Solicitors must become more 'sales-centric' if they want their practices to prosper, argues Peter Belsey


In a world of encroaching legislation and increasingly promiscuous clients, law firms can no longer rely on their ‘rainmakers’ and technical expertise to generate new business and cross-sell within the existing client base.



Despite his disappointment at being pipped at the post in his first season in Formula One, new young British motor racing sensation Lewis Hamilton looks to have the makings of a great champion. Yet whether or not he is the ‘real deal’ is still more the subject of speculation rather than real understanding. By contrast, when Michael Schumacher retired from Formula One motor racing with a record seven world championships under his belt, many observers tried to analyse the secrets of his success.



Those who worked closely with him at Ferrari, for example, said that he ‘lived racing’. However, though totally focused on enhancing his chances of personal success, he always recognised that winning was a team event – and that each member of the team had a vital part to play. So, if in fact Schumacher’s success was in large part dependent on the Ferrari team ‘living racing’, is there a parallel that can be drawn with legal firms ‘living sales’ as an essential prerequisite for success in developing and retaining business?





Sales-led approach



The comparison is not as far-fetched as it might at first appear. In the professional services arena, the concept of the ‘rainmaker’ driving the sales effort – both in terms of selling in and selling up – is well understood.



Yet just as Schumacher would have failed without the direct support of his team, all pulling together to achieve a common objective, so the rainmaker’s business development efforts on behalf of the practice would achieve limited success if operating in isolation.



Historically, rainmakers emerged as a small minority of, typically, partners who were both comfortable with and skilled at networking. Further, they were also capable of spotting, creating and converting ?opportunities in bringing in new business.



At the same time, the rest of the firm worked on doing a good job based on technical excellence and good service as the basis for retaining that business. And this approach formed the basis of successful long-term relationships in which, over time, clients provided a broad range of work.



The world has changed, however. Today, clients are less loyal and much more likely to shop around. As a result, the relationship with the professional services provider has become more transactional and short-term. With increased competition, being a good lawyer will only get you to the starting line, with something more needed to make the practice stand out in attracting and retaining business.



In this very different commercial landscape, the bottom line is that rainmakers can no longer be expected to bring in the level of new business necessary to meet the practice’s goals. Equally, the rest of the business cannot rely on its technical expertise to retain, and cross-sell within, existing clients.





Business development



There are two responses to this. In an ideal world, a legal practice might choose to recruit more rainmakers, though the reality is that these are in very short supply, come at a high cost and only address part of the problem.



The alternative is for each practice to ‘grow their own’, by putting sales at the heart of the organisation, and broadening the capability and responsibility of a wider cross-section of staff to support directly the business development process.



This does not seek to turn all lawyers into sales people, an objective which would not only be unrealistic but also, in many cases, ?counter-productive. Rather, it aims to make them aware of how they can play a proactive role in helping to initiate or move the sale forward.



So where are we today? The ability of law firms to think in a more sales-centric way is already happening – even if the skills to achieve this seamlessly and successfully are often not yet fully in place.



Not unexpectedly, there is a broad spectrum of attitudes here. Many solicitors, especially in smaller practices, still do not see themselves as ‘sellers’ and have no dedicated resource. By contrast, among larger law firms, there is a growing recognition of the need to extend selling skills more broadly.



As a result, many firms are now employing business development directors and building teams of sales specialists – who are not qualified lawyers – to support the sales effort. Furthermore, they are being used to coach partners and other senior managers in sales techniques, broadening the skills base across the practice.



And it is only one step further to the recognition that there must be a wide range of partners, managers and staff who can play a positive role in the sales process – if the business is to truly succeed in increasingly competitive markets, with increasingly promiscuous clients.



This is ‘living sales’ – just as Schumacher and the Ferrari team won consistently by ‘living racing’.



Peter Belsey is director of HuthwaiteFleming, a sales and business development training organisation for legal professionals