Marketing Briefs
Recommended Reads for Professional Service Firms

by S2 Marketing Strategies                               
                                                      August 25, 2015
Tell your story.
Get more work.
by Dona Stohler
Take a moment and think about conversations you remember well.  Or people who you immediately made you feel like they were very competent and capable from the moment you first spoke with them.  Chances are these people told you a story about something that made sense to you.  They gave you an example of something that they recently encountered and made it easy for you to visualize the problem and how they solved it.  They were convincing.
 
If you keep this in mind when talking to prospects and clients you will probably be more successful.
 
Use visuals and analogies

Everyone says they are responsive, client-focused, efficient, cost-effective and reliable.  Take the time to help the prospect or client understand what this means.  What sounds better if you are a client?
 
O ur lawyers are very responsive and reliable.  We always keep the client in mind.  

OR.....
 
One of the things that is very helpful for us as we begin to work with you is to attend your new hire orientation, at no charge to you of course.  This helps us fully understand your company and makes us part of your team.  And if you can start to send us the dates and times of your earnings calls, we'd like to start participating.  By doing this we feel we are better prepared to give you our best possible advice because we will understand you better.
Marketing Briefs is Promotional Material

If you like this, please forward to colleagues and share on social media by using the links in the header above.

If you don't want it, please unsubscribe to make room for someone else as the distribution list is limited. 
We nailed it
But didn't get hired
You knew you were the best firm for the job, but you didn't get the work.  What happened?  Key reasons for missing out include limited visibility with the targeted decision-maker, presentations that are more about selling services than listening and problem solving, nothing useful online or on social media about your firm or services, not being creative or insightful with the initial advice you gave, or giving no advice at all. Sometimes you need to give before you can receive.
Need business development help

Ask your librarian
In a recent survey, 93 percent of law librarians said they could bring in additional business for their firms if they were given the resources and training.  Librarians sit in the epicenter of technology for research.  They tend to understand and be able to fully engage with research platforms.  Combining the resources of marketing and business development with the law library might make everyone more successful.  The librarians just need to know what they are hunting for and business development can tell them.
You want fries with that?
Target cross-selling more effectively
There is considerable evidence that providing legal advice to your clients in multiple areas of the law significantly improves firm profits. But cross selling is easier said than done. Serving clients in multiple areas requires the client to have a current need, see value in your firm's offering and, most importantly, question the capabilities of their current legal provider. Pitching additional services to clients who are not receptive can do more harm than good.  Add to that the internal political and compensation  challenges that  the firm's attorneys often have to navigate, and you get a sense for why cross servicing clients is such an elusive goal for ma ny firms. Download a free checklist from Group Dewey Consulting.
Compiled for you by S2 Marketing Strategies LLC
Dona Stohler, Founder and Principal
317.698.3983
Develop Your Business. Tell Your Story.
Strategies for Professional Service Firms