Jr. This article appeared in the ALA Marketing Management newsletter in the Spring of 1992. The format and approach is in the form of a letter to the managing partner outlining the why and what the firm should do in marketing, business development or client development. It is clear to me that we need to quit talking about business development and begin taking action.
Training is the first step.
If clients and prospective clients buy legal services from lawyers directly and not from seminars, brochures, newsletters, etc. Clearly opportunities for business will continue to come from our seminars, newsletters, brochures, speeches, client outings and the articles we have written. However, we will need to be more effective at taking these opportunities and developing them into clients or expanding current client relationships. The skills we will need to teach our lawyers are simple. The bigger challenge will be to modify their behavior and change their attitudes.