Less Talk and More Results:
What Really Works In Law Firm Marketing

Presented at the 2005 ALA Conference & Exposition
Presented by Byron Sabol of Sabol International, Inc.
Summarized by Sherry Hurst
June 2005

While at the ALA National Conference in San Francisco in May of 2005, I attended a session conducted by Byron Sabol. Mr. Sabol’s consulting firm works with law firms on three continents, ranging from small boutique firms to large international firms. His topic at the conference was the marketing efforts of law firms. Mr. Sabol made the point that most firms spend a lot of time, money and talent on marketing. Unfortunately, that investment produces very little new business.

Most law firms have attorneys who volunteer for speaking engagements, write articles, and send out client alerts and newsletters. The majority of law firms today have websites, practice group plans and partner plans, and brochures. Other marketing efforts made by many law firms are prospective client seminars, receptions, advertising, press relations, as well as community involvement. We need to ask ourselves if these things are really having an impact on our client development. Are we seeing results from these efforts? What a law firm should do is highlight what it does differently from other firms. Perhaps it is time to make a change in how our law firms are handling marketing and client development.

The challenge is to encourage attorneys to step out of their comfort zone when it comes to marketing and client development. They need to recognize that the more advocates an attorney has the more money and business they will have. An attorney should always have prospective clients. Byron Sabol pointed out that there are seven proven business generation activities. They include the following:

• Client Service Plans

• Qualified Prospects

• Developing Advocates

• Client Reviews

• Skills – Strategy – Follow-Through

• Support Critical Mass of Lawyers

• Answer the Question: What’s In It For Me?

Law firm marketing personnel need to encourage attorneys to determine what they are trying to achieve with their practice. Encourage them to determine where they want to be personally and professionally in three to five years. If an attorney does not see a benefit to the marketing activities, nothing will come of them. By going through this exercise, an attorney will be better able to develop a sustainable practice and control his or her own destiny.

Part of a marketing committee or department’s responsibility is to determine if their attorneys have the skills to create opportunities and identify valid business reasons. Also, they must determine if the attorneys have the skills to follow through. If not, those issues must be addressed first. Mr. Sabol indicated that 80% of attorneys want assistance and will increase their proficiency with training that is offered, along with a little encouragement. They also need to know when and how to ask a prospective or current client for business, as well as be able to identify cross-marketing opportunities.

Law firms must create opportunities for their skilled attorneys to meet and communicate face-to-face with qualified prospects. They must also create strategies that will increase the number of opportunities for their attorneys to make presentations. The more presentations an attorney makes, the more client development opportunities they will have. It is important that the attorneys meet the prospective clients face-to-face to be able to demonstrate first-hand their interest in the prospective or current client and their organization. These face-to-face meetings will also increase the attorneys’ knowledge of the client’s business, as well as expand the relationship. The attorney is then better able to determine the client’s needs, whether personal or needs of the organization. The attorney can discuss his or her expertise and also be able to gain a better perspective regarding the client’s decision-making process.

Mr. Sabol strongly recommended that all law firms do client reviews. (SLH: may want to explain what that is here.) It is his view that a client review is one of the most valuable activities a law firm can conduct. For one thing, it is crucial for attorneys to find time to spend with their top clients. But in addition, a client review demonstrates to the client that its interests are the attorney’s top concern. An effective client review will help a law firm secure the work it currently has, as well as provide the firm with a competitive advantage in obtaining new work.

Byron G. Sabol is an international business development, strategic marketing, client relationship management, and sales generation consultant. He has trained and addressed law firms on three continents. He established his own consulting firm, Sabol International, Inc. in 1993, but has been employed in the legal industry since 1986. Articles are available to download or to forward at his website at: www.byronsabol.com.