has never viewed one of Julie Savarino's webinars." Finally, if you would like proven, experienced and customized coaching or consulting to upgrade your firm's or your own personal business development program and efforts, please contact Julie Savarino.

3. Need or Want a "Sales" Coach and Have an iPhone® or iPad®? Buy and download our award-nominated Rainmaker Coach™ app at the Apple iTunes® website.

How to Get New Outside Legal Work Using Trend Spotting

Does your firm have a business/client intelligence function including listening platforms, software, subscriptions and/or programs? If so, do not miss "How to Use Trend Spotting to Develop New Legal Work" - a complimentary Manzama webinar to be led by Julie Savarino on Wednesday, June 25, 2014. If not, attend the webinar to learn why your firm may be lagging behind competitors.

For more information or to register, please click here.

Highly Rated Programs - Melbourne Australia August 2014

Join renowned law firm business development strategist, trainer and client development coach Julie Savarino, a lawyer with 25 years of experience helping lawyers and law firms develop measurable new business, at the Australasian Legal Practice Management Association 2014 ALPMA Summit to be held 27-29 August 2014 in Melbourne, Australia.

Julie will be presenting her highly rated workshop titled "Mastering the Client Development a.k.a. 'Sales' Support Process for Law Firms©" in person as a Pre-Summit Master Class, and she will also present a summit session titled "We All Have LinkedIn Accounts - Now What? How to Make the Most of LinkedIn for Lawyers and Law Firms."

New Trend Report - Effective Business Development for Law Firms: Five Hot Trends in the New Normal©

1. Increasing staff sophistication and specialization - In order to increase results, efficiencies, quality of service and deliverables while at the same time reducing duplication and redundancies, law firms are moving away from hiring marketing/business development support generalists and are now increasingly hiring specialists.
2. Increased turnover in high-level staff positions - Over the past three years, approximately 40% of AmLaw 100 law firms' incumbent chief marketing officers, chief business development officers and chief strategy officers have turned over.
3. Increased strategic focus on what works - The days of being "all things to all people" either externally for clients or internally for lawyers no longer works for the majority of law firms or for law firms' marketing/business development support departments.
4. Increased use of packaging - As the legal industry continues to mature, another viable strategy being used both internally and externally is packaging. Internally law firms are "packaging up" the sales/business development process in various ways designed to increase opportunities, motivation and strategic results.
5. Increasingly sophisticated technology - Content aggregators at both the law firm-generated content level and the business/client intelligence level are continuing to refine their offerings.

To read more, click here.

New Business Development, Revenue-Generating & Cost-Saving Tools and Services

New webinars - Click here to register or see speakers and course descriptions. Our 2013 webinars were highly rated by law firms.

1. How to Control Law Firm Business Development and Marketing Costs & Expenses in 2014 - Wednesday, January 29, 2014 , 12 noon - 2 pm EST
2. "Sales" Pipelines & "Sales" Models Used By Lawyers, Law Firms & Other Professional Services Firms - What Works? - Wednesday, February 19, 2014 -12 Noon - 2 p.m. EST
3. Avoiding Potential Legal & Business Conflicts of Interest When Developing New Clients and New Legal Work - Wednesday, March 12, 2014 , 12 Noon - 1:30 p.m. EDT - an application for 1 ethics CLE credit in the State of New York is currently pending.
4. How To Make the Most of LinkedIn to Build Your Law Practice & Get on More "Short Lists" - Wednesday, April 16, 2014 - 12 Noon-1:30 p.m. EDT
5. What All Lawyers Need to Know and Do Before "Asking for the Work" - Wednesday, May 14, 2014 - 12 Noon - 1:30 p.m. EDT
6. Key Ethical Issues re: Business, Client Development and "Sales" for Lawyers When Communicating With Potential Clients and People Other Than Clients - Wednesday, July 16, 2014 - 12 Noon-1:30 p.m. EDT - An application for 1 ethics CLE credit in the State of New York is currently pending.

Rainmaker Training & Coaching Series for Associates™ - If Associates want business development training and guidance, but your firm does not have time or resources to develop a solid and consistent program, consider our new on-line and on-demand professional and ethical development program designed specifically for Associates.

Mastering the 'Sales' Process for New Partners® - This highly-rated and results-generating training and coaching program has been upgraded to be delivered on-line in a quarterly format, followed-up by an actual, in-person 'pitch' to in-house and/or general counsel who serve as co-instructors.

Rainmaker Re-Fresh™ for Partners - Partners who desire to upgrade the results from their client development efforts and/or increase their origination benefit from this service. Ask for our references.

Business Intelligence Dossier & Briefing™ Service for Lawyers, Practice Groups and/or Law Firms - Creating an in-house department and/or positions designed to generate competitive/business intelligence, gather research, conduct analysis and provide "briefing" for lawyers can be time consuming and expensive. Instead, consider our proven, confidential, secure, outsourced services.

For more information, please contact: Julie Savarino, Julie@BusDevInc.com, telephone (734) 668-7008